Braves News World

Here is a rundown of all the players drafted by the Braves in the 2005 MLB draft. By Wednesday night, the club had signed 7 of their top 10 selections, including their first 5 picks, headlined by the hard-throwing closer Joey Devine. The other signed players included Beau Jones, Yunel Escobar (a shortstop who may soon be ready to fill Rafael Furcal’s shoes if Furcal opts for free agency after this season), Jeffrey Lyman, Jordan Schafer, Brandon Monk, and Kyle Cofield. In all, the Braves used 35 of their 52 picks on pitchers!

1st Round (#27): Joseph Devine, RHR, North Carolina State
Sandwich Pick for Type A Players (for Type A Jaret Wright - #41): Beau Jones, LHP, Destrehan HS, Louisiana
2nd Round (#75): Yunel Escobar, SS, NO SCHOOL, Miami, Florida
2nd Round (#77): Jeffrey Lyman, RHS, Monte Vista HS, Alamo, California
3rd Round (#107): Jordan Schafer, CF, Winter Haven HS, Haines City, Florida.
4th Round (#137): Michael Broadway, RHS, Pope County HS, Golconda, Illinois
5th Round (#167): William Startup, LHS, Georgia
6th Round (#197): Tyler Bullock, RHS, Baylor
7th Round (#227): Brandon Monk, 2B, La Grange HS, Georgia
8th Round (#257): Kyle Cofield, RHS, Southside HS, Rainbow City, Alabama
9th Round (#287): Steven Garcia, C, Temecula Valley HS, California
10th Round (#317): Colin Carter, LHS, Grayson County College
11th Round (#347): Michael Nix, RHS, Auburn
12th Round (#377): Rudolph Quinonez, RHS, Fresno St.
13th Round (#407): Quentin Davis, CF, Francis Marion
14th Round (#437): Jose Cabrera, LF, Los Angeles Pierce JC
15th Round (#467): Mason Tobin, RHS, Kentridge HS, Renton, Washington
16th Round (#497): Jerome Chapman, RHS, A. Crawford Mosley HS, Lynn Haven, Florida
17th Round (#527): Clayton Caulfield, RHS, Pensacola JC
18th Round (#557): Zachary Oliver, LHS, Midway HS, Hewitt, Texas
19th Round (#587): Cole Miles, SS, Viewmont HS, Centerville, Utah
20th Round (#617): Andrew Cashner, RHS, Conroe HS, Montgomery, Texas
21st Round (#647): Kristopher Cichoski, RHS, Durango HS, Las Vegas, Nevada
22nd Round (#677): Thomas Hanson, RHS, Riverside CC
23rd Round (#707): Brian O’Dell, RHS, Osceola Senior HS, Kissimmee, Florida
24th Round (#737): Justin Reynolds, OF, Central HS, Independence, Oregon
25th Round (#767): Matthew Miller, OF, Redmond HS, Kirkland, Washington
26th Round (#797): Michael Ryan, RHR, Lake City CC
27th Round (#827): Kyle Miller, 3B, Terry Parker HS, Jacksonville, Florida
28th Round (#857): Harold Coleman, RHS, Pillow Academy HS, Schlater, Mississippi
29th Round (#887): Tyler Musselwhite, RHR, Gainesville HS, Georgia
30th Round (#917): Brett Wiggins, LHS, Cross Creek HS, Augusta, Georgia
31st Round (#947): Cole McCurry, LHS, Surry CC
32nd Round (#977): Brad Schwarzenbach, RHS, Cerritos College
33rd Round (#1007): Tyler Flowers, 1B, Chipola JC
34th Round (#1037): Blake Holt, CF-LF, Belton HS, Salado, Texas
35th Round (#1067): Blake M. Guthrie, C, Dan River HS, Ringgold, Virginia
36th Round (#1097): Dwain Green, RHS, Logan HS, Madison, West Virginia
37th Round (#1127): David Williams, RHR, Surry CC
38th Round (#1157): Brett Scarpetta, RHS, Madison Area Tech College
39th Round (#1186): Austin Fleet, RHS, Edmond Santa Fe HS, Oklahoma
40th Round (#1215): James Curtis, RHS, Manatee JC
41st Round (#1244): Michael Robbins, LHS, Meridian CC
42nd Round (#1273): Thomas Alexander, C, Santa Barbara CC
43rd Round (#1302): Ryan Littlejohn, OF, Verdigris HS, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
44th Round (#1331): Benjamin Jeffers, RHS, Madison County HS, Danielsville, Georgia
45th Round (#1360): Mikey Griffith, RHS, Issaquah HS, Washington
46th Round (#1389): Luis Sanchez, SS, Lake City CC
47th Round (#1417): Aaron Brady, RHR, CC Southern Nevada
48th Round (#1445): Nathan Weidenaar, OF, Bozeman Sr HS, Montana
49th Round (#1472): Jesse Simpson, RHS, Zachary HS, Louisiana
50th Round (#1499): Derick Himpsl, LHR, Johnstown HS, New York

Partial Legend:
RHS - Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
RHR - Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
LHS - Left-Handed Starting Pitcher
LHR - Left-Handed Relief Pitcher

It was one and done for Eddie Perez Tuesday night. After being activated from the 15-day disabled list for Tuesday night’s game, Eddie Perez returned to the DL today with continued weakness in his shoulder. In the Braves’ continuing quest to sport the youngest roster ever, left-handed-hitting catcher Brian McCann was called up from Double-A Mississippi where the 21-year-old was hitting .265 with 6 home runs and 26 RBIs this season. Brayan Pena will likely start at catcher most games until Johnny Estrada’s bell stops ringing after his violent collision with Darin Erstad Monday night. Estrada is expected to recover from his concussion and return to the lineup early next week. Anyone know the record for most roster moves in a season?

To err is Kolb, to forgive Devine? Well, I don’t see Braves die-hards forgiving Dan Kolb for his missteps anytime soon but new Braves draftee Joey Devine may soon help them forget about their bullpen turmoil!

The Braves drafted the 21-year-old closer with the 27th overall selection in the 2005 MLB baseball draft on Tuesday. This marked the first time the Braves had chosen a college player with their first pick since 1991 (when they chose outfielder Mike Kelly out of Arizona State). The three-time all-ACC choice asserts that he is ready to sign on the dotted line! Braves scouts are already openly speculating he may spell relief (in more ways than one!) for the major league club later this season. His stuff is that good!

As a junior at North Carolina State last year Devine had a 5-3 record and saved 12 saves while compiling a 2.03 ERA. He racked up 72 strikeouts and walked only 10 batters in 48 2/3 innings. This move is a definitely a departure from the Braves’ historical strategy of drafting high school pitchers. Is it a stroke of genius or a sign of desperation? Only time will tell…

This is really getting ridiculous. Johnny Estrada will be sidelined for at least 4 games after being levelled by Darin Erstad. He doesn’t remember anything after catching the throw which could be indicative of a concussion. Brayan Pena will start in his place in the meantime.

Eddie Perez has been activated from the 15-day disabled list to back up Pena though Perez’s shoulder is still bothering him. Seth Greisinger was designated for assignment in order to clear room on the roster for Perez. The Braves are hoping no team is interested in him and that he clears waivers. If he does, the Braves will still need to wait 10 days before recalling him. That means he cannot be added to the 25-man roster again until June 19th. The Braves will therefore have to call up another minor league pitcher to start on June 14th (unless they start one of their pitchers on 3 days rest yet again). What a mess! I actually remember thinking how lucky the Braves were to have so few people on the disabled list at the end of April. Things sure went to hell in a handbasket in a hurry!!

The hits just keep on coming! Unfortunately for Braves fans, I’m not referring to the Braves’ offensive production. It’s the health of essential Braves players that is taking the hit. Chipper Jones was placed on the 15-day disabled list today but the Braves have no idea when he might return. An MRI will be performed on his left foot tomorrow afternoon to determine the severity of the ligament injury he has. Surgery seems a likely option considering he could not walk out of the batter’s box yesterday. If surgery is required we won’t see him in action again until well into the second half of the season.

As expected, the Braves called up 3rd baseman-extra-ordinaire Andy Marte from Triple-A Richmond. Though Wilson Betemit has swung a hot bat of late, the Braves have historically delayed calling up Marte until he could start at third base everyday. It’s hard to imagine, with Chipper sidelined, they would call up Marte at this time to sit on the bench. Additionally, Betemit may have opportunities to start at shortstop due to Rafael Furcal’s nagging injury and struggles with the bat.

Mike Hampton has returned to the 15-day disabled list because of tightness in his left forearm. An MRI will be performed on his arm within the next few days in the hopes of shedding some more light on the seriousness of the injury. This time Hampton will rest the arm during most of his stay on the DL, unlike his last stint when he threw on the side often.

Rather than pitching several starters on three days rest, Bobby Cox will use Seth Greisinger to fill Hampton’s spot in the rotation. Greisinger was called up from Triple-A Richmond before Sunday’s game. Greisinger went 2-5 while compiling a 6.18 ERA in 9 starts and 3 relief appearances with the Tigers last season. This year the right-handed pitcher was 2-4 with a 3.31 ERA during 11 starts with Richmond.

Jeff Francoeur, one of the Braves’ top young talents, is getting in on the blogging act now. In his new weekly diary Jeff will “discuss his days on and off the field and give us some insight into the real life of one of the top prospects in professional baseball".

I guess it really isn’t technically a blog as it lacks commenting capability and other distinctive blog features. It would be nice if Baseball Digest Daily could make it a little more interactive for fans who wish to pose questions for Francoeur to answer in future installments. Regardless, it is definitely something to keep an eye on!

Addendum: With Francoeur in the bigs, likely for good, the final entry in his BDD journal has been posted.

Change is in the air and relief is on the way for Braves fans frustrated by the abominable production of their outfielders this season! Left-handed outfielder Kelly Johnson was called up from Richmond after Saturday night’s game. To make room on the roster for him, the Braves designated pitcher Matt Childers for assignment.

Bobby Cox revealed after Sunday’s game that he plans to start Kelly Johnson in left field on a regular basis. Ryan Langerhans and Brian Jordan will platoon in right field though Jordan will spell Johnson in left on occasion. Kelly Johnson was hitting .310 with eight homers, 22 RBIs and seven stolen bases for Triple-A Richmond before the call-up. He also owned the best on-base percentage in the International League so he should provide a big boost to the top of the Braves order (Chipper was moved to the clean-up spot Sunday to make room for Johnson in the 3rd spot in the batting order).

This likely spells the end of Raul Mondesi’s career as a Brave and likely his career, period. The Braves have given him until Tuesday, the day Mike Hampton is due to be activated from the disabled list, to decide if he wants to accept a reserve role. The Braves are likely hoping he’ll retire so they won’t him all of his salary but it’s more likely he’ll be released.

The Braves activated Kevin Gryboski from the 15-day disabled list Sunday. Left-handed pitcher Frank Brooks was optioned to AAA Richmond to make room for Gryboski in the bullpen. Brooks appeared in only 1 game with Atlanta, allowing 1 hit in 1/3 of an inning.

Yet another Braves pitcher has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, Mike Hampton. The injury is now considered to be a sprained left forearm. He had a similar injury at the end of postseason last year. However, as soon as the Braves’ season ended he had knee surgery and stopped normal throwing (so we have no idea how serious it might be or how long it might last). The Braves are hoping he’ll only miss 2 starts as he is eligible to come off the DL May 30th (the move is retroactive to May 15th).

Kyle Davies received a call-up from Richmond to take Hampton’s roster spot and start on Saturday. After an impressive debut against the Red Sox, Bobby Cox has called on him to pitch on 3 days rest Wednesday. Tim Hudson, who threw batting practice Friday for the 2nd straight start, will also come back on 3 days rest to start Tuesday. These moves may tide the Braves over until Hampton is eligible to return. If Hampton’s not ready to return at the end of the month a reliever will likely need to be sent down and another starter called up (and then it would be time for Schuerholz.to wake up!).

The injury parade continues for the Braves but this one may be a boon for the team’s offense. Eddie Perez was placed on the 15-day disabled list with tendonitis in his right shoulder. The Braves called up catcher Brayan Pena from Richmond. At the time of his call-up Pena owned a .417 batting average and .465 on-base percentage, best in the International League in both categories. Take your time coming back Eddie… We don’t want you to rush it and make things worse!

Trey Hodges is back in the Braves system. The right-handed pitcher spent all of 2003 with Atlanta and part of last season with Richmond before defecting to the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Central League. The Richmond Braves activated Hodges when Pena was recalled. He started the season in the Twins’ system, Rochester to be exact. He had tallied a 5.63 ERA and no decisions in 17 innings with the Red Wings this year before signing as a minor leage free agent with the Braves.

When it rains, it pours! On the heels of Mike Hampton’s injury (it now appears he’ll miss at least one start) John Thomson went down Monday with a strained flexor tendon in his right middle finger. He doubled over in pain after throwing a 1-0 fastball to Mark Loretta in the fifth inning of the Braves’ 5-3 loss to the Padres. His finger apparently popped so loud that Adam LaRoche heard it over at first base! It doesn’t look good. He is back in Atlanta being examined by a hand specialist. Hopefully surgery won’t be necessary but I don’t have a good feeling about this one.

Horacio Ramirez seemed ready to step into Thomson’s sizable shoes in the 4th (or even 3rd if Hampton’s injury in serious) spot in the rotation before Wednesday afternoon’s horrendous performance. He had allowed only 2 earned runs in 14 innings in his 2 prior starts so let’s hope this was a fluke!

Matt Childers was called up from Triple-A Richmond to fill Thomson’s roster spot and help the Braves’ beleaguered bullpen. He was 2-0 with a 3.26 ERA in 15 games for Richmond this season. Kyle Davies is likely to be called up to start in place of Hampton.

Also on the injury front: Kevin Gryboski was scheduled to make a rehab start for the Single-A Rome Braves today and is eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday, May 22nd.

On Tuesday May 10th the Braves placed right-handed reliever Kevin Gryboski on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Saturday May 7th, due to a viral infection. He will be eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday May 22nd. He went back to Atlanta to be examined by a doctor. He had apparently been ill for almost a week before being put on the DL.

Left-handed relief pitcher Frank Brooks was recalled from the Triple-A Richmond Braves to take Gryboski’s spot in the bullpen. This gives the Braves two lefties in the bullpen (Brooks and John Foster) for the first time this season.

Braves farmhands James Jurries and Ricardo Rodriguez have each been suspended 15 games for violating the minor league steroids policy. Jurries, the first baseman for the AAA Richmond Braves, was hitting .316 this season and leading his team with five homers and 13 RBI in 11 games. Rodriguez was also enjoying a stellar start to the season for the Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He is currently 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in four games as a reliever. He has 19 strikeouts and only one walk in 11 1/3 innings on the season. Each player will be suspended for 15 games. Both players admitted using a performance-enhancing substance while playing winter ball in Venezuela.

“Hallelujah!” That’s what many Braves fans are saying tonight. The Braves released Tom Martin today, putting him out of his misery. He gave up 6 hits, walked 2 and posted a 19.29 ERA in 2 1/3 innings during his horrendous start to the season.

John Foster will take his place as the sole left-handed relief pitcher on the Braves roster. Foster allowed one run and two hits in 5 2/3 innings for Class AAA Richmond this season. He held opposing batters to a .105 average during that span. Braves fans may remember John Foster being highly touted by the team as a fireballer in 2002. He pitched in 5 games for Atlanta before being traded to the Brewers along with Wes Helms in exchange for Ray King before the 2003 season. He underwent shoulder surgery in 2004 and signed with the Braves as a minor league free agent last month.

John Schuerholz is understandably getting a bit antsy watching Tom Martin get lit up like a Christmas tree these first two weeks. On Tuesday, the Braves claimed left-handed pitcher Frank Brooks off waivers from the Dodgers. In 11 games with the Pirates last season he posted an 0-1 record and a 4.67 ERA. He has been assigned him to the Class AAA Richmond Braves. This will hopefully be the precursor to more significant moves that will soon bolster the Braves’ ailing bullpen, especially from the left side.

The Braves have announced their Opening Day 25-man roster. Despite faltering towards the end of spring training and ending with a 7.36 ERA, Adam Bernero got the nod over Buddy Hernandez (who posted a 0.93 ERA - go figure!) for the final bullpen spot. Hopefully, Gryboski won’t try to be a hero with his nagging shoulder injury. If he rests on the DL, Hernandez should be called up to take his spot.

The final roster cuts were pitchers Kevin Barry, Matt Childers, Buddy Hernandez and Zach Miner; outfielders John Barnes and Esix Snead; and catcher Jean Boscan. All were re-assigned to minor league camp.

The final roster is as follows:

Pitchers (12): RHP Adam Bernero, RHP Roman Colon, RHP Kevin Gryboski, LHP Mike Hampton, RHP Tim Hudson, RHP Dan Kolb, LHP Tom Martin, LHP Horacio Ramirez, RHP Chris Reitsma, RHP John Smoltz, RHP Jorge Sosa and RHP John Thomson.

Catchers (2): Johnny Estrada and Eddie Perez.

Infielders (6): Wilson Betemit, Julio Franco, Rafael Furcal, Marcus Giles, Chipper Jones and Adam LaRoche.

Outfielders (4): Andruw Jones, Brian Jordan, Ryan Langerhans and Raul Mondesi.

Infielder/Outfielder (1): Pete Orr

The Richmond Braves starting lineup should shape up this way… James Jurries at first base, Jason Bourgeois at second base, Tony Pena, Jr. at shortstop, and Andy Marte at third base. Kelly Johnson, Billy McCarthy, and probably John Barnes will start in the outfield. If Esix Snead doesn’t make the big league roster he’ll replace Barnes in the outfield.

The starting rotation at Richmond will likely consist of Kyle Davies, Seth Greisinger, Sam McConnell, Andy Van Hekken, and Brian O’Connor.

The Braves traded for pitcher Seth Greisinger from the Nationals on Saturday. They will give up a player to be named later. Greisinger has compiled an unimpressive 5.56 ERA in 41 major league games after being drafted by the Tigers with the sixth pick in the 1996 draft. He will start the season at Triple-A Richmond.

Catcher Brayan Pena was re-assigned to the Braves’ minor league camp to get more at-bats. He has 1 hit in only 8 at-bats this spring.

Trustmark National Bank has purchased the naming rights to the Double-A Mississippi Braves’ stadium for the next 15 years. Financial terms were not disclosed. It will be dubbed Trustmark Park. Meanwhile, construction crews are racing to put the finishing touches on the stadium in order to be ready for their April 18th season opener against the Montgomery Biscuits, an affiliate of the Marlins.