Talking Chop

A few nuggets of Atlanta Braves news from Our Sports Central today. First, the Braves have signed a minor league shortstop:

Coastal Bend Thunder's Amadeo Zazueta has been signed to a contract with the Atlanta Braves organization.

The transaction between the Thunder and the Braves was announced by Thunder field manager Al Gallagher.

The native Mexican was recently named one of the "Top 10 Talent" in independent league baseball by Baseball America.

Zazueta, 23, from Culiacan, Mexico, was originally signed by the Houston Astros. He played two years in the Venezuelan Summer League and was his team's Most Valuable Player in 2005.

Baseball America ranked him as the eighth-best Independent League player, and said he has a chance to be a major league shortstop (even though he is already 23). He's one of those all-field, light-hit shortstops. This is likely just minor league depth, but it's also insurance against injuries to either Yunel Escobar and/or Diory Hernandez.

Here is a link to Zazueta's stats.

In other OSS news, our old pal Rico Brogna was named manager of the Mobile Bay Bears, the double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Brogna was a minor league field coordinator for the D'Backs last year.