If it's Friday, then it's the Atlanta Braves fan confidence poll. This is the last fan confidence poll of the regular season, but we will continue the poll every other week of the off-season, so as to gauge how our off-season needs are taking shape.
This poll and therefore your confidence level should encompasses several areas of the team. These areas include, but are not limited to, the team’s ownership, current management, talent, minor-league system, and general playing ability on the field. The poll will stay open for 48 hours, and then the results will be posted and graphed against the previous weeks.
0 recs | 22 comments
I think...
the trolls are back.
sddbaker - October 2, 2009
13 “1” votes? Reasoning required please.
10-4 - October 2, 2009
Dirty, stinky trolls.
Oh, and Obama just made his pitch for Chicago to host the 2016 olympics. I think the winner gets announced at 12:30EST.
Scott Coleman - October 2, 2009 via mobile
And a corrupt city gets schooled by a corrupt international organization
Mr. Sanchez - October 2, 2009
Yeah that was a joke today.
Scott Coleman - October 2, 2009 via mobile
+1
John Holton - October 3, 2009
...And another failure by Obama.
MichaelProcton - October 2, 2009
yeah man its all his fault
yeah
Doghnut - October 2, 2009
8 for me
This team pretty much reversed their record from 2008. How many teams could really go 72-90 and then go 88-74, 89-73, etc.?
Scott Coleman - October 2, 2009 via mobile
7 for me.
I’m excited about the future but can’t go any higher until I see what we do with our pitching staff, who we let go and who we keep in the outfield.
Gosh April seems so far away….
NCChopper - October 2, 2009
10 for me.
I have a lot of confidence about next season.
musicman - October 2, 2009
With the right moves in the offseason this could easily be a 100 win team that wins the NL East and makes a deep playoff run next year. I’m about 67% confident Wren will make those moves, so I’ve rounded down and voted a 6.
redwards95 - October 2, 2009
I rounded up to 7. I think the Braves can win the division next season, barring injuries.
John Holton - October 2, 2009
I am REALLY surprised that the poll has remained high this week. Way to go, TCers. My vote remains an 8.
Gage23 - October 2, 2009
5 for me
though I know that its temporarily low. as a franchise, i feel pretty good about our direction. arguably, our toughest off season question involves who will be our fifth starter amongst a group of guys that would be somewhere between #2 and 3 on most teams…that’s a really nice problem to have.
with that said, the performance of the last week still stings a little too much…
Doghnut - October 2, 2009
I actually went up this week…9 for me. This was one hell of a stretch run by this team. 2 weeks ago, the ESPN graphics showed the “NL WildCard Race” and it went Col, SF and Fla…this past week, it was just Col and some other team that seemed to come out of nowhere – Atlanta.
The future is indeed bright in Atlanta!
justincredubil02 - October 2, 2009
Frank Wren has a lot on his plate this season
I didnt think it was possible for him to be busier this off-season compared to last year’s, but I think that’s going to be the case.
What do we do with our 6 starters?
Who plays 1B next season?
What to do with all our OFs?
Do we acquire a power bat?
Who becomes our closer and supporting cast in the bullpen?
What to do with the KJ/Prado situation?
Last season, there weren’t that many decisions to be made; it was more of a “here’s $60 million bucks, go spend it Frank.” This year, there’s a lot less flexibility.
Scott Coleman - October 2, 2009
1. I think we should keep all 6. We were VERY lucky this year that not 1 of our starters spent any time on the DL (Except the recovering Hudson). I think we have a mutual opt-out of Hudson’s current contract and restructure for cheaper. He has indicated that he would be willing to do as much.
2. Hopefully Adam LaRoche. I was a skeptic when we brought him back, but he has won me over. He is a legit bat in the middle (or end….) of our lineup and should be cheaper than what we would have to trade for and better than anything else out in the FA market this year.
3. This all depends on the Logan situation. I think Logan will start out at AAA. We start Nate in CF, Matt in LF and Heyward in RF. I think we non-tender Norton and keep Church as our 4th OFer. Midway through the season, if Schafer has proven his worth, we should seek to trade one of Church or Nate to fill any remaining holes we have at that point and let Schafer roam CF with Diaz and Heyward on the flanks.
4. If we resign Adam and bring up Heyward, I don’t think that a power bat will be a glaring need for us next year. Yunel showed his pop, Chipper can still hit around 20, Heap will hit around 20, Nate (if we have him all season) will hit around 20. I think we will be ok in the power dept. We may not have a 30 or 40 HR guy (depending of course on whether or not Heyward is mortal), but we should have enough there to negate any need for 1 bat.
5. I think Peter Moylan should be our closer (if Lowe is kept in the rotation). He has teh stuff and has shown that he has command of that stuff. The supporting cast will work itself out (as it always seems to). I think Logan and EOF should remain. I thought both were quite serviceable this year. Acosta needs to be gone. Medlen would be an excellent long reliever/spot starter (or even closer candidate?). Gonzo and Soriano should be offered a deal, which they should decline, and we get those draft picks (I believe both are Type As). We have several guys in the minors who will probably fill out the rest of the BP.
6. I have made no bones about how I feel about this one. I think, at a minimum, both should be brought back. Prado is extremely valuable in that he is extremely versatile and can play 3 IF positions. KJ is also valuable in that he is a very good hitter and a better defensive option at 2B than Prado. Personally, I let them fight it out in Spring Training. If KJ wins the spot back, Prado becomes our new Infante (who I think should be traded or released). If Prado beats out KJ, I think we should either hold onto KJ as an insurance option or try to trade him. I don’t know how valuable of a bat KJ will have off of the bench and he would be making too much money to sit 4 out of 5 games.
I don’t think that there will be too many moves made by the FO this offseason. I think we have internal solutions at nearly every position with a hole.
What say ye?
justincredubil02 - October 2, 2009
1. I still have absolutely no idea what I want to happen with our rotation. I change my mind every day.
2. Agree (Unless FW could work a deal out for a superstar 1B like AGonzalez or Prince Fielder, which I don’t think is likely)
3. Agree. I think Jordan Schafer is a hug wildcard for us in 2010. I’d rather him have some ab’s in AAA tho.
4. I would really like to add a 30-40 HR guy, but agree that Heyward and LaRoche would bring some added power. My only worry is that if Chipper or BMac get hurt, we’re in big trouble.
5. I also want Moylan, but worry about his arm after throwing a bajillion innings this season.
6. I wanna keep both, but it’s just stupid to keep both if we’re gonna keep KJ on the bench. If he wins the job back and hits like he did in 2008, I definately want him on the team. If Prado wins the job, there’s no reason to have KJ on the bench. That’s like throwing $3MM dollars in the trash.
Scott Coleman - October 2, 2009
#1: Hudson actually has indicated that his $12 million salary for next year will have to be picked up as a part of any extension.
#6: Why not keep Infante around?
MichaelProcton - October 2, 2009
Definitely agree with you that Moylan should be the closer. He has the command and the attitude of a closer. I also like the idea of Medlen becoming the new Carlyle (anyone remember him?) and that the Braves can probably fill any remaining bullpen holes within the organization.
My one question is, if Prado wins the 2B job, who becomes the new Infante if he’s traded?
John Holton - October 3, 2009
I just have a feeling that FW will try to get rid of Lowe and his contract and to sweeten the deal for another team, he throws Medlen into it,What do you think?
jimmontg - October 3, 2009
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