The Braves Blog

The league apparently is hoping the new caps spark additional sales to fans.

read the rest: http://espn.go.com/mlb/spring2013/story/_/id/8937328/atlanta-braves-shelve-cap-controversial-logo.

–Well, I can tell you they’ve lost at least one sale! I would have bought the original design in a heartbeat!

“Who’s the real leader on that club now?” asked one longtime scout. “Losing Martin Prado is huge from an intangible standpoint.”

“That’s my question,” said an NL executive. “Does this trade make them better talent-wise? No question. But team-wise? I don’t think so. I’m not faulting them on the deal. I’m just asking: Who’s been the heart and soul of the Atlanta Braves for the last 18 years? That’s Chipper Jones. And who’s been the player for the last two years who looked like he was sliding in to assume that responsibility? Martin Prado. So that’s a big, big loss for that team.”

Prado certainly wasn’t the most famous name on this team’s roster. But he was so beloved by his teammates and carried so much weight in everything he said and did that his exit in this deal will reverberate more than most people would think.

It was the biggest reason, in fact, the same NL exec was the only person we surveyed who gave a thumbs-down on this trade.

read the rest: http://espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove12/story/_/id/8877481/braves-bring-justin-bj-upton-together.

There has been much discussion of who should start the Wild Card play-in game for the Atlanta Braves, from John Smoltz suggesting the team’s third best starter should start, to FanGraphs’ Dave Cameron suggesting Craig Kimbrel should start and the Braves should play bullpen match-ups for most of the game.

read the rest: http://www.talkingchop.com/2012/9/22/3373334/kris-medlen-will-start-wild-card-game-for-atlanta-braves.

Kris Medlen is 12-2 with a 3.08 ERA in the first 25 starts of his major league career, which is more than impressive enough. But what he’s done this year since a end-of-July move from the bullpen to the starting rotation has simply surpassed all expectations. He’s making it look way easier than it is for any pitcher, much less one with such little experience as a starter.

read the rest: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/09/04/since-move-to-rotation-medlen-has-been-maddux-esque/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_braves_blog.

The budding ace of the Braves staff went 4-0 in five starts last month, while allowing only two earned runs in 35 2/3 innings. He struck out 35 while walking only four, and that was before he pitched a complete game with a career-high 12 strikeouts to beat the Rockies 6-1 on Monday.

read the rest: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/09/04/medlen-wins-nl-pitcher-of-the-month/.

Veteran first baseman Lyle Overbay and reliever Peter Moylan are among four players the Braves are planning to call up Saturday when rosters expand. This will be the first wave of September call-ups, as the Braves plan to bring up another wave when the minor league season ends on Monday

read the rest: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/08/31/overbay-to-be-in-first-wave-of-four-sept-call-ups/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_braves_blog.

There is this problem with Kris Medlen. He is too good at everything he does.

He can pitch middle relief. He can start. He can come in at any time and rescue a teammate in full mound meltdown mode, or step in as the understudy for one who has been put on the shelf. He is equally adept at both.

It’s sort of like Kenshin Kawakami’s alternate universe.

read the rest: http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2012/08/05/medlen-should-give-braves-reason-to-consider-6-man-staff/.

If you were drawing up the ideal Major League Baseball team, you’d want talent and leadership along with a mixture of veteran experience and youthful enthusiasm. You’d want some speed at the top of the lineup and some big boppers in the middle. You’d want all the pitching you could get your hands on. You’d also want some remarkable stories. You know, things you’d reflect on after the season and ask yourself, “How did THAT happen?”

Ladies and gentlemen, meet your 2012 Braves.

read the rest: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120802&content_id=36013308&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_36013308.

I questioned whether we should have parted with Vizcaino as well, but I still tend to agree with Bradley that it was a good trade. Still, I would have preferred that it had been Delgado than Vizcaino.

About Arodys Vizcaino, the 21-year-old pitcher the Braves sent to the Cubs: This spring, Law ranked him as the No. 14 prospect in baseball, ahead of Julio Teheran (No. 18) and Randall Delgado (No. 98). Vizcaino underwent Tommy John surgery in April, but Law still projects him as “a No. 2 or better starter.”

read the rest: http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2012/08/01/espns-keith-law-the-braves-overpaid-for-maholm-and-johnson/?cxntfid=blogs_mark_bradley_blog.

There are more links in the article, but you’ll need an insider subscription to read them.

A week after Dempster used to his 10-and-5 rights as a veteran pitcher to reject a trade to Atlanta, Maholm saw it as his own gain. The Mississippi native grew up a Braves fan and was excited not only to get his first shot at the playoffs but getting to play with Chipper Jones during the final two months or so of his career.

“I enjoyed my time there (in Chicago), but if I was going to get traded this was obviously landing spot No. 1 for me,” Maholm said.

read the rest: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/08/01/dempsters-loss-feels-like-maholms-gain/.