Attendance Woes

RTD on the Braves’ current last-place standing in attendance among the 14 IL teams. Richmond/Gwinnett GM Baldwin attributes it to the weather, which might account for the fall-off from Richmond’s attendance of last year – down 1,700 right now – but not for the team’s place at least 1,000 fans behind every other franchise in the league. Richmond’s not the only place it’s been raining.

Still Warming Up

In some ways, it’s been a disappointing start to the season: Scott Thorman and Joe Borchard, each the brand of ex-big league power hitter who always seems to feast on Triple-A pitching (Jeff Manto, Roberto Petagine, etc.), have produced almost zero: 1 HR and 5 RBI (!!!) between them in a combined 119 AB; the team’s top offensive prospects – Brent Lillibridge and Brandon Jones – have scuffled mightily: BL (.167, 1 HR) and BJ (.231, 0 HR); Scott Spiezio was released after a promising start; and Wes Timmons is struggling at .191.

However, despite all that, the Braves are comfortably in first. Early standouts: Clint Sammons, whose rep was that of a defensively deft catcher with batting issues, but has hit like Rod Carew, leading the Bravos in batting at .380 so far; Barbaro Canizares has been a force (.357 BA, .586 SLG); Josh Anderson has been the top-of-the-lineup spark that was expected (.333 BA, 8 SB) and Jo-Jo Reyes (0.43 ERA) and Charlie Morton (2.45 ERA) are looking like a couple of aces.

Beyond The Diamond

Ex-city manager’s got ballpark ideas.

Klesko Retires

Today’s reason to feel old: Ex-R-Brave great Ryan Klesko, the clean-up hitter in the Great Eight lineup, is retiring after 16 years in the bigs. Klesko had an unquestionably successful career — 278 homers and 987 RBI — though he also never ascended to superstar status, the way he seemed destined to back in his days here. He was always good, sometimes bordering on great, but still just one All-Star Game selection.

Klesko was one of the most entertaining players in the short history of The Diamond. He always played very hard, swung even harder — he could turn The Diamond into a little-league park with his power — and had a bit of a temper — you never really knew at the beginning of the night if he was going to do something a bit crazy.

My favorite incident was the night he used a little imagination to kick-start a bench-clearing brawl. Tensions were high, the opposing pitcher had hit a batter or two, there had been some jawing and the umpires had issued their silly warnings. When Klesko dug into the batter‘s box, everyone in the crowd sensed that something was about to happen. On the first pitch, Klesko pretended to attempt to hit the ball, instead flinging the bat right at the feet of the pitcher. The ensuing mayhem was frankly spectacular. At one point, Klesko and a combatant from the other team were pressed up against the backstop behind home plate, giving the box seat fans their money’s worth and more.

Klesko’s retirement means that of the Great Eight team, one of the most talented minor league lineups of all time, only Chipper remains in the majors. Melvin Nieves, Mike Kelly, Tony Tarasco, Ramon Caraballo and the late Jose Oliva are all long gone from the league, and Klesko and Javy Lopez retired this year. Chipper? He’s as strong as ever, hitting .443 with a .689 slugging percentage through Friday. There was never any question he was the best of a special bunch.

Rbraves.com New Look

Los Bravos have updated their website, granted about 3 years too late and unfortunately soon-to-be-obsolete.  Anyways, it looks pretty sharp, although it feels like there is less info than the previous version.  Maybe it’s just the Dawg, though.

10-4

And sitting atop the IL South.  The Braves pulled it out again Wednesday in Rochester, winning their second straight.  DH Barbaro Canizares had 3 hits last night, including a solo dinger in the top of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie with the Red Wings.  Speedster Josh Anderson had 2 hits, a run and an RBI.  The Braves batters have been holding up their end of the bargain so far this season.  It will be interesting to see how the pitching relates considering the ABraves current pitching staff injuries and woes.  Lots more movement up and down, I imagine.  Using the immortal words of the old guy talking to Pink about the upcoming football season in Dazed and Confused, “looking good…..looking tough.”

Spiezio Gone

Scott Spiezio was released by the Braves this weekend.  Major bummer.  He was playing some good ball for the RBraves.  The only quote from the Braves regarding why he was fired came from Atlanta General Manager Frank Wren, who simply said that on Friday, “he was not ready to play.”  This stinks.  Let’s hope Scott can get on the stick.  I wonder what “not ready to play” means.  I’m guessing he arrived to the park either visibly hungover or with a whiff of beer on his breath.  Who knows, though?

So far so good

Gotta be happy with a 5-2 homestand to start the season. Josh Anderson made a nice diving catch in center and threw out a runner at the plate in the 2-1 win yesterday over Buffalo. Scott Thorman broke through with a two-run hit, and Charlie Morton was impressive again. A great way to head out on the first road trip of the season.

The Prospect/Ex-Prospect Divide

What kind of dynamic exists in the current R-Braves’ clubhouse?

Something we won’t likely ever know, but it’s hard not to be curious about how well everyone gets along at the Triple-A level, where teams typically consist of those bound for the bigs and those fighting to get back. Is there resentment of the bright young things — Lillibridge, Brandon Jones, Reyes, Josh Anderson — from the likes of Thorman, Borchard, Reggie Taylor and Damian Moss, who not that long ago were bright young things themselves? Wouldn’t it be hard not to be somewhat resentful? The former likely get the most attention from the R-Braves coaching staff, per instructions from Atlanta, and are everywhere seen as the can’t-miss prospects. There are no limits for them yet; their futures are bright. They are the ones that everybody in the organization most wants to see succeed, because the possibilities still seem so great.

Meanwhile, the latter group has spent their time on the various prospect watch lists, spent significant time in the major leagues. Been given a full opportunity to make it. However, things did not work out as planned, they lost first their starting spots in a major league lineup and then their uniform. Now each is the person they never imagined they’d be: the Triple-A veteran, desperate to get back to the big stage, riding buses to minor-league towns. In the eyes of the organization, they’re largely afterthoughts, possible bench help or trade bait, but no longer tied to the future.

I think it’d be harder for the ex-prospects who never quite made it than it would be for the major league vets with more service time, who already have much to show for their careers. Scott Spiezio, for instance, has two World Series rings. Sal Fasano has gotten as much, or more, than one could ever expect out of his talents. They’re already success stories. It’d be easier to be gracious in that place. The others, I would think, have something gnawing at them.

Drug Bust

Hotshot Atlanta prospect Jordan Schafer busted for HGH. He’d seemed likely ticketed for an extended stay in Richmond later this year, but his 50-game suspension might change that. He’s at Double-A Mississippi now.