Free the Richmond Three!

It's been a long time since I've posted here, but I needed an opportunity to vent and couldn't hold it in any longer. My blogs from the perspective of a Braves fan should provide loyal Nats fans and readers with plenty of optimism--if the Nats are paying attention, they better take this opportunity to gain some games on Atlanta before Schuerholz screws his head on straight again. Here goes:

When will John Schuerholz finally admit he was wrong and do something about the Braves’ horrendous outfield situation? When the Braves GM signed has-been free agents Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan to twin bargain-basement one-year contracts, no one seriously thought they would be able to replace the offense of J.D. Drew and the surprisingly productive Charles Thomas/Eli Marrero combo. But at least, so said conventional wisdom, these two formerly decent players would give the Braves a cheap, temporary patch in the outfield until better players were ready to take their place.

Problem is, the Atlanta corner outfielders have been downright horrid. Jordan, whose decrepit knees, despite his constant reassurance to the contrary, have bereft him of his former athleticism, has labored to hit a paltry .234/.282./.314. Mondesi at least has contributed a smidgen of power, but his .217/.273/.370 is not going to cut it if the Braves want to win another division title. Fourth outfielder Ryan Langerhans has also provided some pop, but aside from a torrid stretch aided by a two-homer day at Coors Field, has been unimpressive in his rookie season with an OPS of .675. And it’s not like Jordan and Mondesi are contributing much defensively or on the basepaths, were both are just shells of their former selves. When will the Braves realize that Andruw Jones and two humanoid mammals in uniform does not an outfield make?

This travesty would be embarrassing if it wasn’t for the presence of several viable in-house solutions. But the Braves’ refusal to let younger, better players get the chance to contribute is downright flabbergasting. In AAA Richmond, uber-prospect Andy Marte is hitting a solid .288/.388/.497. Marte is just starting to get hot these past few weeks, and already looks to have solved his strike-zone issues, drawing 25 walks against 30 strikeouts in 153 at-bats—a rare improvement for a player so young. The guy has blasted his way through every level of the minors against older competition and, if there is any justice in this world, should be in at Atlanta uniform no later than July. Yet the Braves' stubborn management refuses to move Marte from third-base, where he remains stuck in the depth-chart behind Chipper Jones, who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Schuerholz has repeatedly said that things will work out in their due order, as if some stroke of providence will convince Jones to return to the outfield or turn Marte into a shortstop. It ain’t going to happen, and every day Marte plays the infield instead of learning a new position in one of the outfield corners is time lost on his inevitable surge to the majors. Even Jeff Francoeur, who should be starting in right field on opening day 2006 and for years to come, is hitting a respectable .285/.326/.492 for a 21-year-old in AA.

If Schuerholz wants to protect Francoeur, which is understandable, and Marte, which is inexplicable (he doesn’t really have anything left to learn in the minors), then there are several other viable options. Bill McCarthy is a non-prospect at 25, but he’s hit wherever he’s played and owns a respectable .301/.365/.473 at Richmond, which easily projects as superior to the paltry bat-work of Mondesi and Jordan. But the most obvious immediate solution would be Kelly Johnson, a late-developer who at 23 still has some upside and is hitting a .299/.429/.558 (an OPS which would currently place him fifth among MLB outfielders). I’m not saying that Johnson is the second-coming of Bobby Abreu, but David Dellucci with more speed seems a fair comparison. What is this guy still doing still languishing in AAA? The tyranny of veteran sinecures in Atlanta must end—cut the dead-weight and free the Richmond three!