One of the most disappointing story lines of the 2009 season for the Atlanta Braves was the failure of center fielder Jordan Schafer. Going into spring training he was competing with two other guys, both with major league experience, Josh Anderson and Gregor Blanco. Schafer had such an impressive spring that he beat out both of them, relegating Blanco to the minors and Anderson to the trading block.
The positive spring training reports and performance turned up big in those first few games of the 2009 season. Schafer hit a homerun on the fifth pitch he saw in the first at-bat of his big league career. Another hit and a walk in that first game had everyone abuzz that this kid was for real. After his first 5 big league games he was hitting .421, he had hit in 4-out-of-5 games and 3 of those games were multi-hit games. Then came a 1-for-21 stretch as the league adjusted to him, then some more good hitting where he adjusted to the league, but it wasn't enough, and the injury he suffered in those first few games caught up with the grind of the big league season. Schafer tried to gut it out, but a wrist injury combined with the inexperience of a rookie caused his numbers to crash.
Schafer eventually had surgery on that left wrist to remove a bone spur and insert a wire linking two other bones. More info on that here.
When looking ahead to a return to the majors next season, or more likely a return to the majors in 2011, how do we quantify Schafer's 2009 performance to get expected results? Do we take the .300-hitting Schafer of the first 8 games, or the sub-.200-hitting Schafer of the next 42 games? Maybe a little bit of both? It's easy to throw a dart right in the middle and say that's what kind of hitter he'll be in the majors. The Bill James 2010 Handbook pegs him as a .239 hitter were he to see big league action in 2009.
What we need to do when analyzing Schafer is to go back to those scouting reports when he was a prospect. Baseball America said last year that Schafer has "good hand-eye coordination with quick wrists and plus bat speed." That combination is still there, and now it's there with a renewed sense of determination to get back to the big leagues and prove to everyone what he can do when he's healthy. Most all of the prospect reports from last year on Schafer also said that he would benefit greatly from at least half a year at triple-A, but he made the jump directly to the majors after just 84 games of double-A.
2010 will be the year that Schafer should have had last year. It will be a year to further his seasoning as a ballplayer at the top rung of the minor leagues, and to regain the confidence and swagger that is so much a part of who he is. He's too much of a tireless working not to come into next season with a mission to prove to everyone that he deserves to be back in the majors. To do so he'll have to work on keeping his strikeouts down, keeping his walks up, and continuing to work at becoming a guy who hits for a high average. Success in triple-A early next season could make him a very valuable backup in case of injury to anyone in the 2010 Braves outfield, and a potential major impact player late in the season for Atlanta.
0 recs | 36 comments
Jordan Schafer
I really like this guy and his skill-set. He has all the defensive power in the world, and if healthy enough to get his swagger going at the plate, I think he very well may hit consistently like he did in ST and the first week of 09.
I see 2010 for JS playing out much like Charles Thomas of 2004. Coming off the bench and giving the team speed, a little pop, OBP, and great outfield defense. I just hope Schafer has a little more staying power than Chuck, cause I would love to see him as a long-term starter in the future.
ATLandUNC - October 27, 2009
further back
Since ESPN classic was replaying our 91 WS against the Twins…here is a name that spent a bad first year with the club…sent down…then next year came back big….Ron Gant
bravestatoo - October 27, 2009
I really don’t see how he spends much time in AAA this season. I think you are selling this injury a little short on the impact it had on his swing.
yondaime4 - October 27, 2009
personally… i think he needs to spend time in AAA bc of the injury, and nothing to do with his performance….wrist injuries are notoriously tough to get over… to a hitter the hands and wrist are the most important thing and if he’s not comfortable (i.e. David Ortiz last year and this year after his wrist troubles) he can’t be productive… So i would like to see him spend some time in a less pressure filled scenario and work on just getting back into the swing of things, pun intended.
But that’s just me…. i am completely throwing anythign he did int eh majors out the window at this point, bc its just useless. We don’t really know when he got hurt, and at what point it was bothering him… and even if we did it wouldnt matter bc the sample size is still tiny
Swo12bv - October 27, 2009
I was about to say this. The Jordan Schafer we saw in 50 games this season was hurt for most of that time. Give him the winter to rehab from the wrist injury and let him come to spring training with the idea that he’ll start the season in AAA. We know he’s a great player and that ultimately he’s the starting CF, but we have time for that to happen.
John Holton - October 27, 2009
I agree 100%. Wrist injuries have a way of lingering for a long time. There’s nothing wrong with letting Schafer start at AAA and prove that he’s healthy before getting called up.
Yakker - October 28, 2009
+1
I really think that people are selling his wrist injury short. There was a noticable difference in his bat speed after the injury. It even showed defensively as well as he was very hesitant going towards walls or diving for balls.
I personally think that Schafer will bounce back in a huge way next season. A platoon with Diaz to start the season isn’t a bad idea. When Schafer starts he should be in CF and McLouth in LF.
Jay212033 - October 27, 2009 via mobile
Ditto on the LF/CF swap
The sooner McLouth becomes an everyday LF (if it doesn’t end up getting filled by somebody we manage to come up with this offseason) the better for our pitching staff.
J-Freak - October 28, 2009
I agree, but the at bats might be helpful...
the 50 game suspension last year, the injury this year. How many games has he played above A ball?
Mr. Sanchez - October 28, 2009
Whether he starts in the minors to get back in the swing of things (which I think is what happens), or he somehow cracks the major league roster out of spring training, I’m glad that we aren’t giving up on this kid. He has a ton of potential, and though he struggled mightily last year, I think the wrist was a huge part of that.
eaheckman10 - October 27, 2009
Start him at AAA this coming season...
then let him come up without the pressure.
taney71 - October 27, 2009
J. Schafer needs to have a big year .
Okay so we have all seen, heard and responded to the Schafer wrist injury as the reason as to why he had such a bad season. That is why I am not in favor of having him start in the Majors out of spring training again regardless of how he does in spring training. I still like this kid and he is our CF of the future as well as our leadoff hitter but I just don’t want another Frenchy situation on our hands here.
This kid needs to come back to the MLB level when he is fully developed and last year regardless of the injury he simply looked lost and out of his element most of the time.
Go Braves
Holty_Panthers_Fan - October 27, 2009
So
Even if he comes out again and has an even better ST than last season and proves his wrist is healthy you’d still start him in AAA why? You really think that another season in the minor league full or half season will really help?
Jay212033 - October 27, 2009 via mobile
stop with Francouer nonsense…worse case scenario heis a 240 hitter with a 330 OBP and a 400 SLG… that is the bottom edge of what he will become as a player… o and he’ll be a plus defender in center so he’s easily worth abotu 1.5 or 2 WAR right there
Swo12bv - October 27, 2009
Schafer already has a better idea of the strike zone than Frenchouer ever had. Hell in 197 PA he had 27 BBs. FYF’s best walk total in nearly 700 PAs was 42. Last year he only walked 23 times in 650 PAs.
yondaime4 - October 28, 2009
I'm late to the party on this one
What does FYF stand for?
J-Freak - October 28, 2009
friendly young francoeur
protip its really “fuck you, francoeur”
ATLandUNC - October 28, 2009
I agree Holy Panthers Fan...
To all of the people saying that he should start in the majors if he performs well in ST, slow your roll. He hit well for the first few games of the season and then looked utterly terrible for a while before being sent down. No one knows how much the wrist was really a factor. A lot of people are talking about how he needs to get his swagger back and IMO the coaches may have made a bigger deal of the wrist so he wouldn’t lose all of his confidence then.
Let him play in AAA for a while. Let’s see how good he is there before pinning any expectations for our season on this kid. Our team next year will probably be in the running for a playoff spot. I don’t know if I risk that on a kid that plays well in ST and has had very little success in the majors, injury or not.I want to know what we’re getting before putting him out there.
Fischerking - October 28, 2009
I think the wrist injury effected him a good bit, but i do agree though that he needs to start in AAA get some at bat there while he is healthy, then if he impresses and we need him up in the majors then bring him up, its not gonna be a big deal for him to get some AB’s in AAA to show us that ST isn’t a fluke for him if he tears it up this year in ST.
rockybull - October 28, 2009
no way...
Schafer simply hasn’t had enough at bats (at any level) to be ready for the Majors next April. He’s spent the better part of the last two season injured or suspended. I believe the injury was the source of his problems last season; however, he still has a crisis of confidence. I can’t remember the source but I remember reading an article about Schafer when he was sent down to AAA last season. In that article it discussed Schafer’s meeting with the AAA coach. He asked Schafer if he was okay and Jordan replied (I’m paraphrasing), “Yeah, I just can’t hit.”
Schafer needs time to build up his confidence.
mdhenshaw - October 28, 2009
Francouer is a unique situation...
how many people can play major league baseball with their head firmly entrenched up their ass?
Mr. Sanchez - October 28, 2009
when u look at it that way his nbrs arent that bad
Swo12bv - October 28, 2009
Yep. I suspected the uncensored one was what it stood for, but I wanted to make sure.
J-Freak - October 28, 2009
Should have been a reply ^
that’s what I get for posting at 2 AM instead of going to bed…
J-Freak - October 28, 2009
Let him get comfortable at AAA
Last year was basically a lost season because of the injury and resulting surgery. He needs to shake off the rust, get his groove back at AAA, and when he’s hitting his stride, look at calling him back up. His minor league numbers indicate he can be a good major leaguer, but I see no need to rush him.
FineHamAbounds - October 28, 2009
My only problem with Schafer
man, he takes terrible routes to balls…and gets way to close to the wall on balls he can’t catch causing them to bounce too far away turning doubles into triples. As for the walk total, I’m pretty sure most of those were as a result of batting 8th in front of the pitcher, not saying he doesn’t have discipline, but from what I remember, a lot were intentional unintentional walks.
bpk228480 - October 28, 2009
Careful
People around here don’t take kindly to evaluating Schafer’s defense as anything other than the best in the history of the game.
Lennox - October 28, 2009
caution
Jordan no question has some skills re can field, run some and
when healthy make contact. If my aged addled memory serves me
well he struggled through the lower minors having a ‘break-out’
which was well..ok but not lustrous. Then we learned the break-out year
correlated with his being ‘juiced’. Given the stress of juiced muscle
structure on other soft tissues and bone it came with little surprise he
came up injured. Again the talent is there but we really don’t know his true
ceiling, his true bat speed, his true reaction times in the field. He as yet
hasn’t fully rehabbed hence I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
In that light the Braves will in all likelihood hold onto McClouth for now.
sealift67 - October 28, 2009
to be fair he was allegedly taking HGH, and the stress on his soft tissue wouldnt occur, which is the benefit of HGH, it strengthens everything essesntially
Swo12bv - October 28, 2009
He never juiced or did HGH. He got suspended for it, but he didn’t do it.
cbwilk - October 28, 2009
I thought he got suspended...
not for use, but for the way it sounded, associating with the wrong crowd.
Mr. Sanchez - October 29, 2009
I think he got suspended out of jealousy. One of the other players on the team didn’t like the idea of a guy younger and better about to pass him in the organization and he made a call and an accusation that wasn’t true.
cbwilk - October 29, 2009
What?...
If true, I’d hope the organization severed ties to that player swiftly.
Mr. Sanchez - October 29, 2009
He was playing Independent league ball at the end of this season.
cbwilk - October 29, 2009
And they suspended him without being able to actually link him to HGH through anything other than the say-so of another player?
Lennox - October 29, 2009
Yeah, pretty much. And since he wasn’t part of a player’s union at the time, because there isn’t one for Minor Leaguers, he couldn’t appeal it.
cbwilk - October 29, 2009
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