So, now that we are roughly halfway through spring training, let’s take a look at how the Braves roster is progressing by addressing what were the key roster questions heading into Spring Training at the Magic Kingdom…
Can Mike Hampton remain healthy? I’m not overly concerned with his latest groin injury. Sure, with Hampton, a hangnail should set off the injury alarms. But, Roger McDowell and Bobby Cox both said that Hampton would have stayed in the game if this was the regular season. That’s enough assurance for me. Not overly assuring, but assuring enough. He shouldn’t miss his next scheduled start on Wednesday. If he does, I’ll retract.
Who’s going to take the 5th spot in the rotation? No question, hands down, Jair Jurrjens. Dude has been absolutely lights out this spring. There is no way, no how, barring injury, that Jurrjens shouldn’t be the 5th starter. How does 9 innings, four hits and one earned run look? Ummm….yes please!!!
Can Yunel Escobar replace Edgar Renteria? Not only yes….HELL YES!!! The young Cuban is batting .520 in 25 Grapefruit League AB’s. No, that’s not a typo, he really is batting .520. He’s already got more hits this spring than Britney Spears has rehab visits. Solid.
Who’s going to backup Brian McCann? Well, after Javy Lopez homered in his first Grapefruit League AB, it seemed that the answer to this question would be a no-brainer. In the words of Lee Corso, “not so fast.” Lopez only has two hits since that game (which was two Friday’s ago), and might be losing ground to Brayan Pena, who can be used elsewhere on in the field. Pena isn’t exactly lighting Florida on fire with his .250 average, but that will be more than acceptable as a backup catcher, especially if his defense is improved, which is the rumor coming out of the land of Mickey and Minnie.
Can Rafael Soriano close? Nobody knows. A mysterious arm issue, coupled with a “stomach ailment,” has the back end of the Braves bullpen in a bit of flux. Supposedly, Soriano is throwing fine in side sessions, but hasn’t thrown in a live game yet. Not the ideal situation for someone entering his first season as the full-time closer. We all know how frustrating closer problems can be (see: Mark Wohlers, Chris Reitsma, Steve Karsay, Dan Kolb, Bob Wickman, Jorge Sosa, etc.), so the last thing the Braves need is more question marks at the back end of this year’s bullpen.
photo credit: dbadair
Barrett Sallee has worked professionally in the Atlanta sports market in various aspects for over 7 years. He can be reached at barrettsallee@hotmail.com
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March 11th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
[…] Barrett Sallee mentioned in his post below Jair Jurrjens is having an incredible spring. Just because he has a good spring, we shouldn’t name him the best rookie. But it did make me […]