BravesBuzz

TOP STORY: Statements from Dino Laurenzi , the Ryan Braun sample collector. BRAVES BITS: Braves.com - Freddie Freeman to miss time with knee injury . Braves.com - Tommy Hanson to retake concus...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/229-morning-buzz-ryan-braun-freddie.html

TOP STORY: Chipper takes shot at drug cheaters . BRAVES BITS: Talking Chop - Terry Francona Interviews Fredi Gonzalez . Braves.com - News and notes from the MLB site . MLB NEWS: Royals - Sig...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/228-morning-buzz-chipper-jones-salvador.html

TOP STORY: Ryan Zimmerman signs six-year extension worth $100 million . He will be the second richest third baseman annually behind Alex Rodriguez. He also gets a full no-trade clause beginning i...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/227-morning-buzz-ryan-zimmerman-joel.html

TOP STORY: Ryan Braun will not be suspended 50 games . Braun's statement can be found here . MLB "vehemently disagrees" with the decision, naturally. And here is the best explanation I found ab...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/224-morning-buzz-ryan-braun-mike-minor.html

TOP STORY: No extension talks for Michael Bourn yet . I made the case for extending Bourn last week. Here's to hoping something can get done at some point. BRAVES BITS: Braves.com - Via the li...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/223-morning-buzz-michael-bourn-roy.html

A lot of uncertainty surrounds a pitcher coming back from Tommy John surgery. As past victims have told it, it's about regaining a feel for the ball. As analysts have shown it, walk rates sometim...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/should-kris-medlen-get-shot-at-starting.html

TOP STORY: Hanson has minor concussion, likely out a few days . Grade 1 concussion, the most minor, if there is a such thing. At least if it had to happen it did early in camp. BRAVES BITS: ESP...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/222-morning-buzz-tommy-hanson-braves.html

TOP STORY: Hanson in accident, checked for concussion . I can think of better ways for Tommy Hanson to begin his spring than blowing a tire and bumping his head. BRAVES BITS: Capitol Avenue Clu...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/221-morning-buzz-tommy-hanson-manny.html

TOP STORY: Mike Cameron announces his retirement . The big-name retirements continue. Cameron was forever underrated because he relied on defense, but he was an extremely valuable center fielder ...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/220-morning-buzz-mike-cameron-tim.html

TOP STORY: Yankees/Pirates - The Pirates and Yankees have agreed to a deal sending A.J. Burnett to Pittsburgh. The Pirates will pay $13 million of the $31.1 million left, and they are sending D...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/218-morning-buzz-aj-burnett-braves.html

Andrelton Simmons is one of the most talked about prospects in the Braves system. Why? Because there is a wide gap between thoughts on his projection. There is the belief that Simmons is the ev...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/andrelton-simmons-place-on-prospect.html

TOP STORY: Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter dies at 57 Reading so many good things about Carter, not just from yesterday following the news of his passing but prior as well, made it an especial...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/217-morning-buzz-gary-carter-bill.html

I don't claim to be an expert on the Braves' budget, and I don't know their situation going forward, as far as projected spending room for the next few years. So this post is based on the notion ...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/look-at-extending-michael-bourn.html

Reliever WAR according to FanGraphs: (2001-2011) 1. Eric Gagne (2003): 4.5 2. Francisco Rodriguez (2004): 4 3. Brad Lidge (2004): 3.8 4. J.J. Putz (2006): 3.6 5. B.J. Ryan (2004): 3.4 6. E...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/looking-at-craig-kimbrels-2011-season.html

2011 HR/FB rates: (100+ IP) 1. Tommy Hanson - 12.5% 2. Derek Lowe - 10.2 3. Brandon Beachy - 9.8 4. Tim Hudson - 8.7 5. Jair Jurrjens - 8 We're talking small samples in the cases of Hanso...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/02/leaderboard-hrfb-ratios-and-tommy.html

Word is former Braves starter KENSHIN KAWAKAMI is headed back to Japan. I for one would like to give the Braves' first and only Japanese signing his due. Kawakami's 3.86 ERA in his rookie sea...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/01/giving-kenshin-kawakami-his-due.html

Nothing ever happens in Braves world, so what we get is payroll and TV deal talk, all of which is pretty much never a good thing. Tim Tucker of the AJC gives us the details in an interview with ...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/01/mcguirk-on-payroll-ownership-tv-deal.html

The Braves brought back reserve shortstop JACK WILSON on a one-year deal worth $1 million, with $500,000 in possible incentives. Not much to say here, but this might be the best part of the dea...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/01/jack-wilson-returns-on-one-year-deal.html

Pardon me while I'm a grinch for a minute. Bill Shanks wrote this on PETER MOYLAN today, saying the Braves "need" to bring him back for the good of the team. If you read it, you know it's a l...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/01/need-for-peter-moylan.html

The BROOKS CONRAD era officially ended today with the Brewers' addition of Conrad on a minor league deal, so says Ken Rosenthal . Conrad was non-tendered by the Braves back on Dec. 13, and it ...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/01/farewell-brooks-conrad.html

A couple of Braves-related tidbits to keep you occupied during the baseball depression that is winter. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets minor leaguer MARCUS LEMON was released by...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2012/01/stephen-marek-finds-work-among-braves.html

The Braves are apparently interested in RYAN THERIOT for some reason. Therefore, I'll waste my time and yours with a Theriot post. Theriot was owed $3.3 million in 2012, so the Cardinals cut ...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2011/12/brandon-hicks-please.html

A combination of STEPHEN STRASBURG , JORDAN ZIMMERMANN and GIO GONZALEZ has the potential to be very good. Not to plug my own writing, but... well, OK, I'm plugging my own writing . "Even so,...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2011/12/washington-nationals-contenders.html

Hot streaks have little to no predictive value. If a player's career minor league numbers are based largely on empty batting averages and luck, it would be smart to assume a small-sample hot stre...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2011/08/just-another-jose-constanzajason.html

The inevitable took long enough. Scott Proctor has been released and Arodys Vizcaino will take his spot in the Atlanta bullpen, says Chris Schiavone . By all accounts, Proctor is a good guy a...

http://bravesbuzz.blogspot.com/2011/08/arodys-vizcaino-called-up-to-majors.html