Braves Player Profile, Q&A with LHP Chris Masters

Recently I got the opportunity to have a quick Q&A with Braves left-handed pitching prospect, Kennesaw Georgia native, and all around good guy Chris Masters. He will likely begin the 2010 season with the Braves newest Minor League team, the Lynchburg Hillcats.

Matt White: First off thanks for agreeing to be interviewed and congrats on having a solid season for the Rome Braves. How did you like Rome in the time you spent there?

Chris Masters: I enjoyed playing in Rome. It was nice that it was only an hour away from my hometown in Kennesaw, Georgia and the family and friends got to come up alot which was great.  The coaches and the management were top notch and the city as a whole made it very accomodating for us.

MW:  You had a very good season but had a few rough outings at the end, did you get fatigued from a longer season?

CM: The first half went great.  I got to start for the South in the All Star game, but after a small injury to my elbow I did not really get back to throwing like I did earlier on.  I think it taught me alot of how to get back into the rhythm of things because I havent really ever experienced even a small injury in my career.  It was my first full season so I got a good feel of it and will know how to work out and condition my body and arm for a full schedule hopefully with no drop off this time.

MW: You played with some of the Braves other top prospects this year(Julio Tehran, Edwardo Salcedo, Myke Jones) what player were you most impressed with?

CM: I would definitely have to say Julio Teheran.  I have played with him for part of both seasons and the improvements, maturity, athleticism, and work ethic have really been impressive.  He is a standup guy who works hard and has some of the best stuff I have seen.  Very mature for his age.  I think Atlanta will be seeing him late next season or definitely in 2012.  

MW: If you could have any catcher for your personal backstop, past, present or even a non-professional who would you pick and why?

CM: I think I would choose Jason Varitek as my personal catcher.  This is not because he is the best receiver or has the best arm, but is one of the best students of the game I have ever seen.  Being able to pick his brain and to work with him I feel would make me so much better.  He really put in the work of studying hitters and really got on cue with all the pitchers he caught.

MW:Who do you think has had the most influence on you as a player?

CM: My dad has truly been the one who has really pushed me and instilled the drive and determination to be successful in baseball.  He worked me hard, but never overboard and taught me to be humble and how to carry myself on the field.  He put alot of hours in with me, got me in good leagues, and got me the lessons I needed to refine my game. 

MW:Minor league teams spend a lot of time of buses, how do you pass the time?

CM: Minor Leaguers get pretty creative on the bus haha.  We will play cards, bring our own movies or dvd sets, read, or just shoot the breeze.  Bringing your own pillow and even a sleeping bag to lay out on the floor of the bus if it is late.  Sleep aids become your new best friend ha.

MW: You have been mentioned in trade speculation some in the last two years, does that bother you at all?

CM: Trade speculation is a very interesting process and I am very optimistic about it.  Although I love the Braves organization, if I were traded to someone else, I would be totally fine with it.  I feel that I would have helped the Braves get someone they needed and also would feel good that someone else traded someone to get me in there system.  To me that shows that they would not have traded for you if they did not think you could make it all the way.

MW: Who is the toughest hitter you have faced so far in professional baseball?

CM:  J.D. Martinez in the Astros Organization who is flying through the Minor Leagues is a tough hitter.  His statistics were freakishly good, strong power hitter with amazing plate discipline and not many weaknesses in the zone.  I think he will be in big league spring training to start this year.

MW:Pitchers are notorious for rituals and superstitions, do you have any you don't mind sharing?

CM: I bow behind the mound take my hat off and pray right after the national anthem.  I also before every batter talk to myself out loud of how I am going to approach this batter and say some things to maintain my focus and agrression followed by two glove taps.  I also going on to the field turn side way and hurdle over the line.  I am a lefty, pretty much everything I do is weird haha.

MW:If you could go back in time to see one historical event what would it be?

CM:  I would love to have been there for Christ's resurrection and spend time with him until his ascension.  The joy of knowing that the person you serve, has resurrecting power would truly allow a faith level that could not be shaken. 

MW:Thanks again for agreeing to be interviewed I know all the Tarpslides readers will be really interested.

Silver Slugger Winners

Yesterday the MLB network did a really classy Silver Slugger presentation that simulcasted on mlb.com. They announced each winner and played a highlight real of that player and showed some satistics that show them worthy of winning. It was very well done, but we are not here to critique the ceremony. It's out job to see it everyone who took home hardware earned it.

Your winners are....

NL                                                                     AL
C-Brian McCann                                                C-Joe Mauer                                                  
1B-Albert Pujoles                                               1B-Miguel Cabrerra
2B-Dan Uggla                                                     2B-Robinson Cano
3B-Ryan Zimmerman                                          3B-Adrian Beltre
SS-Troy Tulowitzki                                             SS-Alexi Ramirez
OF-Carlos Gonzalez                                           OF-Jose Bautista
Ryan Braun                                                                Josh Hamilton
Matt Holiday                                                             Carl Crawford
P-Yovani Gallardo                                              DH-Vladimir Guererro


It's a fairly robust list packed with All-Stars and perennial award contenders, though a few new faces are sprinkled in. Like Jose Bautista, Bautista's 54 home runs put him ahead of other outfielders that had good years also like Alex Rios, Delmon Young and Shin-Soo Choo. It was well deserved for the Hank Aaron award winner, especially considering that the AL is packed with big names like Nelson Cruz, Nick Swisher, Torii Hunter, and Iciro Suzuki who are all capable of being elite offensive players.

The catching story is a familiar one, McCann winning his fourth Silver Slugger(third consecutive) and Mauer his third. It's hard to say that either of them didn't deserve it, but neither one was the clear cut winner before the awards were announced, McCann (.269/21/77) came down to the wire with Giants rookie Buster Posey, much like in the post season, who put up a .305 average and 18 home runs after taking over for Bengie Molina in April. They figure to be rivals for the Silver Slugger for years to come.

Mauer(.327/9/75) on the other hand had to contend with John Buck(.280/20/66), Victor Martinez(.302/20/79), and Mike Napoli(.238/26/68). You could make a very good case for V-Mart because his average was near Mauer, but he displayed much more power. Buck and Napoli fall sort of the other two, but belong in the conversation because of the strong numbers they put up. Mauer's .327 average and the fact that the Twins lineup is so dependent on him, despite his home run totals falling back to earth after  hitting 28 in his MVP 2009 season.

Joey Votto is the only other player who could have stolen the silver slugger from Prince Albert, and you could make a case that he should have. He beat Pujoles in batting average(.324 to .312) OBP(.424 to .414) and slugging percentage(.600 to .596), Pujoles got the best of Votto in home runs(42 to 38) and RBI(118 to 113). Basically it was a photo finish for these two fantastic players, and you can't go wrong with numbers like those. It just goes to show that the voters put more stock in counting numbers than ratios, and with these in particular maybe they should because the ratios were so close.

With an off years by Mark Texeria and Carlos Pena, and injuries to Kendry Morales, Keven Youkolis, and Justin Morneau the Award was Miguel Cabrera's to win. His only real competition came in the form of White Sox slugger Paul Konerko who put up a (.312/39/111) line, but with Cabrera hitting an impressive .328 to go with his 38 home runs, and 126 RBI it wasn't that close.

Dan Uggla and Martin Prado were going head to head for the second base award. With Uggla's 33 dingers, and Prado's late season injuries hurting his numbers, Uggla was the clear cut winner.

Robinson Cano was the steadying force in a fluctuating Yankee lineup, hitting .319, with 29 home runs and 109 RBI. Second base's bigger power threats Aaron Hill(.206/26.68) and Ian Kinsler(.286/9/45) both had off years, and perennial favorite Dustin Pedroia(.288/12/410 missed much of the second half with a foot injury. Which opened the door wide open for Cano to come in and grab it.

Ryan Zimmerman(.307/25/85) earned this one, but David wright wasn't far off(.283/29/103 and 19 stolen bases) it could have gone either way. I think Zimmerman may not have as high an offensive ceiling as Wright, but was better this year, in what many would consider a weaker lineup. After than it was pretty slim pickings in the NL with only Placido Polanco and Scott Rolen exceeding expectations. A lot of bad years from big names at the hot corner.

Adrian Beltre was thrilled to be away from the hitter's nightmare that is Safeco Field, and it showed in his numbers. Evan Longoria was his chief competition, but Beltre bested him by hitting around thirty points higher with about ten more RBI. It's ironic that the third baseman known for his glove (Beltre) won the Silver Slugger, and the third baseman known for his hitting (Longoria) won the Gold Glove.

Shortstop in both leagues was the right call all the way, Tulowitzki and Ramirez were both the class at a weak position.

In the Outfield you just can't argue with the inclusion of Carl Crawford(.307/19/90 47SB), Josh Hamilton(.359/32/100), or Carlos Gonzalez(.336/34/117 26SB). They should have had their names checked on everyone's ballots. Jose Bautista(.260/54/124) as stated earlier probably earned this one based on his enormous home run total.

Holliday(.312/28/103 and Braun(.304/25/103) both had outstanding season, though because of what they are capable of it doesn't seen as impressive. One could argue that Jayson Werth(.296/27/85) should have merited consideration. Braun's Brewer teammate Corey Hart(.283/31/102) probably just missed being on the list because of injuries that hampered him in the second half. With injuries to Andre Either, Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran, and down years by Matt Kemp, Alfonso Soriano and Shane Victorino thinned the pool greatly.

At DH Vlad(.300/29/115) showed that he can still rake, even if he can't play right anymore. He beat out David Ortiz(.270/32/102)and Billy Butler(.318/15/78) to claim the only DH exclusive award.

For the pitchers it was Yovani Gallardo, who displayed prodigious power hitting 4 home runs. The only argument another pitcher has an argument is probably Clayton Kershaw who lead all pitchers with 18 sacrifice hits. It's a different direction but that is what most pitchers are asked to do when they are at the plate.

So those are your winners, congrats to all of them.

NL Gold Glove Award Winners

Yesterday the NL Gold Glove award winners were announced, there were a few surprises but not so many as their could have been from the close NL races.
The list of winners reads like this:

P-Bronson Arroyo
C-Yadier Molina
1B-Albert Pujoles
2B-Brandon Phillips
3B-Scott Rolen
SS-Troy Tulowitzki
OF-Michael Bourn
Carlos Gomez
Shane Victorino

A fairly predictable list though not completely without intrigue. First time winners are Arroyo, Gonzalez, and Tulowitzki. Voters seem to have been influenced by hitting to some extent in the voting the past few years, and this year was no exception. However they seem to have gotten most of these right, or at least close enough to avoid some of the AL's outrage.

P-Adam Wainwright, last years winner made another strong case this year committing only one error on the year. Arroyo however had zero, and that is downright impressive, especially considering how well he fields  to the first base side. Tim Hudson, and Jon Garland also deserve consideration, but with no errors Arroyo earned this one.

C-The catchers race was a three horse tie that Molina won by reputation, Miguel Olivo, and Carlos Ruiz were right there with him statistically. Molina seemed slightly less rangy this season, but still displayed an arm like a rocket launcher and didn't have many errors(5) or passed balls(7). Olivo had a downright gaudy 42% of runners caught stealing, his error numbers(9) are not ideal for a catcher, but he helped out the Colorado pitching staff by shutting down the running game. Ruiz doesn't have stats that make you look twice, and that may be the most impressive thing about his game, only 6 errors and 4 passed balls are certainly impressive. As were his pitch calling skills, not that you need them with Halladay and Oswalt.

1B-Pujoles only really had one serious contender for his second Gold Glove and that was rookie Ike Davis of the Mets. Pujoles only had four errors this season, a video game type number for a first baseman. His UZR was a fairly average 1.5 while Davis displayed a 10.1. Davis did have nine errors however, and that may have cost him the hardware.

2B-The O-Dog stole the Gold Glove last year before defecting to the AL last winer, so it seemed that it would again come down to two longtime standouts Chase Utley and Brandon Phillips. So it did, Utley had a fantastic UZR besting Philips 10.3 to 9.7, but his 11 errors and numerous injuries gave the award back to Phillips who only booted three all year. A surprise candidate was the diminutive David Eckstien, who posted a respectable 6.6 UZR, but didn't commit a single error in 2010.

3B-The ever rangy Ryan Zimmerman seemed a lock to win this one, but this 17 errors probably scared off voters. They opted for Scott Rolen, who despite diminished range only mad eight errors this season.Which will give him eight Gold Gloves on his career. Chase Headly of the Padres may have earned it though, his 16.5 UZR was incredible at third base and he only made 13 errors. Not too shabby for the hot corner.

SS-Tulowitzki was the man with the glove this year, and got the deserved hardware. Last years winner Jimmy Rollins only had six errors but that was probably due to playing far fewer games this season, and diminished range more than his actual fielding prowess. The closest competition was light hitting Brendan Ryan his 10.5 UZR bests Tulowitzki's 7.1 but his 17 errors are less appealing than Tulo's 10. Tulo probably has the best arm from shortstop in the MLB, which will probably prompt a switch to third base later in his career. For now he is the top dog at short.

OF-Not surprisingly the voters picked three center fielders from the NL. It's hard to say that a great fielder like Shane Victorino was undeserving, but his 2.1 UZR was almost twenty points lower than Andres Torres(21.2) and Jay Bruce(20.2). Torres was particularly impressive with only one error in 2010. Car-Go is a good fielder but was probably not one of the top three, or even top six and can thank his offensive prowess for bringing him the spotlight. Bourn won his outright, with his fantastic speed in CF and a good arm(8 assists).

So to the outrage of the sporting world here are the 2010 NL Tarpslides R-Us Gold Glove winners:

P-Bronson Arroyo
C-Miguel Olivo
1B-Albert Pujoles
2B-Brandon Phillips
3B-Chase Headly
SS-Troy Tulowitzki
OF-Michael Bourn
Jay Bruce
Andres Torres

Congratulations for the winners.

AL Gold Glove Winners

It's that time of the year again, here come the awards. The winners, the snubs, and ESPN analysts basing their opinions on the 2005 season are sure to cause plenty of drama, even though the first big free agent is yet to sign.
The American League Gold Glove winners read like this:

P- Mark Beuhrle
C-Joe Mauer
1B-Mark Texeria
2B- Robinson Cano
3B-Evan Longoria
SS-Derek Jeter
OF-Iciro Suzuki
Franklin Gutierrez
Carl Crawford

Many of these are pretty accurate, I mean for the love of any deity you care to mention ESPN called their top  play rating system the "Beuhrle Meter".Though among these are several omissions, that are nearly criminal, and a couple of players who probably got  an award based on reputation instead of performance. So here's a positional breakdown of the winners compared to their closest competition.

P-Beuhrle's only real competition were a couple of young guns in Rickey Romero, and Trevor Cahill. It really could have gone to any of them and no one would bellyache too badly. Point of fact is that Marky Mark didn't have an error all year, despite having plenty of chances and turning 4 double plays.

C- It was a tight race behind the plate, at least statistically Mauer and A.J. Pierzynski had almost identical stats, and former Georgia Tech standout Matt Weiters had an ever higher percentage of runners caught stealing. The only real beef about Mauer winning is that he only caught 108 games this year, though when you consider that neither A.J. or Weiters caught more than 127 that argument probably falls apart.

1B-The Yankee infield rake in the awards in this category, but none of them was a clear standout at their position. That couldn't be true than with Mark Texeria this season, he is extremely sure handed with only 3 errors all year (and that is very impressive) but his range was diminished and he has a fairly average arm. Rangier options like Daric Barton, and Carlos Pena would have to merit some consideration, and the strong armed Lyle Overbay took part in 139 double plays this year.

2B-Second base had several great candidates this year, perennial favorite Orlando Hudson, Mark Ellis, rookie Sean Rodriguez, Ian Kinsler and this years winner Robinson Cano. Cano is not a bad fielder, in fact he is very good, but he was probably not the most deserving candidate. Hudson and Ellis both post UZR's over 9 and neither had more than 8 errors(Ellis only had 3) Cano only had 3, but his UZR was a pedestrian -.6.

3B- This is perhaps the hardest position to pick a favorite;Adrian Beltre, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Jose Lopez, Evan Longoria, Michael Young, Alex Rodriguez, third is packed with good glove men. Longoria won, and deserved too but it would have been a bad pick had Beltre, Lopez, or Kouzmanoff won it.

SS- Jeter flat out stole this award, his range is rapidly declining (-4.6 UZR) he only had 6 errors but only because he doesn't get to as many balls anymore. Elvis Andrus, Alexi Ramirez, and Cliff Pennington all had great defensive years and were more deserving than the Yankee Capitan. 

OF- Crawford and Ichiro clearly deserved their awards this year, Crawford's 18.5 UZR and stingy 2 errors are fantastic, and Ichiro coupled a 15.6 UZR with a cannon for a left arm to capture his well deserved tenth award. Franklin Gutierrez, is a fantastic outfielder but I think there might have been a better choice. With an unbelievable 21.9 UZR, 12 outfield assists Brett Gardner was the most deserving Yankee player, yet didn't get the Gold Glove. It is probable that Gutierrez received his award as sort of a make up call from last season, when he clearly deserved one, but a declining Tori Hunter got it instead.


All of that being said here is the Tarpslides R-Us AL Gold Glove awards, if the recipients want I'll even write in down so they have have something to remember it by.

P-Mark Beuhrle
C- Joe Mauer
1B-Carlos Pena
2B-Mark Ellis
3B- Kevin Kouzmanoff
SS-Elvis Andrus
OF- Ichiro Suzuki
Carl Crawford
Brett Gardner

Hot Stove, Don't Get Burned!

So the Braves have made their first off season acquisition in claiming Joe Mather from the Cardinals.  Not an earth shattering move, but possibly a useful one. "Joey Bombs" as he was known in St.Louis can play all four corner spots and is athletic enough to play occasionally in center. He has some power, but has struggled with injury issues the last couple of years.

What the Braves are trying to do with Mather is seeing if they can use him as a righty sub that could potentially be a low cost replacement for Matt Diaz should he be non-tendered. He could be sort of a Nelson Cruz story, a guy with some tools who finally gets it together in his late 20's. Worst case scenario he spends a lot of the year in AAA and gets a few at bats if someone gets injured.

The Braves Coaching Staff is finally all in order, and there are some new faces in the clubhouse for Atlanta to go along with Bobby's holdovers.

So here are the guys you know;
Roger McDowell, Pitching Coach
Terry Pendleton, moved from Hitting Coach to 1B/Fielding Coach
Brian Snitker, 3B Coach

New Faces;
Freddi Gonzalez, Manager. Freddi returns to the Braves as Bobby Cox's replacement. He should be a good guy to have in that spot, and one of the few who will not try to be Bobby Cox and will hopefully help Atlanta get it done this year.
Carlos Tosca, Bench Coach. Former Toronto manager, was Gonzalez's bench coach in Florida. He's a great baseball guy, and a good pickup as bench coach.
Larry Parrish-Former power hitter for the Rangers, and Expos. Also a longtime Tigers organizational guy, including being their manager in parts of 1998/1999. Has never been a big league hitting coach, but must have done something to impress the brass.

That's the staff at a glance, one thing that I think is interesting is that on top of Freddi, both Tosca, and Parrish have been major league managers. For those of you who are keeping score that is three chefs in the kitchen, let's hope they can stir the pot well together.

A new beginning...

The World Series is over, the Giants won it all in five games thanks to good pitching, and more luck in three weeks than most teams have in an entire year. Congratulations Giants.

But here on November 2, 2010 that's not the most important thing to Braves fans is it?

Not by a long shot.

Today the off season officially begins. What that means for the Bravos is that for the next five days they have exclusive rights to speak with Troy Glaus, Derek Lee, and Eric Hinske.

I imagine that the conversations with Glause and Lee will go something like this: "well it was great having you around, thanks for the good times. Good luck next season."

Glaus will probably be looking for a job in the AL that would allow him to DH at least part time. The Rays, A's, and Mariners are just a few teams that could find room for Glaus.

Derek Lee is a type-A free agent, but probably won't be offered arbitration so the Braves will not net a draft pick. He will find a spot on a team looking for a right handed first baseman, Baltimore is known to be interested. The Braves wont offer arbitration because the chances are too great that he would accept after having a down year, and with the emergence of Freddy Freeman first base is not one of the Braves major needs. The only circumstances that they would offer arbitration, would be if they found a trade suitor that they could flip him to almost immediately.

That being said, a right handed first base option could be appealing to the Braves to back up Freeman, and rest him against tough left-handers. Jorge Cantu, Xavier Nady, and Jose Lopez could all be options if they aren't retained by their current teams.

Hinske is an interesting case because the Braves would like to keep him, but may not have a place for him or the funds he requires. They will probably offer him 2 million or a little less on a one year deal, he will probably test free agent waters and could return if his services aren't worth more to another team.

Scott Procor who was signed last off season while recovering from Tommy John surgery only pitched a handful of innings for Atlanta this year but it is expected that the Braves will announce that they have brought him back on a deal that will pay him 750K and incentives that could bring the total up to 1MM.

I think this is mainly a depth move, but if he can return to the form that he showed in New York a few years ago he could be helpful. I don't really understand why they gave him a guaranteed contract when they could probably find a better option in the free agent market.

As expected the Braves also picked up the options for Omar Infante and Alex Gonzalez, this was a virtual no brainer as there are not any better shortstop options available for 2.5MM. Infante is coming off a very good campaign that saw him play 2b, 3b, SS, Lf and Rf while hitting .321. He will also make 2.5MM. Both are affordable and effective options that will fulfill their purposes.

The top free agents this season are Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Adrian Beltre, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee, and Adam Dunn. Though the Braves likely aren't players for any of them. It's possible that they could make offers to Werth, and Dunn if they decide he can play left field, but probably wont have the funds. So look for Frank Wren to start getting creative starting next Monday.

Larry Parrish expected to be announced as Braves hitting coach.

The news it out on the wire that the Braves will soon announce Larry Parrish as their new hitting coach. It appears that the finalists were Parrish and former Braves third baseman Jim "Hound Dog" Presley. Presley was on Freddi Gonzalez's staff in Florida and it would have been ironic to have the third baseman that Terry Pendleton replaced, replace him as hitting coach. 

Presley appears on the brink of signing on with Buck Showalter's Orioles. 

For those of you who don't know(or weren't born yet) Parrish was a slugging third baseman/outfielder primarily for the Expos and Rangers and was a two time All-Star. He finished up his career in Japan in 1990.

It's a bit ironic that both of the men interview to replace Terry Pendleton were more power hitters than he was. Perhaps that is a statement about the direction that they hope to be going in the future. Parrish was most recently a manager for the Tigers AAA team the Toledo Mud Hens.

He was briefly the Tigers manager in 1998-1999 compiling an 82-104 record in that time. He has only served as a hitting coach briefly as a traveling instructor, but the brass seem to think that he is the best man for the job, and his hitting credentials as a player were impressive.