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Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Braves considering Kotsay or Patterson for CF?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A couple of things to ponder while wondering who among you would’ve believed a few years ago that Marcus Giles would be reduced to signing a minor-league contract this winter at age 29.
Giles, who in 2003 had 49 doubles, 21 homers and a whopping .916 OPS and was arguably the best-hitting second baseman in all of baseball.
If you missed it, he signed a minor-league deal this week with Colorado.
Anyway, moving on …
It’s been a month or more since the Braves made any significant personnel moves (other than to sign potential backup catcher Javy Lopez to a minor league contract), and it might be another month or more before they make another.
As we said all along, the Braves considered their major offseason work completed after the signing of Tom Glavine and two trades that sent Edgar Renteria to Detroit for prospects (CF Gorkys Hernandez and RHP Jair Jurrjens, sent Oscar Villarreal to Houston for rookie CF Josh Anderson, and shipped Jose Ascanio to the Cubs for lefty reliever Will Ohman and utility man Omar Inante.
But as I’ve said, I still think the Braves might make a move or two before opening day, including the addition of another stopgap center fielder. And there is reason to believe that Oakland’s Mark Kotsay could be the guy.
I’m not saying a deal is imminent or even that the Braves have strong interest in the veteran Kotsay, but I’ve talked to people connected with both teams and have yet to have anyone tell me it’s not gonna happen. Maybe that’ll change soon, but so far nobody is shooting down the possibility, and that tells me something could be up.
Another possibility is Georgia native Corey Patterson, but only if the Baltimore free agent’s price tag keeps plummeting and the Braves can get him for perhaps half of the $6 mill salary he was once looking for, and probably only if they can get him in a straight one-year deal. The Braves don’t have huge interest, but I think they still have some.
Why Kotsay or Patterson instead of, say, Boston’s more productive and expendable CF Coco Crisp? Simple answer: Because of the commitment required.
With Crisp, the Braves would have to give up some talent (not sure how much) in a trade, and then would owe him at least $11 mill over two years ($10.5 mill in salary over the 2008-09 seasons, plus a $500,000 buyout of a 2010 option).
Kotsay will make $8 mill in 2008 before becoming a free agent. I’m guessing the Braves would require Oakland to pay close to half of that figure before Atlanta would give up anything of value in a trade for Kotsay. He’s coming off an injury-shortened, career-worst season (.214-1-20 in 56 games), but did hit .275 or higher in more than 500 at-bats each of the previous three seasons, with 37 total homers and 204 RBIs in that stretch.
He’s an excellent defensive CF and a strong leader and clubhouse presence, described everwhere he’s been as a great teammate who, whenever he’s in the lineup, plays all-out, without regard for his battered body and chronic back.
From that perspective, there probably isn’t a better guy that Jordan Schafer could learn about CF from than Kotsay, a left-handed hitter with a .282 career average. Kotsay hit .314 with a .370 OBP in 2004, and in 2005 he had 15 homers and 82 RBIs. So it’s not been such a long time since the 32-year-old produced.
He’s not the player he once was because of injuries, but he can still “go get it” as they say of quality outfielders, and he might just have enough left for a comeback season of sorts under Bobby Cox, a manager Kotsay has always admired since beginning his career in the Florida Marlins organization.
Oakland’s in another rebuilding mode and already traded ace Dan Haren and fan-favorite outfielder Nick Swisher. They’re talking to teams about trading highly sought-after starter Joe Blanton (only 27 years old), and yes, plenty of Braves fans would love for Atlanta to get involved in that discussion (sure can’t blame you).
The Braves haven’t ruled out adding another starter, but I’d be shocked if they were willing to give up the young talent required to trade for Blanton.
However, the Billy Beane Bazaar could hold an answer to the Braves’ desire to find a veteran CF to get them through the transition period between Andruw Jones and projected future CF standout Schafer, who should be ready by 2009 opening day, and perhaps by midseason 2008.
Schafer might even be ready by ’08 opening day, if the Braves deem it necessary and suitable to thrust him into the starting CF role without any experience above Class A ball. But I really think that’s something they want to avoid.
Then again, if they have to go with speedy rook Anderson, I think they’re prepared to do that. Unless him and Schafer both look completely overmatched this spring, which seems unlikely in Anderson’s case, given how well Anderson played in his September callup with the ‘Stros.
Kotsay’s injury history makes it doubtful he would be expected to play every day, and I don’t know that the Braves would want to play Omar Infante very frequently in CF, even though he played 12 games there for Detroit last season. Infante is their super-utility guy, and the Braves want the veteran to be at the ready to fill in at several infield positions.
So maybe the Braves could go with a roster that includes both Kotsay and Anderson or Schafer. Then again, if they already have Matt Diaz and Brandon Jones to platoon in LF (Frank Wren has mentioned that as a possibility), I don’t see the Braves keeping five OFs on a 25-man roster.
So there are obvious reasons why Kotsay might not work, and why Patterson might be more suitable. Because while Patterson has not lived up to expectations with the Cubs and Orioles, he does play outstanding defense and has played at least 126 games each of the past four seasons, including last season when he hit .269 with just a .304 OBP, eight homers and 45 RBIs, but had 37 steals (46 attempts).
Patterson bats lefty but, at least last season, he hit lefties quite well (Anderson and Schafer are also lefty batters). So it’s possible (hey, just thinking creatively here) that the Braves could consider a platoon with one of the kids and Patterson, who hit .310 with a .344 OBP vs. lefty pitchers (compared to .251 with a .286 OBP vs. righties).
Then again, until last season Kotsay had hit lefties about as well as he did righties (.282 and .331 OBP vs. lefties in his career, .281 and .339 vs. righties). Those career marks include his .130 average in 46 at-bats vs. lefties last season. And Patterson, before last season, pretty much stunk vs. lefties.
Again, it’s probably a moot point because if the Braves have a platoon in LF, I don’t expect them to also employ a CF platoon. Too many outfielders on a 25-man roster.
Patterson had a good second half last season, batting .313 with six homers and a .333 OBP in 201 at-bats. This after hitting .235 with two homers and a .282 OBP in 260 at-bats before the All-Star break.
But as some here have pointed out, having him on the roster might tempt Bobby Cox to bat him leadoff instead of Yunel Escobar or Kelly Johnson, who each had .400 OBPs or higher as leadoff men in 2007. Oh, the teeth gnashing.
Speaking of Braves fans…. FanFest is this weekend in downtown Atlanta. It’s been moved for the first time from Turner Field (couldn’t count on the January weather at the ballpark) to the World Congress Center, where the Braves will have a sprawling indoor setup that includes a couple of ballfields set up for players to give demonstrations to the kids (or adults) on techniques.
(Who knows, if you ask nicely Diaz just might reenact the full-on face-plant into the outfield wall that earned him much razzing from teammates a couple years back in a game at Florida — we kid Diaz because he’s a good dude.)
The team is going all-out on FanFest this time around, determined to make it as a big a deal as it is for a lot of other major league teams. Believe me, the Braves were as disappointed as some of you after procedural snafus and cold weather turned their FanFest into a less-than-stellar event in recent years.
Most of the prominent current Braves (and some former ones) will be on hand to sign autographs and interact with fans Saturday or Sunday, though the Braves aren’t going to announce who’s coming on which days (so please don’t e-mail and ask me, because I can’t help with that request).
All I can tell you is that Smoltz, Glavine, Chipper, Teixeira, Francoeur, McCann, Javy Lopez (hey, several fans have asked me if he’ll be there), Diaz, Mike Gonzalez, Chuck James, and a bunch of others are supposed to be there.
Mike Hampton, Rafael Soriano, Escobar and Cox weren’t on the list the team sent out of those scheduled to attend, but almost every other Brave was.
Now, a tune: In recognition of the return of TV’s best show, HBO’s The Wire, which last week began its final season, let’s go with a classic by Steve Earle. He’s had a small, recurring role in the show and also sings the theme song, a cover of Tom Waits’ “Way Down in the Hole.”
”DEVIL’S RIGHT HAND” by Steve Earle
About the time that Daddy left to fight the big war
I saw my first pistol in the general store
In the general store, when I was thirteen
I thought it was the finest thing I ever had seen
So l asked if I could have one someday when I grew up
Mama dropped a dozen eggs, she really blew up
She really blew up, and she didn’t understand
Mama said the pistol is the devil’s right hand
The devil’s right hand, the devil’s right hand
Mama says the pistol is the devil’s right hand….
Me very first pistol was a cap and ball Colt
Shoots as fast as lightnin’ but it loads a mite slow
It loads a mite slow, and soon I found out
It’ll get you into trouble but it can’t get you out
So then I went and bought myself a Colt 45
Called a peacemaker but I never knew why
I never knew why, I didn’t understand
Mama says the pistol is the devil’s right hand
The devil’s right hand, the devil’s right hand
Mama says the pistol is the devil’s right hand….
Got into a card game in a company town
I caught a miner cheating, I shot the dog down
I shot the dog down, I watched the man fall
He never touched his holster, never had a chance to draw
The trial was in the morning and they drug me out of bed
Asked me how I pleaded, not guilty I said
Not guilty I said, you’ve got the wrong man
Nothing touched the trigger but the devil’s right hand
The devil’s right hand, the devil’s right hand
Mama says the pistol is the devil’s right hand….
The devil’s right hand, the devil’s right hand
Mama says the pistol is the devil’s right hand….
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