Though he was expected to be a backup this year, Pierzynski wound up playing 113 games and starting 104 for the Braves. Newcomb, a 6-foot-5 left-hander, was rated the No. 25 prospect in baseball in ESPN Insider Keith Law’s midseason Top 50 in July. Since the start of last offseason, the Braves have acquired eight pitchers who are current or former top-100 prospects.
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Simmons brings less to the table offensively.
Eppler praised Aybar, who hit. Sounds great! I’m gonna go gargle bleach now. At the time we weren’t sure whether he would be a pitcher or a shortstop. We need the offense to change that, and we have the pieces to that now. But at the end of it, he’s a really good player.
Ninety-seven losses this past season – the most in a quarter-century – and the very real prospect of even more defeats in 2016. But should we expect offensive growth in the years to come? He’s a good player.
Ozzie went on to take his legacy to the St. Louis, cementing his reputation as the greatest defensive shortstop at least in the modern era. Yes, better than Omar Vizquel.
Simmons has had his ups and downs at the plate in parts of four seasons with the Braves, but he is regarded as one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. You’ve got to give something to get something, right?
Not only that, Anaheim’s farm system was already ridiculously thin, and now with their two best prospects gone, it is undoubtedly the worst in Major League Baseball. The same idea applied to the trade of Justin Upton to the San Diego Padres.
The good news is Eppler still has three months before spring training to cross a few more items off his list. “We felt like we were getting so much talent back in this deal, that if we didn’t make this trade, it would be very tough for us to keep going forward with our plans”. They also believe they have the shortstop of their future in their minor league system with Ozhaino Albies. With the Atlanta Braves, it no longer seems as if this is just a simple rebuild; but rather, scorched earth. It’s a bit expensive, but they’re loaded with cost-controlled stars around the diamond so a bit of extra money this year likely isn’t a problem. Simmons, 26, is signed through the 2020 season, for a total of $53 million. It’s a tougher one to sell to the faithful. It took a while but the Braves had a 20 year run because of the same type of move as above. The Braves were marketing him – along with Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman – as the reason to get excited for the new stadium. “I could’ve said, ‘Let me hold on to Simmons”. It’s why he’s considered among the premier shortstops in the game.
On the other hand, there are criticisms you could make of this deal. So if the two-time Gold Glove award victor is available, it raises the question of who else might be on the table in trade talks for Atlanta this winter. Angels beat writers and Angels fans will, though.
The Atlanta Braves on Thursday traded shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the Los Angeles Angels in a deal that nets the Braves a package of prospects, and established shortstop Erick Aybar.
Simmons has a career batting average of. Sometimes, you get Pierce Brosnan-a unusual placeholder who’s fine to have but ultimately forgettable. If he continues to develop his secondary stuff, Newcomb might be ready for a look in late 2016, but his long-term upside is that of a potential staff ace.
Atlanta is continuing to stockpile good young pitching, but giving up Simmons had to be a hard choice.
Simmons was a known quality. I think he knows a little more than you do. I can’t help but wonder if the Yankees are being used to create leverage. “The 6’5” lefty has a power arm and can hit the high 90’s with his fastball.
Simmons was a one-of-a-kind defender. Shelby Miller and Julio Teheran? And are you confident either of them will be around for several more years? Consider that outfielder Colby Rasmus and catcher Matt Wieters accepted $15.8 million qualifying offers Friday from their respective teams, the Astros and Orioles. The Braves will also pick up $2.5 million in cash.
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Again, he retired after the 2009 season, not 1980. He’s a career. 256 hitter with a. 304 on-base percentage. Briceno ended 2015 having hit.183/.215/.267 over 327 plate appearances. Amusing thing is they had a lot of talent to begin with. 730 makes him much closer to being an average major leaguer.
