Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Meltdowns, Fetching Catching
Aug 13, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Pete Mackanin (45) takes the ball from starting pitcher Jerad Eickhoff (48) during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
ICYMI: Once the rains stopped, the best things happened for the Braves… both starting pitchers came out of the game. That was also very bad news for the Phillies.
Phillies manager Pete Mackanin is really annoyed right now.
On Sunday, his club lost to the Mets 17-0. Last night it was 7-6 (full recap here).
Of course, it’s often not the result, but how the result was achieved that leads to the issue.
On Sunday, starter Jake Thompson was removed after 4 innings and a 3-0 deficit. After that, his relief pitchers gave up 3, 3, 2, 5, and 1 run respectively. No one left unscathed.
Last night? A 6-0 lead after 2 innings… 6-1 after 5. Thanks to the rain delays, Jerad Eickhoff could only go 4 innings once again.
The relievers? 2, 2, 1, and 1 runs. Once again, every pitcher gave up at least one run.
Of note, the Phils almost blew a 10-0 lead to the Mets on Saturday night… holding on for a 10-8 win. Only David Hernandez in the bullpen got through an inning without allowing a run to score.
No wonder Brian Snitker used his bullpen as if the Braves were still in the game, despite the deficit.
Sep 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos (40) is looked at by the team trainer Paul Lessard and relief pitcher Yusmeiro Petit (52) and manager Dusty Baker (12) after suffering an apparent right knee injury during the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Wilson Ramos, Nationals Catcher and Free-agent-to-be is out with an ACL Tear to his right knee. Now What?
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I did a little research this morning on the expected recovery times for an ACL injury. Surgery is definitely in the cards for Wilson Ramos, and this source suggests a full recovery time of 6-9 months.
For a professional athlete playing catcher, I would lean toward the maximum on that time range, plus another month for a full rehab and extended Spring Training activities.
If all of that begins on October 1st for Ramos, then that puts his availability at something close to the All-Star break next season. Thus he loses half a year.
That raises some questions.
Should the Braves pursue him anyway?
Calls to consider Brian McCann have been renewed this morning as news of Ramos’ injury has spread. Here’s one such call, in answer to a question about off-season needs for the Braves:
New starting catcher (McCann perhaps) and a veteran starting pitcher or two. https://t.co/fIx3oV8Xrb
— BillShanks (@BillShanks) September 28, 2016
The trouble is, as this catching market just got weaker, the Yankees’ asking price for McCann just came back up quite a bit. While they will have little place for him other than as a DH (he’s really not a first baseman, though I imagine that will be an off-season focus), Brian Cashman still seems to have illusions that he’s a more-than-positive trade asset.
This despite his contract ($17m for 2017 and 2018 with a vesting option for ’19), despite his hitting (.239) against a persistent defensive shift (balls in play: .387 vs. no shift; .254 otherwise), and despite the fact that his home run prowess plays best at Yankee Stadium (45 of 68 since moving north).
I could see Atlanta offering Ramos a 1-2 year deal for 2017-18 that’s essentially a “rehab and re-prove yourself” contract that’s low risk while using Flowers and Recker in the meantime… a tandem that has played better than McCann, frankly. Something in the range of $8-10m per year – knowing that there’s a lost half-year built in. It could be a win-win situation… which right now is certainly a better option than either the Braves or Ramos are looking at today.
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