Justin Upton traded to Braves

[CarolinaRedleg]

Originally Posted by TRF

I wonder how the dynamic of the Upton brothers playing on the same team will work. it isn't all that common. Were the Boone's that last brothers to play on the same team with regular jobs-ish? (1998)

I seem to recall Team LaRoche in Pittsburgh a few years back.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by Brutus

The problem is, you spent a ton of time telling us a few weeks ago that guys start falling off a cliff at 28, so Upton has only 3 years left of prime and at this pace, he's only playing that way once every two years

I don't believe I said they fall off of a cliff at 28, but they start declining. But assuming his every other year, the Braves are going to get 2 superstar years and one still pretty good year.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by CarolinaRedleg

I seem to recall Team LaRoche in Pittsburgh a few years back.

Which obviously worked out GREAT for them!


I think the Hairstons were briefly united in San Diego a few seasons ago.

[Brutus]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

I don't believe I said they fall off of a cliff at 28, but they start declining. But assuming his every other year, the Braves are going to get 2 superstar years and one still pretty good year.

Well I was mostly just joking about that. But in seriousness, they don't start declining, at least on average, until 32. If I can find it, Tom Tango had a terrific chart several years ago that showed the production curve and from 28-32 it was basically steady, and then began the downward trend at that point.

[paulrichjr]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

I can see what Rick is saying, and heck, I could even see where Delgado breaks out and in the end, the Dbacks get more "value" out of the deal (like how the Padres are very likely to get more "value" from the Latos trade), but I can't look at it right now and not think the Braves easily won this. There is one player in the deal who has superstar abilities and he is signed for less than $13M a season for the next three years. The team that got him is the one that comes out on top.

According to a source I have in the Braves organization they were not real high on Delgado's work ethic. The word lazy in fact was used.

[TRF]

Just read the Jayson Stark article on this trade. He quoted an unnamed GM as saying...

"It's three five-tool players. That's what you've got in one outfield."

BJ Upton is not a 5 tool player. Justin is closer, and Heyward... not so much. None of the three hit... for power yes, but aren't the five tools; hitting for average, hitting for power, baserunning skills and speed, throwing ability, and fielding abilities.

None really hit for average, Justin being the closest to that.

5 tool player is waaaaay over used.

[Wonderful Monds]

Originally Posted by TRF

Just read the Jayson Stark article on this trade. He quoted an unnamed GM as saying...

"It's three five-tool players. That's what you've got in one outfield."

BJ Upton is not a 5 tool player. Justin is closer, and Heyward... not so much. None of the three hit... for power yes, but aren't the five tools; hitting for average, hitting for power, baserunning skills and speed, throwing ability, and fielding abilities.

None really hit for average, Justin being the closest to that.

5 tool player is waaaaay over used.

Can't rule it out for either J. Upton or Heyward, I say.

[*BaseClogger*]

Originally Posted by 757690

Absolutely. Pitching wins.

Every off-season, a team spends a ton in money and talent to build a formidable lineup, but neglects their pitching and defense. They never do as well as projected. You would think the Braves would be the last team to be dumb enough to make such a mistake. Guess not.

The Braves had a dearth of pitching and traded what, injured Tommy Hanson, lazy Randall Delgado, and a pitching prospect? Meanwhile, acquiring the Upton brothers certainly does not weaken defense...

[REDblooded]

Not including Francisco and his robust K every 2.74 AB's, this is what the heart of the Braves new order did last season:

AB - Total K - AB/K

Uggla
523 168 3.11

B Upton
573 169 3.39

Heyward
587 152 3.86

Freeman
540 129 4.19

J Upton
554 121 4.58

Averages for the 4 above
555.4 147.8 3.82

That's a whole bunch of swing and miss...

[Wonderful Monds]

Ugh.
http://deadspin.com/5978831/arizonas...s-insufferable

[westofyou]

Dear Arizona, it's not football

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/q...t-stove-012413

“The problem is that he didn’t play with a high level of energy,” said the former teammate, who spoke on the condition that he would not be identified. “What I think they want is guys who play with the speed, energy and intensity of the Oregon football team — all out, all the time.

“Justin doesn’t have that kind of attitude; he has a quiet intensity that doesn’t fit the mold of what KT and Gibby seem to want. He plays hard, but has to look suave doing it. Slamming into walls isn’t his thing, and they will accept nothing short of all-out sacrifice for the team.”

Evidently, it wasn’t enough when Upton hit 31 home runs and finished fourth in the 2011 voting for National League MVP. Evidently, it wasn’t enough that he played through a painful injury to his left thumb in the early part of last season, helping account for his drop in production.

No one questions Upton’s work ethic, but in the words of one rival executive, “he is not a leader, not an all-out hustle type.” Neither is his older brother and new teammate, center fielder B.J. Upton. Both Uptons are so talented, they can make the game look easy — too easy.

[RedsManRick]

Originally Posted by REDblooded

Not including Francisco and his robust K every 2.74 AB's, this is what the heart of the Braves new order did last season:

AB - Total K - AB/K


Averages for the 4 above
555.4 147.8 3.82

That's a whole bunch of swing and miss...

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index...ir-strikeouts/

Basically, at the team level, there's no meaningful correlation between strikeouts and wOBA. And to the extent that striking out more hurts, improving your team baserunning helps your offense more than striking out more hurts.

[757690]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Dear Arizona, it's not football

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/q...t-stove-012413

It is when your manager is a former football player.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by 757690

It is when your manager is a former football player.

Gibson has played enough baseball to know the difference

On his gravestone the will mention baseball not football especially since he went to MSU

[757690]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Gibson has played enough baseball to know the difference

On his gravestone the will mention baseball not football especially since he went to MSU

Yeah, he should know the difference, but he always struck me as a football meathead type of guy. That kinda was his thing, that he played baseball with a football mentality. It doesn't surprise me that he's managing his baseball team with the same mentality.