Syracuse 8, Gwinnett 1
I have to be honest here, when I first saw this score and I knew Hanson had pitched I checked to see if the sky was still intact. It was, the bullpen was just faulty. Actually there is one anomaly with Hanson's numbers tonight and that would be that he finally gave up a homer. Otherwise just a typical night for Thomas.
Tennessee 1, Mississippi 8 - 5th Inning
Kaaihue keeps up the good hitting from yesterday. Also I am glad to see Travis Jones finally do something. He is a former Carolina guy, and I am a Carolina fan. Go Cocks. Too bad we didn't get Justin Smoak to go along with him. Smoak and Matt Wieters went to high school together by the way.
Myrtle Beach @ Lynchburg - Postponed
Bowling Green 4, Rome 6 - Game 1 (7 Innings)
Some yonug outfielders getting it done in this game. Santamaria is a 22 year old Panamanian player who was cast off by the Yankees last year after performing so-so for their Staten Island team. He has a little experience playing 1B but will probably stick in the OF with the Braves. Calvin Culver could be a guy we need to keep an eye on. Gondeee mentioned him earlier in the year when he was talking about our CF depth. Culver is only 20 this season and comes from a JuCo in California. Randall Delgado also had 10K in 6IP tonight but got roughed up a little in the 2nd.
Bowling Green 3, Rome 2
Meh, nothing much to write about in this one.
0 recs | 21 comments
How the hell do you lose after receiving a pitching performance like that, Gwinnett? Wow.
sdp - May 6, 2009
Luis Valdez finally imploded in an inning. Gave up 4 runs in the 9th. Granted they had already lost the game.
yondaime4 - May 6, 2009
I saw the Columbus Clippers tonight and they’ve got a couple of failed Braves super prospects, Andy Marte and George Lombard.
Marte is actually playing really well, and he’s still on 25, but you have to wonder if he’ll ever get another shot after how he played in Cleveland. I will say this, he’s gotten very thick.
And Lombard…man, it’s shocking that he’s still playing. He’s 33 now, hasn’t played in the Majors since 06 (since 03 before that) and has only played 79 games in the last two years. He hasn’t really shown any ability as a reliable AAA hitter either, with the exception of that 06 season (and even then he sucked terribly in the Majors). It’s such a shame, I definitely remember how excited I was about Lombard when he was on the way up, particularly after his 98 season in AA Greenville, .308 AVG, 22 HR, 35 SB, .953 OPS. Man, what a waste.
cbwilk - May 6, 2009
You know thats what the scouts always said about Marte, is that he had to watch himself or he would get too thick. He is still a puzzling case to me, though honestly you go back and look at his numbers and he never really dominated anywhere. He had some really good looking numbers in some places but never anything that you just went gaga over.
Lombard was just another toolsy Georgia guy we had, but man he did have that one really nice season.
yondaime4 - May 6, 2009
I’ll say I definitely drank the kool aid on both of them back in the day, but a lot harder on Lombard. I loved Marte, but you could see the issues. He got progressively less impressive each year. And yeah, I’ll say it, he looks fat now. Lombard was a guy who the only fault I could find was that he wasn’t good enough to play center, but with Andruw around it didn’t matter. That guy was scary good in A ball and AA, but then just seemed to lose it.
I think both are cases of guys showing you their level; Marte is a AAA hitter, Lombard is a AA hitter. It actually kind of offends me that Lombard has a job in AAA, cause there are plenty of guys in AA and in Indy ball that are far more deserving of it.
cbwilk - May 6, 2009
It really offends you that Lombard is a 4th/5th OF in AAA?
No team is ever going to employ an actual prospect in such a role and you clearly know little about Indy ball if you think there are plenty of more deserving players and the ones that might be deserving would be willing to take a bench role with a AAA team. As for the idea that Lombard couldn’t hit AAA pitching, did you even look at the numbers? While they aren’t anything special, his career AAA line of .265/.354/.451 is certainly more than respectable
As for Lombard, I think its sad at this point that Braves fans have forgotten/never knew what actually happened to hamper his development. After that breakout season he had in AA 1998, he struggled with foot problems in 1999 limiting him to 233 ABs and terrible numbers in his AAA debut. In 2000 he put up solid numbers in AAA (.276/.365/.459 and 32 SB) and looked like he might finally be ready for the big club. Sadly, his foot problems cropped up again in 2001, leading to surgery and a completely lost season. The next year he was out of options and ended up being shipped to Detroit when the Braves didn’t have room for him on the major league roster. Since then he’s toiled around AAA, putting up numbers at times that would get a younger guy a shot in the majors, but not someone who is already in his late 20’s. Check out those numbers from his final full season as a starter in 2005 with Pawtucket (.262/.357.472 w/ 20 HR and 23 SB)…that looks like a late blooming AAAA player to me.
nixa37 - May 6, 2009
Yeah, it offends me. The guy is not a AAA player. Perhaps three years ago, but he clearly isn’t now. And please don’t question my knowledge, that’s not a path that’s going to wear well for you.
cbwilk - May 6, 2009
Not to stick my nose in here, but I have to get on board with cbwilk. Disagree with him, sure, but don’t question his knowledge. The man knows his minor league info.
VegasAces - May 6, 2009
There's a difference between knowledge and due diligence
You may very well be a knowledgeable poster in general (I never said otherwise), but you clearly missed on this post. You said Lombard was a AA hitter and Marte was a AAA hitter despite the fact that Lombard has better career numbers in AAA. It offends you that Lombard has a job as a backup OF in AAA, but you apparently have no problem with Joe Borchard starting (and actually taking up a lot of ABs) for Gwinnett even though he’s over 30 and has a similar track record to Lombard.
That was also a completely unnecessary attempt to look down your nose at me simply because I questioned whether or not you took to time to look up that stats before forming your opinion. I don’t post a whole lot on this site, so you may not know me, but there are quite a few people on here who know me from elsewhere and I think every one of them would vouch for my knowledge.
The point I was trying to make, and the one you seem to be missing, is that Lombard isn’t holding anybody back by being a 4th or 5th OF on a AAA team (seriously, he has 12 ABs). No player seen as an actual prospect would ever be used in such a role and most veteran minor leaguers (including Indy league guys) are looking to get ABs to earn their way (back) to the majors, so its unlikely they’d accept a backup job. Since his last successful minor league season in 2006, Lombard has made less than 210 ABs in AAA…I don’t think anyone was actually hurt by Lombard taking away ~100 AB a season in a backup role.
nixa37 - May 6, 2009
I never questioned your knowledge or insinuated in any way that you didn’t know what you were talking about. Thanks for playing though.
And anytime a player is taking at bats away from somebody else, that somebody else is getting hurt. Perhaps they’d perform well in that backup role and parlay it into real playing time, like Pete Orr did. Say what you want, but there’s a guy who was pegged as a backup/organizational filler, and turned himself into a productive player who ended up getting a few years in the Bigs. Somebody isn’t getting that shot because a guy like Lombard is taking up space.
cbwilk - May 6, 2009
Apparently we interpret this sentence in different ways
You said: “Please don’t question my knowledge, that’s not a path that’s going to wear well for you.”
Sure reads to me like you’re implying that your smarter than me so I shouldn’t ever challenge your knowledge, which I never did in the first place…you were the one to interject it into the conversation.
You keep saying that Lombard is taking ABs away from someone else, but that really isn’t the case. He’s a backup OF that’s employed to give the starters days off. So in that sense, yes he is “costing” the starters some ABs, but they wouldn’t be able to play everyday anyway. The only other thing he is doing is taking the job as the 4th or 5th OF on a AAA team, which is a job typically reserved for players of his type (over the hill AAAA players and organizational guys who clearly have no ML future.
You bring up Pete Orr as if a guy like Lombard would have hurt him, but nothing could be further from the truth. Orr, as a borderline prospect, was already playing almost everyday (the Braves seem to have limited his ABs against LHP but that’s it) in minors until he reached the majors. At no time in his career as he ever had to perform in a backup role in the minors, and there’s a good chance he wouldn’t even be willing to accept a backup role in AAA today.
Maybe I’m just dense, but I still fail to comprehend how George Lombard getting 12 ABs in AAA so far this season is offensive to you. He has a job that almost nobody wants and he is really only playing to give others time off. What’s the issue?
nixa37 - May 6, 2009
How is Lombard a backup? He signed a contract with the Clippers on May 1st, and he got 3 ABs on the 2nd, 4 on the 3rd, they were rained out on the 4th, and he got 5 ABs in the double header yesterday. He’s started every game since he signed.
From 2000 to 2003, Pete Orr hadn’t played 100 games in a season, and never got more than 320 plate appearances. If those don’t sound like reserve stats, then the fact that I had personal conversations with Pete at the time about how frustrating it was to be a backup should cover it. And your stance on whether or not he’d accept a backup role today is purely speculative.
As for guys in Indy ball who Lombard might be playing over, Jason Perry is a great example. The Rays just signed him (and put him in AA). The guy was hitting .361 with 6 homers for Lancaster and he’s 28 (5 years younger than Lombard) coming off a .271, 23 HR, .911 OPS season with AA and AAA, indicating that he’d give a lot more to a AAA team right now than Lombard could.
Also,
Wayne Lydon (Camden), 28 (5 years younger too), three straight years in AAA .263., .254, .259, 95 SB;
Jay Gibbons (Newark) 31 (2 years younger) proven ML record, coming off an outstanding ST;
Tim Raines Jr. (Newark) 29 (4 years younger) 08 in AAA .311, 18 HR, .876 OPS, 07 in AAA .333 11 HR, .887 OPS
That’s three guys just in the Atlantic League who seem better qualified for the starting job that Lombard is occupying.
cbwilk - May 6, 2009
One problem, Lombard wasn't signed May 1...
He signed a minor league deal with the Indians in the offseason, had been on the Columbus DL for almost a month, and was just activated from the DL on May 2 to help replace LaPorta, Barfield, and Valbuena who were all called up to the majors. While he may have started the 4 games since then, I’m pretty sure that has more to do with a lack of competent OF currently than anything else. I’ll agree with you if we get to next month and Lombard is still starting, but I bet you he’s back down to very little PT by the time that rolls around. Currently he’s simply a stop-gap until Hafner gets back and the Indians send an OF back down.
As for Orr, how does someone playing ~70% of the games make them a reserve? Those numbers look like the numbers of a lefty that wasn’t getting PT against LHP; not the numbers of a reserve. You also made a factual mistake as Orr played 106 games with over 350 ABs in 2002.
Then you go on to list a bunch of Indy ball players who would be happy to have the starting job Lombard is currently occupying. Of course, the problem is that Lombard is only going to have that starting job for a few weeks. At that point its back to either the bench or the DL for Lombard. The guys you mentioned are looking for consistent playing time and would likely be unwilling to accept the role that Lombard has as a reserve player with limited opportunities.
nixa37 - May 6, 2009
Alright man, I’m done. I’m sorry your ego got bruised in the process of my rebuttal to your attempt to bruise my ego. I apologize profusely. Obviously, you’re absolutely right and I’m absolutely wrong. I really shouldn’t be hating on George Lombard; hell, out of all the signed cards I have, George has signed the most different for me. So he’s a pretty good dude, sure, he’s a little smug, be he always says ’what’s up’ to me when I see him. So you’re right. Enjoy it, I know how good if feels. So celebrate, grab yourself a Zima, throw on a Kenny G LP and have a wonderful night.
cbwilk - May 6, 2009
I guess maturity and knowledge don't go hand in hand...
Seriously man take a second to read back through our discussion. Yeah, I pointed out you were wrong to describe Marte as a AAA hitter (.268/.337/.473 career in AAA), but not Lombard (.265/.354/.451 in AAA), but the main point of my post was to discuss the injuries Lombard experienced after each of his breakout seasons (something a lot of fans seem to forget) and how they may be part of the reason he never panned out.
Of course you reacted by getting offended about me questioning your knowledge (I didn’t) and talking down to me as if I have no idea what I’m talking about. Anyway, at this point we seem to devolve into an argument about whether or not Lombard is taking playing time from anyone. In the end, that all boiled down to the mistaken belief on your part that Lombard had just been signed to start in the OF, as opposed to already being a member of the team that was simply activated after other starting OFs were recalled.
That last post on your part is just uncalled for. You were wrong about Lombard being a starter and taking playing time away from anyone, but instead of taking the high road and admitting your mistake (or just not responding) you choose to act like a sarcastic, know-it-all prick, while essentially trying to insinuate I’m either gay or effeminate. The worst part is your clearly not just some young hot head that’s trying to act all tough on the internet. By the Zima and Kenny G LP reference, I’d have to date you as at least 40, maybe even 50, yet you feel the need to talk down to me on a blog comment section just because I questioned the validity of something you said. Apparently, anyone who points out a fault in your argument is trying to bruise your ego…my mistake
nixa37 - May 6, 2009
One more thing...
If, without any sort of prompting, you’re going to make a comment like this, “please don’t question my knowledge, that’s not a path that’s going to wear well for you,” it might be in your best interest to actually do some research before making something up about Lombard just signing with the Clippers a few days ago
nixa37 - May 6, 2009
I definitely bought into the hype on Marte. I thought he was as can’t miss as they come. In BP’s 05 book they definitely ranked him the #1 prospect in the game saying he might not have the highest upside of any player on their list, but he a rare combination of high upside and low risk. They basically bought into him as the most likely player to cash in on his potential, ranking him over guys like Felix Hernandez, and Delmon Young.
timmy3 - May 6, 2009
I’d say he brought his fair share of value to our organization, regardless though. Two years of Edgar Renteria, then Jair and Gorkys. Cha-ching!
timmy3 - May 6, 2009
Talking about failed prospects, what about AJ Zapp? Man, I was all hyped up for him after getting his rookie card in 1997 with Jason Marquis on the card too…argh. Depressing.
bigjoe - May 6, 2009
Ron Wright! Dude hit bombs! Granted he struck out a lot, but he and Andruw were the wave of the future for us. I mean Wright hit 32 bombs in A-Ball at 19 years old and walked 62 times. But we got good value for him when we sent him to pittsburgh and he never did anything.
yondaime4 - May 6, 2009
Some stats for our AAA pitchers...
Medlen and Hanson’s numbers since the end of last year’s regular season (including post-season play and the AFL)…
Medlen
60.2 IP, 5-1 W/L, 39 H, 11 ER, 9 BB, 71 K, 1.63 ERA, 0.79 WHIP
Hanson
82.1 IP, 6-4 W/L, 49 H, 15 ER, 23 BB, 128 K, 1.64 ERA, 0.87 WHIP
Those are just unbelievable numbers. Especially given that they came in the postseason, the AFL which is like trying to pitch on the moon, and as two pitchers in their first month at a new level. Hanson has 56 more strikeouts than hits and walks combined, which if you sit down and thing about it, is a staggering number. And Medlen has 23 more Ks than hits and walks combined, which is a still ridiculous number especially in on 60 innings. Medlen has a 7.8 K-BB ratio. Nuts. Hanson is whiffing 14 per 9, and both have sub 0.90 WHIP.
timmy3 - May 6, 2009
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