AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2006 > February > 20
Monday, February 20, 2006
Stardom surely awaits ‘Salty’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After a week at Braves camp on the edge of Have Fun Or Else theme park, I’m here to report that your Atlanta Braves are not afraid of the Mets and the kid named “Salty” is going to be a star.
But you probably already knew that.
Here’s a couple of quick issues, developments, and observations from what’s been a quiet camp so far, but will get turned up several notches when full-squad workouts start Wednesday:
The Braves are extremely high on lefty Chuck James, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s in their rotation at some point this season. I’d go so far as to say that right now, he’s ahead of Kyle Davies and if something were to happen, injury or trade, to one of the returning five veteran starters, James could be in the rotation.
The closer job really does look like it’s going to be Reitsma’s, judging from everything I’m hearing from Bobby Cox and others. But Oscar Villarreal has looked very good so far in camp, and he’s going to play a big role as a setup guy and fallback option at the closer role, should Reitsma have any problems.
Andruw Jones is in great shape, the best shape he’s ever reported in. If he doesn’t hit 45 homers, I’ll be surprised. Yes, 45 — or more. Mark it down.
Chipper’s been sick as a dog, sort of a flu relapse (he lost 8 pounds in 8 days after coming down with flu in January, and got sick again). But he’s looked better last couple days and was well enough to play 36 holes of golf Friday and go to Daytona 500 in the pits. Still hasn’t said whether he’ll pull out of WBC, but I’d guess he’ll play. And the important thing that’s not been mentioned is the fact that his troublesome foot hasn’t been troublesome for some time now. Remember when he and everyone else thought he’d need surgery soon as season ended and some believed he wouldn’t be ready for spring training? Not even an issue anymore. At least not right now. Nevermind the lost weight; as long as his foot and hamstrings stay healthy, he’ll produce. After two injury-plagued seasons, I look for him to get back to 100-RBI form this year.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia is a big dude, and he’s got “Salty” tattoed down his left triceps. Just thought I’d let you know, since you who aren’t in the clubhouse can’t see it unless you look real close and see one letter poking from beneath his uniform sleeve. Oh, and by the way, he can absolutely hit, and hit for power. From both sides of the plate. His batting practices are special. If they have to make him a first baseman at some point, they should and probably will. He’s going to be too good at Double-A to keep down on the farm much longer, I have a feeling.
OK, a general thought to wrap this up:
When a team wins 14 consecutive division titles, they develop a vast amount of confidence, and those coming up in the organization latch onto just by looking around and listening to what the veterans are saying. Langerhans, Francoeur, McBride … they all hear Chipper and Andruw and Smoltz and Hudson talking about the Braves’ expectations and they all adopt the same approach. Already have.
So that’s good for, what, 10 games over the course of the season? And Bobby Cox is good for another 10 or more, if you believe Braves players, and plenty of players on other teams.
Going into the season with a figurative 20-game lead — that would help explain how the Braves held off challenges from the Marlins, Phillies and Mets in recent years and continued their absurd divisional title run.
Of course, once the playoffs start, that confidence is no longer a factor. Not only does every other team in the postseason feel good about themselves after advancing to the playoffs, but in many cases they probably will feel better about their chances than the Braves do, simply because they haven’t experienced playoff failure and don’t enter with the baggage and pressure the Braves probably feel after so many playoff disappointments.
But that’s a story for another time, a concern the Braves and their fans can only hope they once again have to face in October.
For now, it’s all about trying to get there again, trying to hold off what could arguably be the toughest opponent the Braves have faced in the NL East since, well, since the 1997 Marlins were assembled with the likes the Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Moises Alou, Edgar Renteria, Charles Johnson, pitchers Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, Alex Fernandez and Robb Nen, and midseason additions Darren Daulton and Craig Counsell. Whew, what a group that was. But the Braves did hold them off, at least in the division standings. When the NLCS rolled around, it was a different story. The Marlins knew they could beat Atlanta, and did.
As for these Mets, their lineup is loaded. But take a look at that rotation, after Pedro and Glavine. Trachsel, V. Zambrano, Heilman? Come on. You spend all that money adding Carlos Delgado and Lo Duca to a lineup that already had Carlos Beltran, Reyes, Wright and Floyd, and adding Billy Wagner to your bullpen, you’ve GOT to put together a better rotation than that. Don’t you? Letting Mrs. Benson (and Kris) go was one thing — perhaps addition by subtraction, given the silly controversy that always swirls around the couple. But also trading away Jae Seo, now that was a move they’ll regret.
That rotation just doesn’t stand up, not even close, to the Braves’ rotation. And since the Marlins are going to be a non-factor, and the Phillies GM himself concedes that his team isn’t good enough to win the division, and the Nationals are the Nationals … well, folks, how many of you really believe the Braves’ streak ends this year? A show of hands, please.
Now, this surely will invite a barrage of anti-Cox bloggers who say it doesn’t matter if they win the division and lose again in the first round. Fine, just cut-and-paste your previous posts on that matter.
I’m not here to defend the Braves or try to convince you that every other team in baseball, with the exception of the Yankees, would gladly trade their last 15 seasons for the Braves. Believe that if you want, or convince yourselves that you’d prefer to win two titles like the Marlins and be awful every few years like the Marlins after they hold a fire sale. I know the few Marlins people who’ve been with the organization the longest, because I covered the team seven years.
And I’ll just tell you, every one of them, every time the Braves play Florida, shakes their head in wonder at what the Braves do, and every one says how miserable it is playing in front of 10,000 people in rainy Florida every year except the years they won the World Series. The Marlins would gladly swap their last 10 years with the Braves, and those who don’t believe that, well, you’re just wrong.
Do the Braves believe they should have won more than one World Series? Of course. It kills them inside that they haven’t. Absolutely, it does. I find it hard to believe they haven’t, looking back at all their chances.
But they also have a right to be proud of what they’ve done, don’t you think?
