2012 Atlanta Braves thread

[Sportsforever]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jgainsey

DOB tweeting that Hudson won't be ready until late April or May... I'm assuming that probably means June or July, so it should be an interesting spring to see who wins the 5th slot in the rotation. I'm guessing Minor, Teheran, Delgado, and even Medlen all have a crack at it. If I had to bet on it now, I'd say the final spot goes to Minor. And if anything else goes wrong, I'm sure Teheran won't be too far behind him. It would appear that the much anticipated logjam of starting pitching is right around the corner.

Quote: Originally Posted by DonkeyJote

I actually think it will be Delgado. It depends a lot on who has options left though. I'm not sure how many options Minor has left, and Teheran and Delgado still have plenty. Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

Doesn't Huddy not being ready mean two spots are up for grabs?

Hanson, JJ, Beachy are locks. After that, without Huddy, you have Minor, Medlen, Teheran, Delgado, and maybe Vizcaino battling it for the final 2 spots. My money is on Minor at #4 and Delgado at #5. I think they will keep Medlen/Vizcaino in the 'pen.

[TheMatrix31]

Ideally I want Minor and Medlen, but I'm not sure Medlen is ready to go deeper into games just yet.

I'll take Minor and Delgado.

Not sure I want Teheran in the pen. Fredi's gonna abuse him, lol.

[DonkeyJote]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheMatrix31

Ideally I want Minor and Medlen, but I'm not sure Medlen is ready to go deeper into games just yet. I'll take Minor and Delgado. Not sure I want Teheran in the pen. Fredi's gonna abuse him, lol.

I personally like Medlen in the pen a lot more. He can be that second right hander out of the pen that can keep the innings of Venters and Kimbrel down. I'd rather have Delgado in the rotation than either of them. Guy had a 1.80 era in his last 4 starts - he just kept getting better.

[TheMatrix31]

That's also a good point. Medlen would be nice in the long reliever role. I'd have a lot of faith in him if he's healthy and all ready to go.

[Jgainsey]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sportsforever

Doesn't Huddy not being ready mean two spots are up for grabs? Hanson, JJ, Beachy are locks. After that, without Huddy, you have Minor, Medlen, Teheran, Delgado, and maybe Vizcaino battling it for the final 2 spots. My money is on Minor at #4 and Delgado at #5. I think they will keep Medlen/Vizcaino in the 'pen.

Yeah, that's right. I'm not sure what I was thinking..

In that case I would say Minor at #4 and Teheran in the 5th spot. Personally, I'd like to see Delgado get just a little more time at AAA. Aside from his short stint with the big club last year, he's really only seen a little less than a full year at AA, and his minor league number aren't quite as impressive as Teheran (who spent nearly a full year in AAA last year).

I'm splitting hairs though, as it really isn't that big of a deal who winds up getting the nod in April.. And really, their numbers are pretty close. I'm sure both will be fine this year, but if it was up to me, I would probably go Teheran.

Besides, we are probably going to see both of them in the rotation anyways. Between injuries, performance, and the inevitable limit on innings pitched, it's probably a safe bet we end up seeing a decent amount of turnover in the rotation this year.

As far as the bullpen goes, this would be my guess..

Kimbrel
Venters
O'Flaherty
Medlen
Moylan
C. Matinez
Asencio??

Not sure about that last spot, but I'm pretty sure both Martinez and Asencio are out of options.

I've also seen some comments saying that maybe a Teheran or Delgado could wind up in the pen, depending on who wins out in spring training. Personally, I'm not really a fan of that idea. Though I suppose it could work out, seeing as the organization is going to want to limit the innings pitched for both prospects.

Either way, it would be nice having both Meds and Martinez around to eat up multiple innings when need be. Plus, Martinez really had a strong showing last year, so I'd like to see the him and Medlen both get a crack at some higher leverage situations, while sharing some of the long relief duties.

Btw, I REALLY like our bullpen this year. It would nice to have another lefty, but I think they can maintain or even improve on last year's stellar effort.

[aukevin]

I wonder where Arodys Vizcaino fits into the bullpen this year. Hopefully Huddy's back isn't going to be the same disaster that Moylan's was last year.

[DonkeyJote]

Quote: Originally Posted by aukevin

I wonder where Arodys Vizcaino fits into the bullpen this year. Hopefully Huddy's back isn't going to be the same disaster that Moylan's was last year.

,
I think Vizcaino should be starting in triple A and get called up to show to pitch out of the pen if needed. I think the returns if Medlen and Moylan should be good enough to solidify the pen.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

[TheMatrix31]

Front page of ESPN, hooray!

http://espn.go.com/mlb/spring2012/st...making-changes