Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop, Jordan Walden, 2017 Expectations
Atlanta Braves void contract with reliever Jordan Walden
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: On November 10, 2016 the Atlanta Braves signed Jordan Walden to a minor league contract in hopes he would be healthy enough come spring training time. Well, turns out that was not the case. Still recovering from a shoulder injury, Walden was ruled not healthy enough and both parties agreed to void the contract. With this minor league deal, he was given an invite to the 2017 spring training and it could have been possible to make the Braves opening day bullpen — if healthy. The Braves have plenty of pen options so this really shouldn’t effect the plans at all. Once healthy enough to pitch again, I can see Walden joining another organization. Remember, the guy is only 29-years-old. We’ll always remember him as the guy with the hop and being part of the package that sent us Shelby Miller — who evidentially gave us Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson.
On Thursday, Walden and the team mutually agreed to void his contract. Though he had initially hoped to be ready for Spring Training, his recovery from a shoulder injury has taken longer than expected.
Perhaps best known for his “meth-addled ninja” pitching motion, Braves fans will remember Walden as the guy who provided two excellent seasons of relief work sandwiched between a pair of major trades.
Originally a member of the Los Angeles Angels, Walden arrived in Atlanta via the one-for-one deal that sent the lateTommy Hanson out to Anaheim.
Braves excited about spring after 2016 finish, winter moves
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Anyone else see the Nevada Sportsbook release? If not, they gave the Braves a prediction of having 71.5 wins in 2017. Why how about you pour rain on our parade! Heading into the 2017 Spring Training, Braves fans are extremely excited about this upcoming year. Yes, we usually are around this time because baseball is almost here, but it’s been a few years since we could be competitive. I really don’t see this team losing 90-plus games again in 2017. Our rotation is better, our bullpen is better, our lineup is better, our coaching staff is better…we will surprise teams in 20-17!
“We are extremely excited for spring training,” said Braves general manager John Coppolella, who, along with president of baseball operations John Hart, has steered the franchise overhaul since October 2014. “When we embarked upon this rebuild, we never would have imagined that we would be so far along in such rapid succession. That is through the hard work of many, from our players themselves and our coaching staff to our player development, scouting, and front office.
“We still have a long way to go, but we are getting closer and closer to where we want to be.”
While most in the industry still doubt that the Braves can go from 93 losses to a postseason berth, many at least understand why Braves players and manager Brian Snitker insist they’re aiming high and trying to get back atop the division.
Bart Land: The Last Pitcher Show?
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: What will 2017 bring? For one…Bartolo Colon. The 43-year-old (will be 44 in May) is most likely entering his final season of professional ball, but if he continues to pitch like he has for the past six years, why can’t he continue? Colon’s goal right now is to eclipse Juan Marichal’s win total for the most by a Dominican-born pitcher. Marichal had 243 wins in his 16-year career…mostly with the San Francisco Giants in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Colon currently sits at 233 wins. If he is able to get more than 10 wins this year with the Braves (or maybe we trade him to a contender down the road in 2017) I can see Colon calling his career to an end. If not, we’ll probably see Colon in 2018.
It is the story of an “Arrival,” one in which a mysterious presence touches down in Atlanta — after an extended layover in Orlando — not via spacecraft but, rather, a one-year, $12.5 million contract. The Braves paid that knowing this man could, come “Hell or High Water,” deliver quality innings to their rotation and Oscar-worthy GIFs to their social media feeds.
Listed at 5-foot-11 and 285 pounds, this man does not exactly come equipped with a “Hidden Figure,” and yet, once again this winter, the 43-year-old Colon has bewitched us with his conditioning and the indefatigable work ethic that has helped him enjoy his profound longevity.
Thirteen years ago, out in “La La Land” — well, OK, it was actually Anaheim, but close enough — Colon’s career seemed to be speeding toward its conclusion. He was 31, with diminished velocity and scuffling secondary stuff, and coming off a year in which he logged an ERA north of 5.00. But he came up with the brilliant idea of throwing his best pitch — a low-90s fastball that he could locate with precision — over and over and over again. And in that 2005 season, he was “Captain Fantastic,” winning 21 games and the American League Cy Young Award.
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