The Braves Get More Cowbell

I was going to start off this post by mostly bitching about the Braves's handling of Tom Glavine. However, a few writers much better than myself already did a fine job: DOB and Buster Olney (Glavine part is free). The Bearded Icon himself even weighed in, with appropriate disapproval. So I'll move on to the other moves the Braves made yesterday.

Within just a few minutes of announcing Glavine's release, Tommy Hanson was called up. Everyone is probably already familiar with his stats in Gwinnett thus far, but here they are in case you've missed them: 11 starts, 1.50 ERA, 66.1 IP, 17 BB, 90 K, 0.864 WHIP. Whew. And if you can't do the math, those strikeouts work out to a ridiculous 12.3 K/9. Though the kid has always been a big prospect for the Braves, he really skyrocketed after his performance in the Arizona Fall league last year, which draws some of baseball's best prospects. The stats that led to his becoming the first pitcher to win the MVP in the fall league: 0.63 ERA, .105 BAA, and 49 K's in 28.2 IP (15.4 K/9). Bringing Hanson up moves Medlen to the bullpen. I'd like to see him stay a starter, but there's no where for him to go. Personally, I think the Braves should send him back to Gwinnett where he can pitch regularly. The bullpen could get a little crowded, with Soriano, Gonzalez, O'Flaherty, and Moylan better options late in the game.

As for the McLouth deal, I love it. Charlie Morton didn't show much when called up last year, though he was dominating in Gwinnett (who wasn't?). Gorkys Hernandez is a highly ranked prospect, but he is years from seeing the majors, and he isn't stealing as many bases as he did early in his career (54 in 2007, 20 in 2008, and 10 so far this year). The guys at FanGraphs say that McLouth is one of the most projectable players around: "a quality left-handed bat who draws some walks and has some power." They're not a big fan of his glove, saying he is a serviceable centerfielder, despite his 2008 Gold Glove. What this says to me is that Braves will move him over to left next year (or maybe right this year) when Schafer is ready to come back up. He does have a great contract, owed $15 million through 2011, with a club option for 2012. According to FanGraphs, he should be commanding upwards of $12 million. A pretty good deal, even if he does look like a young, blond Christopher Walken. I've got a fever!