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Monday, November 12, 2007
Cox, Wren on hand to see Braves in Arizona
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I came to see Jordan Schafer play for the Peoria Javelinas tonight here in Surprise, Ariz., and it turns out — surprise, indeed — I’ll get to see several other Braves prospects including a hard-throwing right-hander in his fifth Arizona Fall League start, a big up-and-comer who won’t be unknown to most fans much longer.
Charlie Morton isn’t ranked among the Braves’ Top 10 prospects (Schafer is No. 1 in that just-released Baseball America list), but that’s because the 6-foot-5 pitcher has come on so recently.
He’s a quickly rising talent who’ll soon be added to the 40-man roster, GM Frank Wren told me today. (Frank also said he was assured all the Braves position guys on the Javelinas were going to play tonight, including Schafer, catcher Clint Sammons, SS Brandon Hicks, and 2B J.C. Holt. Yes, Braves starting at five spots).
Morton’s numbers last year at Double-A Mis’sip didn’t exactly jump off the page — he was 4-6 with a 4.29 ERA in 41 games, including six starts. He had 67 strikeouts in 79-2/3 innings, with 37 walks and 80 hits allowed.
But look inside the about-to-turn 24-year-old’s splits and you see why folks took notice late in the season. His WHIP came down steadily, from 1.92 in April to 1.56 in July and 1.31 in August. He went from recording 20 strikeouts with 17 walks in 24-2/3 innings during April-May to 27 strikeouts with 10 walks in 29 innings during July-August.
In the AFL, before tonight he’s 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA in five games (four starts), with 14 strikeouts and six walks in 16 innings.
Morton has a fastball that reaches 96-97 mph, along with three other pitches that are said to be average to above-average: curveball, slider and change.
He’s a former third-round pick (2002) who had fallen off the radar while going 12-18 over his first two minor league seasons in A-Ball, and posting ERAs of 4.82, 5.20 and 5.40 in his first three seasons. This (2007) was his fourth.
Hey, some prospects take a while. Sometimes things just start to click for guys when no one’s expecting it. Sounds like that’s the case with this kid.
A pitcher might find a comfortable arm slot, develop confidence, or just “figure it out,” for lack of a better explanation. According to Wren, this kid’s been soaring since midseason, and carried it into the Double-A postseason.
I’m eager to see for myself tonight, almost as eager as I am to see Schafer in center field (when I went to the Javelinas’ game Saturday, he DH’d and went 2-for-5 with three strikeouts, a single and a triple).
Despite going through a recent hitting funk for several games, Schafer is still batting .345 (30-for-87) with a .420 OBP in 22 games, with six doubles, a triple a home run and 13 RBIs. He also has nine stolen bases in 11 attempts, including one in Saturday’s game (I can attest, the kid’s got very good speed).
Don’t know what you’ve seen him listed at, but Schafer said he’s 202 pounds right now, hopes to be up to 205-210 for spring training — and hopes to be in big league camp. I think there’s a very good chance that he will be invited, though he’s not on the 40-man roster and doesn’t have to be added.
Morton does have to be added or be exposed to the Rule 5 draft, where he’d be snatched in a heartbeat, with that kind of stuff he’s got. But it doesn’t sound like he’ll be a candidate for the rotation in the spring (Braves already have prospects Jair Jurrjens and Jo-Jo Reyes to compete along with returners Chuck James and several others for perhaps only one spot, if they sign Tom Glavine as expected and if Mike Hampton — I know, big “if” — can stay healthy through spring).
But it’s worth making a note about Morton now, keep him in mind. He could certainly be ready at some point this season if his recent progress continue, either in the rotation or the bullpen. He’s also another reason the Braves could use one of their younger pitchers in a possible trade this winter or spring.
Who is Sung Ki Jung? Glad you asked. He’s a Braves pitching prospect who spent three years in mandatory service with the South Korean Army before pitching for high-A Myrtle Beach and Double-A Miss this past season.
In 40 appearances, all he did was post a 1.30 ERA with 23 saves, 57 strikeouts, 13 walks and 31 hits (two homers) allowed in 48-1/3 innings. Yowza.
Something tells me the South Korean Army let him throw a little on the side over the past three seasons.
Might be a bullpen candidate, if not this spring then during the season. Also looking forward to him possibly getting into the game tonight, since Wren described his delivery as “funky” but left it at that. Anyone out there see him pitch this season? If so, what’s the funk?
Glavine open for business today: Tuesday (Nov. 13) is the first day teams other than the Mets can make offers for Tom Glavine, but it’s hard to find anyone in baseball who believes the old lefty ace will be signing with anyone other than the Braves.
That said, I’m hearing it might not get done for a couple of weeks. Which I can believe, since Glavine might want to at least see what the market is, what teams like Washington might offer him, before deciding how much of a “discount”
Mahay drawing plenty of interest: The Braves hope to re-sign free agent lefty Ron Mahay, but the reliever is getting plenty of interest from other teams, as could be expected given his status as one of the top two available lefties (along with Jeremy Affeldt) after J.C. Romero re-signed with Philly (for three years and a whopping $12 mill).
Agent Lonnie Cooper - he also represents John Smoltz and power-hitting prospect Jason Heyward, who’s No. 2 on the Braves BA list behind Schafer — told me he’s talked preliminarily with Wren and a lot of other teams.
The Braves knew there was no reason to make a low offer to Mahay during their exclusive 15-day negotiating period before other teams could make him offers starting today, and at the same time I’d guess the Braves probably don’t want to pay anywhere near what Romero got from the Phillies.
When I asked Lonnie if the Romero contract “set the market” for lefty relievers, he said, “If you look at comparision of stats, you’ll see there’s a big comparison between the two. [That contract] was a good, comparable statement.”
To which the Braves might be thinking, “Uh-oh.”
I don’t know if Braves will be willing to pay Mahay enough, but I wouldn’t assume that Mahay will get the kind of contract Romero did. In many ways, Romero is a special case, for the Phillies in particular but also for most any team in general (well, except maybe the Red Sox, who released him in June).
It’s important to note that Romero has a tremendous 435 appearances in six seasons as a major league reliever, with 65 or more appearances every year and highs of 81 and 74 appearances (twice, including this season).
Mahay, 36, didn’t in as many as 30 appearances in any of his first six seasons, and didn’t have more than 35 until appearing in 60 games in his 2004, when he had a 2.55 ERA and 1.328 WHIP for Texas.
After getting knocked around for a 6.81 ERA and 1.766 WHIP in 2005, Mahay made 58 and 62 apperances the past two seasons while posting ERAs of 3.95 in 2006 and 2.55 in 2007, including a 2.25 ERA and 1.250 WHIP in 19 appearance after he was traded from Texas to Atlanta on July 31.
Romero had a 1.24 ERA and 1.101 WHIP in 51 appearances this season for Philly, which plays in a home park that causes nightmares for most pitchers. Not for Romero, who has a 1.83 ERA in 26 career appearances at cozy Citizens Bank Park, with only one homer and nine hits allowed in 19-2/3 innings.
Lefties hit .208 and righties hit .198 against him this season, and the Braves went 2-for-21 (.095) against Romero, while the Mets were 2-for-19. That’s 4-for-40 by the Phillies’ chief rivals, with two doubles, no RBIs and 14 strikeouts.
Romero is 31 and rubber-armed, and given his durability and steady performance, that $12 million investment doesn’t seem quite as risky or extravagant as it would for a lefty specialist most teams other than the Yankees.
But personally, I’m guessing the price won’t go as high for Mahay. But still might go higher than the Braves are looking to pay.
By the way, Cooper said Smoltz is excited about next season and has been crowing about his recent hole-in-one on a 320-yard par 4.
“He’s very positive about next year,” Cooper said. “He feels great, and he’s got his routine and regimen in place for next year.”
Ok, time to watch some ‘ball before I catch a redeye (12:35 a.m.) flight home to Atlanta. But first…
While I’m thinking about it, I got the new Robert Plant/Alison Krauss CD “Raising Sand” yesterday, listened to it three times during my 350 miles of driving to Sedona and Flagstaff, and it’s outstanding. I particulary love the song “Please Read the Letter.” Check it out if you haven’t yet.
And the Dwight Yoakam “Dwight Sings Buck” CD of Buck Owens covers, which I strongly recommended two months ago after downloading an advance copy by buddy had, I’ll even more strongly recommond after buying it yesterday and playing it repeatedly on the drive. Those two CDs and an Elvis Costello “Best of the First 10 Years” got me through nine hours without having to try to find a station in the barren Phoenix-area radio market.
“RADIO, RADIO” by Elvis Costello
I was tuning in the shine on the light night dial
Doing anything my radio advised
With every one of those late night stations
Playing songs bringing tears to my eyes
I was seriously thinking about hiding the receiver
When the switch broke ‘cause it’s old
They’re saying things that I can hardly believe
They really think we’re getting out of control
Radio is a sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation
They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don’t give you any choice ‘cause they think that it’s treason
So you had better do as you are told
You better listen to the radio
I wanna bite the hand that feeds me
I wanna bite that hand so badly
I want to make them wish they’d never seen me
Some of my friends sit around every evening
And they worry about the times ahead
But everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference
And the promise of an early bed
You either shut up or get cut up, they don’t wanna hear about it
It’s only inches on the reel-to-reel
And the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools
Tryin’ to anaesthetise the way that you feel
Radio is a sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation
They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don’t give you any choice ‘cause they think that it’s treason
So you had better do as you are told
You better listen to the radio
Wonderful radio
Marvelous radio
Wonderful radio
Radio, radio…
OK, THIS JUST IN: Have to add this. I was just about to post this blog when none other than Frank Wren walked up unannounced just now, surprising me in the pressbox. I had talked to him on the phone a couple hours ago, and he’d said he was in Atlanta.
When I mentioned to him on the phone that I’d heard him and Bobby Cox might be coming to the games in Arizona this weekend to see the prospects, Frank had replied, “What do we look like, scouts?” Little did I know he was 10 miles away in a hotel when I was talking to him on the phone, and was enjoying pulling my leg.
He and Bobby are down in the stands now. They’re going to be out here for next three days (which I’d guess assure there will be no Glavine press conference in the next couple days, not that I was expecting it that soon anyway).
Might have to go down and watch an inning or two with them tonight before I head back to my hotel and the airport.
None of the folks in the pressbox recognized Frank when he sat down and talked to me for a few minutes. But minutes after he left the pressbox, I heard some reporter who covers the Arizona Fall League say excitedly to another guy, “Hey, you see who’s here? Bobby Cox. He’s sitting right down there.”
Now that I think about it, I guess that explains five of tonight’s nine starters being from the Braves, huh?
OK, that’s it. Talk to you folks in a while.
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