Mar 7, 2016; Dunedin, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (80) prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Last night we all enjoyed the triumphant arrival of Prospect #1 to Atlanta. With that in the rear-view mirror, let’s take a more rationale view.
I don’t look at the glass half full or the glass half empty, I tend to stare at the glass…usually filled with ice and vodka mostly but still the glass is the point.
The glass here is the call up of touted Atlanta Braves #1 prospect Dansby Swanson (Lieutenant Dan to some) to the big leagues. As written here by Fred Owens here and Alan Carpenter here.
Is it too early for me to call foul?
I am explicitly opposed to the call up of Dansby Swanson for a few reasons.
In the Carpenter piece, David O’Brien quoted Hart as stating that Swanson was “not quite ready”. Another writer here at Tomahawk Take, Dan Horton has even brought into the conversation that it helps to solidify the roster and it is great experience for the guy.
Yeah, I smell something and there’s a bull in the room.
I have been harping in a Facebook group that I am a member of (plug) that we should have been giving all up our kids for OTJT (on the job training) since APRIL. I am all for the efforts of throwing my child in the 5 ft section of the pool to make him learn how to swim. #ToughLove My issue isn’t what we did, my issue it the timing of it and the political posturing around it.
Let’s look at the positives first.
He is now the youngest Brave on the roster. He has plenty of room to grow into the shoes of the new Organizational Savior. He has enough people around him who have worn those shoes to tutor and mentor him along the way. Also, playing behind him is an All-Star left fielder in Matt Kemp, who is here to bring respectability and power protection for Freddie Freeman and to Kemp’s left is quite possibly one of the best center fielders in baseball in Ender Inciarte. Kemp is 31 and under contract until 2019 and Inciarte is 25 and under contract until 2020; add to that everyday Freddie at 1B, who will be a Brave for life, and he has some stability present.
But this guy plays shortstop. His focus isn’t behind him, his focus is in his lateral movements, those partners in those positions and what is in front of him.
We have no clue who will be at 3B, 2B, Catcher or where the roulette wheel will stop for who is on the mound. We have thrown our best prospect into a mix of a befuddled circus and musical chairs.
Adonis Garcia is not the answer at third. I say he is an actor playing DH playing third. He’s allergic to the baseball. When the glove gets close to the ball, they have violent exchanges.
Between Jace Peterson, Chase d’Arnaud and Gordon Beckham it’s a flip of the coin to determine “who’s on 2nd?”. How can he create rhythm and learn their timing when it’s just as random as blindly pulling a Skittle from the bag?
Father time has finally found out where A.J. Pierzynski lives and has come to collect on all of these years of playing past his prime. Then we have Anthony Recker, who’s a AAAA player and Tyler Flowers who really should be playing everyday… which makes for an even more hilarious scenario; Who is catching the ball?
Next: There's more to this rant
But wait, it gets better.
This club has NO CLUE what can be expected when anyone other than Julio Teheran mounts the pitching rubber every five days. And these are the guys who will expect to be out there a minimum of 5 innings. After that we have somewhat of an anchored bullpen but even that is soon to change once Father time searches AJ’s phone and realized he knows where Jim Johnson has been hiding.
How is that stability?
How is that giving a kid a chance to grow with all of the shuffling, mixes and matches and rotating doors?
Mar 7, 2016; Dunedin, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (80) prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
How is that allowing him to mature … IN AUGUST with 6 weeks to go and extended rosters looming?
How is that the proper installation of a philosophy when we are getting a new manager soon?
How is this the best practice to get to know his teammates when not only are they going to change but so will his surroundings when we move into Suntrust Park?
This move isn’t and wasn’t any of that nor were we trying to fix anything. We are crossing our fingers that the face of the franchise will be mature enough to handle all of the above and fight through it. This move, as stated by fellow author and veteran of the dark side Chris Jervis, was simply a Public Relations (PR) move.
Every single reason the front office has stated why he is being called up ‘NOW’ could have also been applied in May or June but it didn’t happen then. If the guy isn’t ready, as Hart stated, then why is he here? I know why… because we suck.
The brass may not say it, but let’s be unbiased and be real. We suck bad. Not as bad as some of the other clubs as an organization but record wise, we are the WORST team in the league. So what do we do to try and sell tickets? We have Disco Demolition night at the ballpark. We invent a pizza and burger mashup, give it a catchy name and then sell it to the masses.
We have created and turned something that should be sacred and honorable into a marketing gimmick to try and sell tickets for this year and hopefully give the people a sneak peak of things to come next year.
I don’t like PR stunts. They are disingenuous and dirty (I need to go bathe just thinking about this) and a discredit to the Braves organization.
As a fan, I am ecstatic that I get to see Dansby in action on Thursday (hopefully) when I go and get my Andruw Jones “The Catch” Bobble head (tickets were purchased in April lol). I wish the guy all the success in the world and hopes his career here in Atlanta is long and fruitful but from an everyday fan perspective; don’t fart in my face and tell it is a windy outside.
This wasn’t about opportunities, or chances or even OTJT, THIS was a PR stunt … like this.
The Andruw Jones Bobblehead can swim, it can stick to walls AND it can teach you how to read. It can do ANYTHING!https://t.co/t1A5705WPF — Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 8, 2016
