August 19, 2025 • 37 mins
Scott Coleman and Shawn Coleman recap a wild Braves victory over the White Sox on Tuesday night that featured it all, including late-game heroics from Drake Baldwin and the full Michael Harris II experience. They also break down the recent addition of Jake Fraley, an injury update for Austin Riley, and more.
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Speaker 1 (00:22):
Welcome one and all to the Hammer Territory Podcast. My
name is Sean Coleman. Hope for wherever you are and wherever
you are listening, you are having a great start to
your week. The Coleman and Coleman Law Firm here with
you again to talk about a great victory for the
Braves that come from behind. Eleven to ten victory. I
don't know if this takes away from the eleven to
(00:45):
ten loss against Arizona earlier in the year that many
considered to be one of the worst losses out there. Yes,
I'm gonna go ahead and get that out of the way.
But the point is we won a baseball game in
exciting fashion. Scott Coleman, good to be with you as always, Scott.
I know the season in terms of expectations is basically over,
but when the offense is going, things are more fun
(01:07):
and right now without expectations, games like this are fun
and it's good to recap the after multiple months of misery.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, that was a really fun game tonight, Sean, and
I mean behind the curtain, you and I were a
couple of seconds away from hitting play or I guess
hitting record on this podcast episode when they were down
ten to four and it was gonna be well. That
was fun while it lasted. Braves just got blown out
back to back nights by the White Sox, who are
very bad. But that was legitimately fun and sure, at
(01:39):
the end of the day, the Braves are still well
below five hundred. In a different universe, the Braves would
be in the playoff chase and this would be a big,
big step forward. But at the end of the day,
watching the Braves come back, score a bunch of runs,
which has been a theme lately, and win games no
matter what the situation is is always a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Absolutely, we want to give the White Sox a bit
of credit. You know, they have been a tough opponent
for the Braves over the past couple of years, and
this White Sox team over this stretch in the second
half of the season. We talked about the Braves offense
taking off a bit. This White Sox team has been
no slouch. They've been a very good offensive team in
the second half of the season. But again, yes, these
are teams that the Braves should beat. But let's get
(02:22):
to the reason why the Braves were able to get
this victory, and it was big contributions from the one
and only Drake Baldwin. Here. In recent days, Scott, we've
seen the Rookie of the Year race, which many of
us considered to be the biggest storyline for the Braves
remaining this year, we've seen the fact that that has
become much tighter. Isaac Collins of the Milwaukee Brewers having
(02:44):
an outstanding season contributing to the great run that they've
been on. Drake Baldwin has not played as much, fell
off a little bit production wise, But tonight should remind
folks that if you just simply play Drake Baldwin, he
likely will let things take care of themselves. Big moments,
multiple big moments. Tonight delivered in each of them. That's
(03:04):
the thing that stands out about Drake Baldwin. The bigger
the moment, the bigger he comes through when it comes
to his production.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, Baldwin, I mean, he's just such an impressive hitter.
And you know, this has been a rare situation in
the last at least couple of games where Baldwin has
not been very good, at least by his very lofty standards.
But you would never know, and I think that is
a sign of a really special baseball player, especially one
as young and early in his career as Baldwin is is.
(03:32):
You would never know. He could be oh for his
last twenty or he could be twenty for his last twenty.
And it feels like Baldwin has the same approach up there,
always puts together a good at bat and had the
big swing tonight after. I mean, all right, Sean, we
have to talk about the bunt with the bases loaded
from Michael Harris. I I was in disbelief. The cameras
(03:55):
panned to Brian Snicker in the bullpen. There's no way
the dugout called for a bunt there if folks may
be missed it, or just to reset the stage. Braves
are down by one run, bases loaded, no one out,
the White Sox pitcher cannot throw a strike, and Michael
Harris goes up there and lays down a bunt. I
(04:17):
was in shock. It was probably the most mind numbing
thing I have seen since Eli White decided to you
turn on the bases a couple of months ago. Thank
goodness that Baldwin came up two hitters later and had
to go ahead hit, because I mean, I was in shock, Sean,
I didn't know what to say. It was. I don't
know what Mike was thinking there.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yeah, I need for it to be understood. You know
one thing that we talk about, Scott, over the past
twelve to eighteen months, when it comes to this organization,
there have been more times than we're comfortable with I
think when it comes to covering the team, where we've
been like this is a little bit less than common sense.
Where is the common sense here? I need for anybody
(05:00):
who is a part of the Braves organization to listen
to this. We have had our worst season expectation wides
in over three decades. The subject of bunting has been
a bigger, more talked about subject this year than it
has in over a decade. There's a correlation stop bunting
(05:21):
in big moments. Soapbox removed, Scott go ahead.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah, amen, I could not agree more. And it's funny that,
of course Michael Harris almost I mean, he has a
real claim at being the best hitter in baseball right now,
had another home run to den center field on a
ball that was off the plate tonight in the first inning.
He is so locked in why are you trying to
bunt there? But I guess, and also Michael Harris fashion
(05:47):
in the top of the ninth as the Braves have
just made a big comeback and had the lead, Harris
made a nice running catch in the gap to prevent
a double and then made like an Andrew Jones type
of play on a ball that was in front of
him for the third and final out in the ninth inning.
So overall, really good night for Michael Harris. But yeah,
I mean, I don't have the postgame on. I'm hoping
(06:10):
that somebody will ask Brian Snicker or maybe even Michael
Harris about the bunt. I'm guessing he probably just tried
to big brain it and thought maybe he could sneak
a bunt past the pitcher. It was a lefty, so
maybe that was part of it. But hey, at the
end of the day, the Braves won. It's not the
end of the world that Harris bunted there and then
Ozuna popped out and fell territory and it was like,
(06:30):
all right, here we go. They're gonna blow this, even
in a season where this game does not mean a
whole lot. But yeah, just no bunting. Ever, maybe not ever,
but I think the four hosts on this podcast would agree.
It has to be very very specific situations where you
can bunt, and doing it with the bases loaded nobody
out in a one run baseball game is not the situation.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Absolutely, And besides that bunt, listen, we've talked about Michael
Harris episode in episode and it's been absolutely deserved with
how incredible he has been. Another home run tonight, And
I've mentioned this multiple times before, but I just want
to mention it again. I went back and double checked
my work when it came to Michael Harris because I
(07:16):
have mentioned we have seen Michael Harris this locked in
this time of year before. I went back and looked
his rookie season twenty twenty two. Between August first and
September fifteenth of that year, he had the second highest
f war of any outfielder not named Aaron Judge. Only
(07:36):
Aaron Judge over that six week span had a higher
f war than Michael Harris. So we've seen what Michael
Harris can do. Right now, He's not reminding people what
he's capable of. He's showing people that he's capable of
doing things not many others are capable of. That's how
locked in he is. So the big keeper Michael Harris
(07:56):
is figuring out how to expand this over a full season. Scott,
It's absolutely incredible. It is awesome to see him as
locked in as he is, and you have to hope
with the differences in the plate approach that he has,
that is what's going to help him sustain it.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
I think you have to just kind of cross your
fingers and hope that this is a sign of things
to come from Mike. We have seen him throughout his
career that when he is going, he is as good
as anybody on the baseball field that night. But we've
also seen really low lows. With the lowest of low's
coming in the first half of this season, just a
remarkable turnaround. We mentioned he had the homer tonight. He
(08:37):
is now currently the third highest WRC plus and OPS
of all major leaguers in the second half of the season.
He was dead last in OPS in the first half
of the year. And that's baseball for you, man. I mean,
it's a funny game. It's a brutally difficult game. But
because Harris has made some changes, he moved his hands
(08:58):
in the batter's box, it feels like it might be real.
You just have to hope that he's able to sustain
this and then of course go into twenty twenty six
and continue to be the player. He's not going to
be Barry Bonds for the rest of his career like
he has been for a month and a half, but
at least be more of the player that we have
come to enjoy so much and just appreciate, really his
five tools out in the field.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Absolutely, and let's expand this overall, because Baldwin had a
big game, Michael Harris had a big game, Jerkson Profar
had a big game, matt Olsen obviously has been matt
Olsen streaky at times, but overall won the best first
baseman in the game. Scott, what is the one thing
that all of those players have in common. They mainly hit.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Either they're all left handed or a switch hitter, but
all left handed for the most part.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Absolutely. So we are in a season that you can
consider to be a lost, disappointing failure of a season,
what have you. But I want to go back to
twelve months ago when we were Todd well, excuse me,
basically ten or nine months ago, when we were talking
about the fact that this offense with how they fell
off in twenty twenty four. They needed to get more
balanced because you had Ozuna, Riley and Acuna Junior, who
(10:13):
you could have made the case with Olsen were our
four best hitters. We were too right handed heavy. Well, now,
coming into the end of this year, just think about it, Olson, Olson, Profar,
as well as Baldwin and Harris. I'm not necessarily saying
what they're doing right now they're going to do over
a full year, but at the very least, that's a
very impressive quartet of left handed hitters. Next year, you're
(10:36):
still going to have a Coony and Riley if we
don't sign Ozuna, but all of a sudden, this offense
not only gets more balanced now we really do have
some depth from the left handed side, and that is
a characteristic that you see with some of the best
teams in baseball. That is one positive development that we're
really seeing at its peak right now for this team.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
And left handed hitters. Truest Park have such an advantage
because of how that ballpark plays, and it's why for
years on this podcast we have maybe not begged, but
begged the Braves to go out and add some more
left handed pop to this lineup because you can see
like Jerks and Profar in a short amount of time
seemingly sends a baseball to the chop house every couple nights.
(11:21):
And of those four players you mentioned, Profar's development might
be the biggest one. After another big night on Tuesday,
he is up to a one hundred and thirty five
WRC plus on the season and an eight thirty eight OPS.
You have to take that all day long and twice
again on Sundays, because that is really really good production
(11:44):
for a player that we had a lot of questions
about after the ped suspension.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
It's fair to keep things in context. Obviously. One of
the things is is that you know we're facing a
weaker part of the schedule. I know, again we're not
really playing to win right now, but I don't want
to take way from how awesome it is to see this.
We had been asking for this offense to be more consistent.
We had been asking for this offense to come together,
(12:10):
show power again, show the ability to hit with Progerson,
scoring position, show more balance. We're getting all of that.
That is a great development. If it continue through the
end of the season, that really will be a best
case scenario going into the offseason. But with all the positivity,
even with the wins losses, not counting all the positivity
on the field, there is still some noteworthy developments that
(12:33):
may not necessarily be that positive. With some noteworthy names.
Scott and I will discuss that in just a moment
after a word from our partners FTFAM.
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Speaker 1 (13:42):
Of course, Scott as the offense is performing at a
level that we have been hoping for that we have
not seen for quite a while. It's the pitching, unfortunately
now that kind of has taken a step back, but
that was expected with all the injuries that has happened
to the starting staff as well as you know, some
shuffle in the bullpen what have you. But one name
that you would not expect to be struggling at the
(14:04):
level that he is right now is Spencer Streyder like that,
that's just a simple straightforward observation. He's coming off. I
haven't looked at the numbers, but I would be willing
to bet it's the worst three start stretch of his career,
prone to Homer's the fastballs not performing nearly where it did.
You know in the past. The slider is struggling as well. Overall,
(14:25):
Spencer Strider right now is far from where he wants
to be that. I don't necessarily want to say is
a big development, but it just continues to be a
bigger storyline in a concerning fashion than we had hoped
it would be at this point of the season.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Yeah, I think it's fair to have some legitimate concerns
about Strider at this point. It is worth reminding people that, honestly,
this time a month ago, Strider was coming off a really,
really good stretch of pitching, and that gives me some hope.
Now we'll never know exactly what the t total causes here.
(15:01):
Streider talked after the blow up on Monday night with
the media and really just kind of made it sound
like some of the changes that he needs to make
are not necessarily ones that he's going to be able
to make in the middle of the season when he's
throwing every fifth day. So it seems like it's something
in the off season that Stryder's gonna have to address.
I do feel, and I'm curious to know how you feel, Sean.
(15:23):
I do feel like a normal off season, hopefully a
healthy off season, six more months away from the elbow surgery.
He can go through a throwing program, he can lift weights,
without any restrictions. I feel in my heart of hearts
that Strider is going to be okay with a normal
off season. But this last handful of starts has been
(15:44):
really rough to watch. The fastball is getting hit hard,
and the slider, which is such a devastating weapon, is
just not breaking and locating in the way that Strider
needs it to be in order to get hitters out
with any kind of consistency.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Absolutely, and the the good thing is is that the
velocity is starting to sustain. I believe that he had
his highest average fastball velocity from his fast start, so
that is a positive if he still can have above
average velocity. And the main thing that he really needs
to go into when it comes to the offseason is
placement of his pitches. I trust the mentality and the
(16:19):
competitive focus of Strider to figure things out. That's the
big thing that stands out to me. But of course,
as we start to see him struggle more and more,
the questions become bigger. When do you potentially look to
shut Spencer Strider down for the season. I don't think
we're to that point yet, but I do think that
we're getting close to a threshold that could indicate when
that might occur. Right now, Spencer Strider is at eighty
(16:42):
nine and two thirds inning Scott when Chris Sel comes back,
I think right now we're already in the midst of
having a six man rotation. That may not be correct
since we released the Colis Carrasco, but my point is
at least when Sel comes back, we'll have a six
man rotation. I think that gives Strider three more starts
at least going into September, he'll clear that one hundred
(17:03):
innings pitch threshold, and then I think that the question
will become legitimate. Is it time to potentially shut him
down and really have him focused. I don't think we're
anywhere close to that yet, Number one, because I don't
think Strider wants to do that. He wants to end
the season on a positive note. But that one hundred
any threshold, I think is something to watch. Plus it
gives him a bit of time to end the season
(17:25):
on a good note.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Yeah, I think for Strider, labor Day is probably the
date that circled on the calendar for let's evaluate and
see where we are at. And that's of course ten
days from now, two starts from now, and see, and
I do think there is probably something to be said
that just from a mental aspect, Strider wants to finish
strong and not have his final start of the season
(17:47):
be him just getting blown up by the Chicago White
Sox or another bad team. I think that's kind of
where we're at with Strider. I'm if like a ten
was I am like my hair's on fire and I'm
super pan and a one as I have no cares
or panic in the world. I'm at like a five
or six on Strider right now. He's too valuable to
(18:08):
this team to not be good moving forward, and the
Braves owe him a lot of money the next couple
of seasons. They frankly need Strata to be better and
hopefully be more like the guy he was from maybe
the middle of June to the middle of July, and
not the guy he's been over the last month from
maybe late July to late August.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Absolutely, you want the best out of Spencer Strider. He
wants the best. And again, if we're on that scale
that you're talking about, I'm at about a four because
I'm putting a lot of emphasis on Spencer Strider the person,
the mentality, the confidence, and the overall just the lack
of a better way of putting it. The intuness. As
shit Stedmans said in Rookie of the Year, the have
to Spencer Striders have to is off the charts. If
(18:51):
you don't know the scene I'm talking about, oh you
yourself to go watch it. But my point is is
that Spencer Strider, he's got all the intangibles that value
the value of the intangibles stands out more moments like this,
I think we're going to see Spencer Strider, maybe not
me the picture he once was, but be a highly
effective pitcher in whatever version of his stuff. He has
(19:11):
six to seven months from now when we're really ramping
up for the twenty twenty six seasons. Speaking of season
outlook for the remainder of this year for folks. Austin
Riley over the past couple of days has put in
more baseball workouts, he's ran, he's done some baseball activity,
and today it was reported that he felt discomfort once
again with his abdomen.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Scott.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
When it comes to that report, they're now going to
have him reevaluated by doctors on Wednesday. I don't necessarily
think a realistic chance of an outcome is for them
to come back and see, well, he's out for the
season tomorrow. But I do feel that it's very, very
likely that we're going to see his time away from
the field extended more than just a couple of days,
(19:56):
probably at least a few weeks, to where being out
for the rest of the season. It could be a possibility.
And at this point I'm fine with that, with how
last season ended, with how this season is ended Austin Riley.
I'm not saying he's injury prone. I just feel bad
with the fact you can't play baseball, but you want
him to be as healthy as possible going into next year.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Yeah, it's getting mildly concerning with Riley because now it's
the same injury that has kept popping up. Yeah, and
I know they've said it's a lower abdominant abdominal issue.
I don't know if specifically we know exactly what's wrong
in there, but I think we have to kind of
hold our breath just a little bit that we don't
(20:36):
get really bad news on Riley with like, if a
surgery was needed, that would obviously be terrible news, and
I don't think we're going to be at that point,
he was able to run and do some workouts before,
so it's not like there's something horribly wrong in there.
But the fact this is a nagging injury that keeps
popping up, presumably soft tissue of some kind, makes me
(20:57):
a little nervous and you want to make sure you
don't do anything, especially with the situation being what it
is for the Braves in twenty five. Don't be dumb.
Give the guy some rest and if that means he
doesn't play again this season, then so be it.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Absolutely Again, when it comes to the most noteworthy names, Strider, Sell, Schwellenbach, Acunya,
Riley the big key right now for all those guys,
just have them as healthy as possible going into the
off season to where health is not a concern, focusing
on getting back to their normal level production is the
(21:29):
pure focus, and that's going to set us up best
for the twenty twenty six and beyond. But while not
seeing Riley for the rest of the year would be
a bit of a disappointment, it also could bring up
some opportunity, not only for Nacho Alvarez but others as well.
A bit of talk plus a move by the Braves
today a bit of talk on how the depth of
(21:50):
the position players is shaping up for twenty twenty six
and possibly beyond. In just a moment after another word
from our partners f defense.
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Speaker 1 (22:57):
L So with the sick time, this year. You know,
we talk about Austin Riley potentially being out for an
extended period, maybe for the rest of the year. You
have to wonder at some point made the Braves you know,
shut down Akoonya. Maybe as we get into September, what
have you. There's going to be opportunity for depth options
(23:17):
on this Braves team. And for the second time this year,
the Braves added to their depth from the Cincinnati Reds
by getting left handed hitting outfielder Jake Fraley Scott. I
think that this is a very intriguing move, a bit
more of a eyebrow raising move for what he could
be beyond this year than previous editions they've done. I
think it was a very astute move by the Braves
(23:38):
to bring Frehley into the equation.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Yeah, so, I mean, Jake Frayley is a real major
leaguer and he's been around for a while. He has
solid career numbers. Now, I mean, he was available and
he was DFAD for a reason here, so we should
at least say that. But Freiley, you mentioned he's a
left handed hitting outfielder. For his career, Frayley has a
one to twelve WRC plus against right handed pitching, which
(24:04):
is interesting. He quite literally cannot hit left handed pitching,
so to me, he is very much a fourth or
fifth outfielder. He could be a pinch hitting option off
the bench. And as you said, if the Braves do
God forbid, lose one of their outfielders injury in these
final six weeks, or if they want to just shut
down the jets on Akunya for a little while before
the season ends, you're going to need another outfielder. And
(24:27):
Frayley's a real guy. And not only that, but Frayley
is technically under team control for twenty twenty six. If
the Braves so choose, Frayley would be in his final
year of arbitration. He made three point twenty five million
dollars this year, so he'll probably make about four million bucks.
If the Braves opt to bring Freiley back, I'm guessing
(24:48):
the next six weeks are going to be kind of
an open tryout. I could maybe be talked into it
if he performs well and if they feel like they're
going to have a real role for him as a
lefty specialist in some kind of role. But for million
dollars is also not nothing, So if the guy just
doesn't show you a whole lot. It would not be
a big surprise if they decided to non tender him
in a couple of months.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
But I do want to put the emphasis on Frailey,
you know, being in the equation because it makes sense
why the Braves put an emphasis. And let's also not
you know, bad deny to the fact that the fact
that they've struggled so much this year put them down
the bar put them high on the list to be
one of the first in line to get Frayley. The
reason why it's intriguing for next year is because the
(25:30):
fact that he's done pretty decent against right handed pitching.
And when you look at profar, you look at Michael Harris,
who in twenty three and twenty four he averaged one
hundred and twenty five games a season. This year looks
like he's going to play the full season, So hats
off to him. And of course, a Kunya, you know,
the injury risk with him is a bit higher than
you know you may be comfortable with. The Braves need
that depth that they can trust against right handed pitching
(25:51):
that also can handle each outfit position pretty well. He's
better in the corners than center but that's the reason
why it's intriguing, because if the Braves were to see
any of their starting outfielders next year potentially miss time.
You've got someone who's not to the level of these guys,
but at least can be passable as a regular for
a short period of time. That is definitely encouraging compared
(26:13):
to the options that the Braves have had in recent
years from the way of hand in side of the plate.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Yeah, I mean, it's both sad and also just kind
of a fact of life that the last few years
the Braves have found themselves in real need of outfielders.
And sure, you can't always predict who's going to get
hurt and who's going to be healthy, but you need
depth and that's probably one of the just recurring themes
of these past couple of seasons where the Braves have
(26:38):
dealt with injury after injury. You have to have depth,
and ideally you're not calling on a player who just
has no business being out there again freely. He's not
a star. He is very much a certain kind of
player at this point in his career, a left handed
outfielder who can play a little bit of defense, he
can run the bases a little bit, and he can
(26:58):
hit right handed pitching pretty well, and that's not a
small thing. And those are skills that are all in demand,
especially for a team that could use a little bit
more off their bench.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Absolutely, And the one difference between Frayley's upside and others
that we've seen. You know, I know that Mierfield as
well as Loriano, they did well last year, but they
were from the right handed side of the plate. It's
the potential against right handed pitching if an injury were
occurred to one of our regulars for a short period
of time. Frayley's upside in that situation is what makes
him so intriguing. But Frailey to the side, you know,
(27:30):
he may get an extended look at some point over
the rest of the season. A couple of other names,
Nacho Alvarez, Scott. He's starting to show a bit of life.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Now.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
I've not had the highest opinion of Nacho Alvarez when
it comes to being, you know, his major league potential.
I just don't see a lot of offensive potential enough
for him to be a reliable regular, especially for a
team that's trying to win. But he's starting to show
some life he's starting to put together more active at bats,
more productive at bats, And I will give him credit,
(27:59):
he is a reliable fielder when he's in front of
the ball. Now, I think that's much easier at third
or second than it is short. But my point is
him convincing me he could be a notable bench piece
for a team that's trying to win. My opinion of
him being that has certainly gone up over the past
couple of weeks to his credit, and we're going to
get an extended look at that if Austin Riley is
(28:22):
out for an extended period of time to end this season.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Yeah, this is very much an open tryout, open audition
for Nacho. And you know, unfortunately for him the past
really two seasons, injuries have hadn't kind of kept him
off the field more than I think Nacho would like,
but he is. He is showing some signs of improvement,
putting together better at bats, driving the ball a little bit.
And you know, if you asked me what is Nacho
(28:48):
Alvarez going to be in three years, I think he's
good enough to be a utility player. I don't think
he's ever going to be good enough to get regular
at bats. He's still young enough, so he could improve,
But I think there's just some limitations that Nacho has.
Unless he suddenly just develops a little more bat speed
or adjusts his approach at the plate where he drives
the baseball better. I just don't ever think he's gonna
(29:10):
hit enough to be a full on regular. But there
is value in a cheap, versatile player who can cover
the infield. Maybe they start having Nacho play a little
left field or right field in the spring, get him
out there in an emergency situation. There's value in players
with that kind of a skill set.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Absolutely. Speaking of those expanded skill sets, Eli White is
another very intriguing name. I think he's someone that overall
has done more than you may have predicted he you
would expect from him. This year, I think his number
has been called on a bit more than many had
hoped it would be. But he's held his own. He's
had his offensive struggles, but you see what he could
(29:49):
do with the base pass, you see what he could
do in the field. We did get to see a
little bit of versatility in spring training. I think he's
someone that clearly has carved a path for himself to
be a part of the twenty sixteen as a bench piece,
and if you could tap into that versatility with him
playing some multiple positions for the rest of this year,
that can only add to his value. I've been overall
(30:10):
pleased with Eli White. Again, just making sure you don't
get too extended when it comes to his playing time.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
I think Eli White very much has a set role
and he can fly on the basis you need a
speedsterir like that, especially when you have a couple of
really slow runners as the Braves have with Ozuna and
Olsen and Profar and the catchers. This is not a
super fast lineup. So Eli White has some real assets
(30:38):
with his speed, and he's shown a good amount this
year that he can run into a ball and hit
it over the fence, or put a ball in play
and use his speed to steal a single out of it.
So yeah, I like Eli White. He's better than I
thought he was going to be. I think you're absolutely right.
You don't want to really be in a situation where
you are relying on Eli White on a daily basis
(30:58):
or even a semi daily basis, But he has real
value on this team, and teams can use in Eli White.
They can use a Nacho Alvarez, they can use it
Jake Freeley. We'll of course have to see if they
have roster spots in twenty twenty six, but for now,
I think all three of those guys are probably going
to see a decent amount of playing time down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
So then the most intriguing question when it comes to
these depth options, as you're potentially filling out a bench
for a winner or what you hope is a winner
in twenty twenty six is Nick Allen?
Speaker 5 (31:28):
Now?
Speaker 1 (31:28):
I want to make it clear Nick Allen, in terms
of when he was acquired and the expectations for him
when he was acquired, he has been a clear win
this year. He's one of the top two shortstops right
now with Mason Win of the Saint Louis Cardinals in
consideration for a Gold Glove honor. I hope he wins it.
He deserves it, that's how good of a defensive player
(31:49):
he is. I also think that he has value to
a winner as a late eating substitute at a very
important position when it comes to his defensive value. But
he absolutely cannot be your starting shortstop going into twenty
twenty six. He just can't. That's nothing against Nick Allen.
It's just a simple fact. This team needs a six
(32:12):
fifty to seven hundred producing ops wise shortstop to be
able to get leads earlier in games, and then Allen
can come in later. But as we start naming off
these other depth options, Scott, is there going to be
room for Nick Allen? I think there potentially can be.
But my point is is that I feel that there's
value in Nick Allen, but that value starts to go
(32:35):
down a bit as we name these other names with
a bit more upside. And also when you mentioned the
fact you just can't go into twenty twenty six with
him as your starting shortstop.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
I could not agree more. I mean this, I tweeted
it actually on Tuesday night. Love Nick Allen for the glove,
but you can't run it back with it. He has
a five forty nine ops this season. That's unpre eeuably bad.
He should win a gold Glove. We'll see gold gloves
are often popularity contests. We will see how that goes.
(33:06):
But he is a fantastic defender. But you have to
have more than just a glove at shortstop, especially for
the Braves. With the other concerns this lineup has right now.
I absolutely think that Nick Allen will be on this
team in twenty six as the defensive whiz on the infield.
He can also run, so that's not a small thing.
He could be a speedster as well. Maybe someone like
(33:29):
Eli White gets squeezed off because you feel like, while
Nick Allen is not as fast as Eli White, he
can at least be a much better base running option
late and then you can sub him in at shortstop
or second base or wherever you want to put him.
But yeah, I mean, I think one of my bold
predictions this year was that Orlando Arcia was going to
lose his job to Nick Allen. I didn't necessarily think
(33:51):
it was gonna happen two weeks into the year, which
is when that transition basically happened. But I just I
don't see a world where you can go into twenty
twenty six without some kind of improvement at shortstop.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
And many may think, Okay, why are we talking about
what the bench may look like in twenty twenty six. Well,
it's important because that puts more emphasis on the guys
that are going to get the majority of the playing
time for the rest of twenty twenty five, and especially
when you go into twenty twenty six coming off two
straight years with so many potential injuries this year included,
and you're probably going to have a roster to open
(34:25):
up if, for instance, Ozuona is not back trades were
to happen, what have you. So it's making value out
of the guys who are going to get the bulk
of playing time for the reigning of this year, for
the remainder of this year, not only Michael Harris, Profar
and others improving their stock when they're going to be
required pieces for US winning in twenty twenty six, but
that depth, adding more depth to that if we do occur,
(34:48):
if injuries do occur, that's going to be a really
big part to watch as well for the rest of
this year. Hopefully all the guys we name can have
successful ends to the season. Scott, anything else from you
as we wrap up this edition of the ham Our
Territory Podcast.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Not much for me, Sean. I mean, a fun game tonight.
It looked like the Braves were gonna get blown out
for the second night in a row to the White Sox,
and it was like, dear Lord, of course they're getting
blown out again by the White Sox after a really
good week last year in New York and then the
sweep in Cleveland. So nice to win one. It was
a fun game tonight, we'll see It is Hurston Waldrop
Day on Wednesday, which is exciting, probably the best day
(35:24):
of the week right now in terms of Braves pitching.
So I think a lot of folks are tuning in
to see what Waldrop can do, and I think I
can tease that I believe we're going to have another
show breaking down that start from Waldrop on Wednesday night.
So as always, thank you to everybody for tuning in,
and if you are a new listener, please hit that
subscribe button. We'll have shows throughout the rest of the
regular season, and then we do not take a break.
(35:46):
We keep rolling all off season long. YEP.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Steven Tolbert and Scott Covid will be with you tomorrow night,
and then me and Stephen will be back on Thursday
night breaking down all the action for the Braves. And
of course you can find all the great content from
Scott Scott fifty five on Twitter slash x. My name
is Sean Comnette stats SAC on Twitter slash X. You
can find Hammer Territory across all forms of social media,
(36:09):
part of the Foul Territory family of podcasts. Whoop, look
at that? Look at that? Just perfect setting right there.
Of course, cannot thank you enough. Make sure you listen
to it wherever you find your podcast. That's where we'll
be for free nearly every day on YouTube as well,
again under the Foul Territory family of podcasts. Listen these wins.
(36:31):
I know that many feel that they don't mean much,
and that is accurate. But again, at least for this year,
when you're seeing the contributions we're getting from players who
are going to matter plenty when we want to win
to get in twenty twenty six, you want them to
be rewarded with wins. It's good to see it. Plus
Baldwin making some more headway on that Reokie of the
Year March. Until next time, go bravez. We'll talk to
(36:53):
you again soon. Here of a Hammer Territory podcast.
Speaker 5 (37:03):
Let them let the gas, to let them let
Speaker 2 (37:18):
The copy
Welcome one and all to the Hammer Territory Podcast. My
name is Sean Coleman. Hope for wherever you are and wherever
you are listening, you are having a great start to
your week. The Coleman and Coleman Law Firm here with
you again to talk about a great victory for the
Braves that come from behind. Eleven to ten victory. I
don't know if this takes away from the eleven to
(00:45):
ten loss against Arizona earlier in the year that many
considered to be one of the worst losses out there. Yes,
I'm gonna go ahead and get that out of the way.
But the point is we won a baseball game in
exciting fashion. Scott Coleman, good to be with you as always, Scott.
I know the season in terms of expectations is basically over,
but when the offense is going, things are more fun
(01:07):
and right now without expectations, games like this are fun
and it's good to recap the after multiple months of misery.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, that was a really fun game tonight, Sean, and
I mean behind the curtain, you and I were a
couple of seconds away from hitting play or I guess
hitting record on this podcast episode when they were down
ten to four and it was gonna be well. That
was fun while it lasted. Braves just got blown out
back to back nights by the White Sox, who are
very bad. But that was legitimately fun and sure, at
(01:39):
the end of the day, the Braves are still well
below five hundred. In a different universe, the Braves would
be in the playoff chase and this would be a big,
big step forward. But at the end of the day,
watching the Braves come back, score a bunch of runs,
which has been a theme lately, and win games no
matter what the situation is is always a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Absolutely, we want to give the White Sox a bit
of credit. You know, they have been a tough opponent
for the Braves over the past couple of years, and
this White Sox team over this stretch in the second
half of the season. We talked about the Braves offense
taking off a bit. This White Sox team has been
no slouch. They've been a very good offensive team in
the second half of the season. But again, yes, these
are teams that the Braves should beat. But let's get
(02:22):
to the reason why the Braves were able to get
this victory, and it was big contributions from the one
and only Drake Baldwin. Here. In recent days, Scott, we've
seen the Rookie of the Year race, which many of
us considered to be the biggest storyline for the Braves
remaining this year, we've seen the fact that that has
become much tighter. Isaac Collins of the Milwaukee Brewers having
(02:44):
an outstanding season contributing to the great run that they've
been on. Drake Baldwin has not played as much, fell
off a little bit production wise, But tonight should remind
folks that if you just simply play Drake Baldwin, he
likely will let things take care of themselves. Big moments,
multiple big moments. Tonight delivered in each of them. That's
(03:04):
the thing that stands out about Drake Baldwin. The bigger
the moment, the bigger he comes through when it comes
to his production.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, Baldwin, I mean, he's just such an impressive hitter.
And you know, this has been a rare situation in
the last at least couple of games where Baldwin has
not been very good, at least by his very lofty standards.
But you would never know, and I think that is
a sign of a really special baseball player, especially one
as young and early in his career as Baldwin is is.
(03:32):
You would never know. He could be oh for his
last twenty or he could be twenty for his last twenty.
And it feels like Baldwin has the same approach up there,
always puts together a good at bat and had the
big swing tonight after. I mean, all right, Sean, we
have to talk about the bunt with the bases loaded
from Michael Harris. I I was in disbelief. The cameras
(03:55):
panned to Brian Snicker in the bullpen. There's no way
the dugout called for a bunt there if folks may
be missed it, or just to reset the stage. Braves
are down by one run, bases loaded, no one out,
the White Sox pitcher cannot throw a strike, and Michael
Harris goes up there and lays down a bunt. I
(04:17):
was in shock. It was probably the most mind numbing
thing I have seen since Eli White decided to you
turn on the bases a couple of months ago. Thank
goodness that Baldwin came up two hitters later and had
to go ahead hit, because I mean, I was in shock, Sean,
I didn't know what to say. It was. I don't
know what Mike was thinking there.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yeah, I need for it to be understood. You know
one thing that we talk about, Scott, over the past
twelve to eighteen months, when it comes to this organization,
there have been more times than we're comfortable with I
think when it comes to covering the team, where we've
been like this is a little bit less than common sense.
Where is the common sense here? I need for anybody
(05:00):
who is a part of the Braves organization to listen
to this. We have had our worst season expectation wides
in over three decades. The subject of bunting has been
a bigger, more talked about subject this year than it
has in over a decade. There's a correlation stop bunting
(05:21):
in big moments. Soapbox removed, Scott go ahead.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah, amen, I could not agree more. And it's funny that,
of course Michael Harris almost I mean, he has a
real claim at being the best hitter in baseball right now,
had another home run to den center field on a
ball that was off the plate tonight in the first inning.
He is so locked in why are you trying to
bunt there? But I guess, and also Michael Harris fashion
(05:47):
in the top of the ninth as the Braves have
just made a big comeback and had the lead, Harris
made a nice running catch in the gap to prevent
a double and then made like an Andrew Jones type
of play on a ball that was in front of
him for the third and final out in the ninth inning.
So overall, really good night for Michael Harris. But yeah,
I mean, I don't have the postgame on. I'm hoping
(06:10):
that somebody will ask Brian Snicker or maybe even Michael
Harris about the bunt. I'm guessing he probably just tried
to big brain it and thought maybe he could sneak
a bunt past the pitcher. It was a lefty, so
maybe that was part of it. But hey, at the
end of the day, the Braves won. It's not the
end of the world that Harris bunted there and then
Ozuna popped out and fell territory and it was like,
(06:30):
all right, here we go. They're gonna blow this, even
in a season where this game does not mean a
whole lot. But yeah, just no bunting. Ever, maybe not ever,
but I think the four hosts on this podcast would agree.
It has to be very very specific situations where you
can bunt, and doing it with the bases loaded nobody
out in a one run baseball game is not the situation.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Absolutely, And besides that bunt, listen, we've talked about Michael
Harris episode in episode and it's been absolutely deserved with
how incredible he has been. Another home run tonight, And
I've mentioned this multiple times before, but I just want
to mention it again. I went back and double checked
my work when it came to Michael Harris because I
(07:16):
have mentioned we have seen Michael Harris this locked in
this time of year before. I went back and looked
his rookie season twenty twenty two. Between August first and
September fifteenth of that year, he had the second highest
f war of any outfielder not named Aaron Judge. Only
(07:36):
Aaron Judge over that six week span had a higher
f war than Michael Harris. So we've seen what Michael
Harris can do. Right now, He's not reminding people what
he's capable of. He's showing people that he's capable of
doing things not many others are capable of. That's how
locked in he is. So the big keeper Michael Harris
(07:56):
is figuring out how to expand this over a full season. Scott,
It's absolutely incredible. It is awesome to see him as
locked in as he is, and you have to hope
with the differences in the plate approach that he has,
that is what's going to help him sustain it.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
I think you have to just kind of cross your
fingers and hope that this is a sign of things
to come from Mike. We have seen him throughout his
career that when he is going, he is as good
as anybody on the baseball field that night. But we've
also seen really low lows. With the lowest of low's
coming in the first half of this season, just a
remarkable turnaround. We mentioned he had the homer tonight. He
(08:37):
is now currently the third highest WRC plus and OPS
of all major leaguers in the second half of the season.
He was dead last in OPS in the first half
of the year. And that's baseball for you, man. I mean,
it's a funny game. It's a brutally difficult game. But
because Harris has made some changes, he moved his hands
(08:58):
in the batter's box, it feels like it might be real.
You just have to hope that he's able to sustain
this and then of course go into twenty twenty six
and continue to be the player. He's not going to
be Barry Bonds for the rest of his career like
he has been for a month and a half, but
at least be more of the player that we have
come to enjoy so much and just appreciate, really his
five tools out in the field.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Absolutely, and let's expand this overall, because Baldwin had a
big game, Michael Harris had a big game, Jerkson Profar
had a big game, matt Olsen obviously has been matt
Olsen streaky at times, but overall won the best first
baseman in the game. Scott, what is the one thing
that all of those players have in common. They mainly hit.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Either they're all left handed or a switch hitter, but
all left handed for the most part.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Absolutely. So we are in a season that you can
consider to be a lost, disappointing failure of a season,
what have you. But I want to go back to
twelve months ago when we were Todd well, excuse me,
basically ten or nine months ago, when we were talking
about the fact that this offense with how they fell
off in twenty twenty four. They needed to get more
balanced because you had Ozuna, Riley and Acuna Junior, who
(10:13):
you could have made the case with Olsen were our
four best hitters. We were too right handed heavy. Well, now,
coming into the end of this year, just think about it, Olson, Olson, Profar,
as well as Baldwin and Harris. I'm not necessarily saying
what they're doing right now they're going to do over
a full year, but at the very least, that's a
very impressive quartet of left handed hitters. Next year, you're
(10:36):
still going to have a Coony and Riley if we
don't sign Ozuna, but all of a sudden, this offense
not only gets more balanced now we really do have
some depth from the left handed side, and that is
a characteristic that you see with some of the best
teams in baseball. That is one positive development that we're
really seeing at its peak right now for this team.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
And left handed hitters. Truest Park have such an advantage
because of how that ballpark plays, and it's why for
years on this podcast we have maybe not begged, but
begged the Braves to go out and add some more
left handed pop to this lineup because you can see
like Jerks and Profar in a short amount of time
seemingly sends a baseball to the chop house every couple nights.
(11:21):
And of those four players you mentioned, Profar's development might
be the biggest one. After another big night on Tuesday,
he is up to a one hundred and thirty five
WRC plus on the season and an eight thirty eight OPS.
You have to take that all day long and twice
again on Sundays, because that is really really good production
(11:44):
for a player that we had a lot of questions
about after the ped suspension.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
It's fair to keep things in context. Obviously. One of
the things is is that you know we're facing a
weaker part of the schedule. I know, again we're not
really playing to win right now, but I don't want
to take way from how awesome it is to see this.
We had been asking for this offense to be more consistent.
We had been asking for this offense to come together,
(12:10):
show power again, show the ability to hit with Progerson,
scoring position, show more balance. We're getting all of that.
That is a great development. If it continue through the
end of the season, that really will be a best
case scenario going into the offseason. But with all the positivity,
even with the wins losses, not counting all the positivity
on the field, there is still some noteworthy developments that
(12:33):
may not necessarily be that positive. With some noteworthy names.
Scott and I will discuss that in just a moment
after a word from our partners FTFAM.
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Speaker 1 (13:42):
Of course, Scott as the offense is performing at a
level that we have been hoping for that we have
not seen for quite a while. It's the pitching, unfortunately
now that kind of has taken a step back, but
that was expected with all the injuries that has happened
to the starting staff as well as you know, some
shuffle in the bullpen what have you. But one name
that you would not expect to be struggling at the
(14:04):
level that he is right now is Spencer Streyder like that,
that's just a simple straightforward observation. He's coming off. I
haven't looked at the numbers, but I would be willing
to bet it's the worst three start stretch of his career,
prone to Homer's the fastballs not performing nearly where it did.
You know in the past. The slider is struggling as well. Overall,
(14:25):
Spencer Strider right now is far from where he wants
to be that. I don't necessarily want to say is
a big development, but it just continues to be a
bigger storyline in a concerning fashion than we had hoped
it would be at this point of the season.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Yeah, I think it's fair to have some legitimate concerns
about Strider at this point. It is worth reminding people that, honestly,
this time a month ago, Strider was coming off a really,
really good stretch of pitching, and that gives me some hope.
Now we'll never know exactly what the t total causes here.
(15:01):
Streider talked after the blow up on Monday night with
the media and really just kind of made it sound
like some of the changes that he needs to make
are not necessarily ones that he's going to be able
to make in the middle of the season when he's
throwing every fifth day. So it seems like it's something
in the off season that Stryder's gonna have to address.
I do feel, and I'm curious to know how you feel, Sean.
(15:23):
I do feel like a normal off season, hopefully a
healthy off season, six more months away from the elbow surgery.
He can go through a throwing program, he can lift weights,
without any restrictions. I feel in my heart of hearts
that Strider is going to be okay with a normal
off season. But this last handful of starts has been
(15:44):
really rough to watch. The fastball is getting hit hard,
and the slider, which is such a devastating weapon, is
just not breaking and locating in the way that Strider
needs it to be in order to get hitters out
with any kind of consistency.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Absolutely, and the the good thing is is that the
velocity is starting to sustain. I believe that he had
his highest average fastball velocity from his fast start, so
that is a positive if he still can have above
average velocity. And the main thing that he really needs
to go into when it comes to the offseason is
placement of his pitches. I trust the mentality and the
(16:19):
competitive focus of Strider to figure things out. That's the
big thing that stands out to me. But of course,
as we start to see him struggle more and more,
the questions become bigger. When do you potentially look to
shut Spencer Strider down for the season. I don't think
we're to that point yet, but I do think that
we're getting close to a threshold that could indicate when
that might occur. Right now, Spencer Strider is at eighty
(16:42):
nine and two thirds inning Scott when Chris Sel comes back,
I think right now we're already in the midst of
having a six man rotation. That may not be correct
since we released the Colis Carrasco, but my point is
at least when Sel comes back, we'll have a six
man rotation. I think that gives Strider three more starts
at least going into September, he'll clear that one hundred
(17:03):
innings pitch threshold, and then I think that the question
will become legitimate. Is it time to potentially shut him
down and really have him focused. I don't think we're
anywhere close to that yet, Number one, because I don't
think Strider wants to do that. He wants to end
the season on a positive note. But that one hundred
any threshold, I think is something to watch. Plus it
gives him a bit of time to end the season
(17:25):
on a good note.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Yeah, I think for Strider, labor Day is probably the
date that circled on the calendar for let's evaluate and
see where we are at. And that's of course ten
days from now, two starts from now, and see, and
I do think there is probably something to be said
that just from a mental aspect, Strider wants to finish
strong and not have his final start of the season
(17:47):
be him just getting blown up by the Chicago White
Sox or another bad team. I think that's kind of
where we're at with Strider. I'm if like a ten
was I am like my hair's on fire and I'm
super pan and a one as I have no cares
or panic in the world. I'm at like a five
or six on Strider right now. He's too valuable to
(18:08):
this team to not be good moving forward, and the
Braves owe him a lot of money the next couple
of seasons. They frankly need Strata to be better and
hopefully be more like the guy he was from maybe
the middle of June to the middle of July, and
not the guy he's been over the last month from
maybe late July to late August.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Absolutely, you want the best out of Spencer Strider. He
wants the best. And again, if we're on that scale
that you're talking about, I'm at about a four because
I'm putting a lot of emphasis on Spencer Strider the person,
the mentality, the confidence, and the overall just the lack
of a better way of putting it. The intuness. As
shit Stedmans said in Rookie of the Year, the have
to Spencer Striders have to is off the charts. If
(18:51):
you don't know the scene I'm talking about, oh you
yourself to go watch it. But my point is is
that Spencer Strider, he's got all the intangibles that value
the value of the intangibles stands out more moments like this,
I think we're going to see Spencer Strider, maybe not
me the picture he once was, but be a highly
effective pitcher in whatever version of his stuff. He has
(19:11):
six to seven months from now when we're really ramping
up for the twenty twenty six seasons. Speaking of season
outlook for the remainder of this year for folks. Austin
Riley over the past couple of days has put in
more baseball workouts, he's ran, he's done some baseball activity,
and today it was reported that he felt discomfort once
again with his abdomen.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Scott.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
When it comes to that report, they're now going to
have him reevaluated by doctors on Wednesday. I don't necessarily
think a realistic chance of an outcome is for them
to come back and see, well, he's out for the
season tomorrow. But I do feel that it's very, very
likely that we're going to see his time away from
the field extended more than just a couple of days,
(19:56):
probably at least a few weeks, to where being out
for the rest of the season. It could be a possibility.
And at this point I'm fine with that, with how
last season ended, with how this season is ended Austin Riley.
I'm not saying he's injury prone. I just feel bad
with the fact you can't play baseball, but you want
him to be as healthy as possible going into next year.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Yeah, it's getting mildly concerning with Riley because now it's
the same injury that has kept popping up. Yeah, and
I know they've said it's a lower abdominant abdominal issue.
I don't know if specifically we know exactly what's wrong
in there, but I think we have to kind of
hold our breath just a little bit that we don't
(20:36):
get really bad news on Riley with like, if a
surgery was needed, that would obviously be terrible news, and
I don't think we're going to be at that point,
he was able to run and do some workouts before,
so it's not like there's something horribly wrong in there.
But the fact this is a nagging injury that keeps
popping up, presumably soft tissue of some kind, makes me
(20:57):
a little nervous and you want to make sure you
don't do anything, especially with the situation being what it
is for the Braves in twenty five. Don't be dumb.
Give the guy some rest and if that means he
doesn't play again this season, then so be it.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Absolutely Again, when it comes to the most noteworthy names, Strider, Sell, Schwellenbach, Acunya,
Riley the big key right now for all those guys,
just have them as healthy as possible going into the
off season to where health is not a concern, focusing
on getting back to their normal level production is the
(21:29):
pure focus, and that's going to set us up best
for the twenty twenty six and beyond. But while not
seeing Riley for the rest of the year would be
a bit of a disappointment, it also could bring up
some opportunity, not only for Nacho Alvarez but others as well.
A bit of talk plus a move by the Braves
today a bit of talk on how the depth of
(21:50):
the position players is shaping up for twenty twenty six
and possibly beyond. In just a moment after another word
from our partners f defense.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
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Speaker 1 (22:57):
L So with the sick time, this year. You know,
we talk about Austin Riley potentially being out for an
extended period, maybe for the rest of the year. You
have to wonder at some point made the Braves you know,
shut down Akoonya. Maybe as we get into September, what
have you. There's going to be opportunity for depth options
(23:17):
on this Braves team. And for the second time this year,
the Braves added to their depth from the Cincinnati Reds
by getting left handed hitting outfielder Jake Fraley Scott. I
think that this is a very intriguing move, a bit
more of a eyebrow raising move for what he could
be beyond this year than previous editions they've done. I
think it was a very astute move by the Braves
(23:38):
to bring Frehley into the equation.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Yeah, so, I mean, Jake Frayley is a real major
leaguer and he's been around for a while. He has
solid career numbers. Now, I mean, he was available and
he was DFAD for a reason here, so we should
at least say that. But Freiley, you mentioned he's a
left handed hitting outfielder. For his career, Frayley has a
one to twelve WRC plus against right handed pitching, which
(24:04):
is interesting. He quite literally cannot hit left handed pitching,
so to me, he is very much a fourth or
fifth outfielder. He could be a pinch hitting option off
the bench. And as you said, if the Braves do
God forbid, lose one of their outfielders injury in these
final six weeks, or if they want to just shut
down the jets on Akunya for a little while before
the season ends, you're going to need another outfielder. And
(24:27):
Frayley's a real guy. And not only that, but Frayley
is technically under team control for twenty twenty six. If
the Braves so choose, Frayley would be in his final
year of arbitration. He made three point twenty five million
dollars this year, so he'll probably make about four million bucks.
If the Braves opt to bring Freiley back, I'm guessing
(24:48):
the next six weeks are going to be kind of
an open tryout. I could maybe be talked into it
if he performs well and if they feel like they're
going to have a real role for him as a
lefty specialist in some kind of role. But for million
dollars is also not nothing, So if the guy just
doesn't show you a whole lot. It would not be
a big surprise if they decided to non tender him
in a couple of months.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
But I do want to put the emphasis on Frailey,
you know, being in the equation because it makes sense
why the Braves put an emphasis. And let's also not
you know, bad deny to the fact that the fact
that they've struggled so much this year put them down
the bar put them high on the list to be
one of the first in line to get Frayley. The
reason why it's intriguing for next year is because the
(25:30):
fact that he's done pretty decent against right handed pitching.
And when you look at profar, you look at Michael Harris,
who in twenty three and twenty four he averaged one
hundred and twenty five games a season. This year looks
like he's going to play the full season, So hats
off to him. And of course, a Kunya, you know,
the injury risk with him is a bit higher than
you know you may be comfortable with. The Braves need
that depth that they can trust against right handed pitching
(25:51):
that also can handle each outfit position pretty well. He's
better in the corners than center but that's the reason
why it's intriguing, because if the Braves were to see
any of their starting outfielders next year potentially miss time.
You've got someone who's not to the level of these guys,
but at least can be passable as a regular for
a short period of time. That is definitely encouraging compared
(26:13):
to the options that the Braves have had in recent
years from the way of hand in side of the plate.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Yeah, I mean, it's both sad and also just kind
of a fact of life that the last few years
the Braves have found themselves in real need of outfielders.
And sure, you can't always predict who's going to get
hurt and who's going to be healthy, but you need
depth and that's probably one of the just recurring themes
of these past couple of seasons where the Braves have
(26:38):
dealt with injury after injury. You have to have depth,
and ideally you're not calling on a player who just
has no business being out there again freely. He's not
a star. He is very much a certain kind of
player at this point in his career, a left handed
outfielder who can play a little bit of defense, he
can run the bases a little bit, and he can
(26:58):
hit right handed pitching pretty well, and that's not a
small thing. And those are skills that are all in demand,
especially for a team that could use a little bit
more off their bench.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Absolutely, And the one difference between Frayley's upside and others
that we've seen. You know, I know that Mierfield as
well as Loriano, they did well last year, but they
were from the right handed side of the plate. It's
the potential against right handed pitching if an injury were
occurred to one of our regulars for a short period
of time. Frayley's upside in that situation is what makes
him so intriguing. But Frailey to the side, you know,
(27:30):
he may get an extended look at some point over
the rest of the season. A couple of other names,
Nacho Alvarez, Scott. He's starting to show a bit of life.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Now.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
I've not had the highest opinion of Nacho Alvarez when
it comes to being, you know, his major league potential.
I just don't see a lot of offensive potential enough
for him to be a reliable regular, especially for a
team that's trying to win. But he's starting to show
some life he's starting to put together more active at bats,
more productive at bats, And I will give him credit,
(27:59):
he is a reliable fielder when he's in front of
the ball. Now, I think that's much easier at third
or second than it is short. But my point is
him convincing me he could be a notable bench piece
for a team that's trying to win. My opinion of
him being that has certainly gone up over the past
couple of weeks to his credit, and we're going to
get an extended look at that if Austin Riley is
(28:22):
out for an extended period of time to end this season.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Yeah, this is very much an open tryout, open audition
for Nacho. And you know, unfortunately for him the past
really two seasons, injuries have hadn't kind of kept him
off the field more than I think Nacho would like,
but he is. He is showing some signs of improvement,
putting together better at bats, driving the ball a little bit.
And you know, if you asked me what is Nacho
(28:48):
Alvarez going to be in three years, I think he's
good enough to be a utility player. I don't think
he's ever going to be good enough to get regular
at bats. He's still young enough, so he could improve,
But I think there's just some limitations that Nacho has.
Unless he suddenly just develops a little more bat speed
or adjusts his approach at the plate where he drives
the baseball better. I just don't ever think he's gonna
(29:10):
hit enough to be a full on regular. But there
is value in a cheap, versatile player who can cover
the infield. Maybe they start having Nacho play a little
left field or right field in the spring, get him
out there in an emergency situation. There's value in players
with that kind of a skill set.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Absolutely. Speaking of those expanded skill sets, Eli White is
another very intriguing name. I think he's someone that overall
has done more than you may have predicted he you
would expect from him. This year, I think his number
has been called on a bit more than many had
hoped it would be. But he's held his own. He's
had his offensive struggles, but you see what he could
(29:49):
do with the base pass, you see what he could
do in the field. We did get to see a
little bit of versatility in spring training. I think he's
someone that clearly has carved a path for himself to
be a part of the twenty sixteen as a bench piece,
and if you could tap into that versatility with him
playing some multiple positions for the rest of this year,
that can only add to his value. I've been overall
(30:10):
pleased with Eli White. Again, just making sure you don't
get too extended when it comes to his playing time.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
I think Eli White very much has a set role
and he can fly on the basis you need a
speedsterir like that, especially when you have a couple of
really slow runners as the Braves have with Ozuna and
Olsen and Profar and the catchers. This is not a
super fast lineup. So Eli White has some real assets
(30:38):
with his speed, and he's shown a good amount this
year that he can run into a ball and hit
it over the fence, or put a ball in play
and use his speed to steal a single out of it.
So yeah, I like Eli White. He's better than I
thought he was going to be. I think you're absolutely right.
You don't want to really be in a situation where
you are relying on Eli White on a daily basis
(30:58):
or even a semi daily basis, But he has real
value on this team, and teams can use in Eli White.
They can use a Nacho Alvarez, they can use it
Jake Freeley. We'll of course have to see if they
have roster spots in twenty twenty six, but for now,
I think all three of those guys are probably going
to see a decent amount of playing time down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
So then the most intriguing question when it comes to
these depth options, as you're potentially filling out a bench
for a winner or what you hope is a winner
in twenty twenty six is Nick Allen?
Speaker 5 (31:28):
Now?
Speaker 1 (31:28):
I want to make it clear Nick Allen, in terms
of when he was acquired and the expectations for him
when he was acquired, he has been a clear win
this year. He's one of the top two shortstops right
now with Mason Win of the Saint Louis Cardinals in
consideration for a Gold Glove honor. I hope he wins it.
He deserves it, that's how good of a defensive player
(31:49):
he is. I also think that he has value to
a winner as a late eating substitute at a very
important position when it comes to his defensive value. But
he absolutely cannot be your starting shortstop going into twenty
twenty six. He just can't. That's nothing against Nick Allen.
It's just a simple fact. This team needs a six
(32:12):
fifty to seven hundred producing ops wise shortstop to be
able to get leads earlier in games, and then Allen
can come in later. But as we start naming off
these other depth options, Scott, is there going to be
room for Nick Allen? I think there potentially can be.
But my point is is that I feel that there's
value in Nick Allen, but that value starts to go
(32:35):
down a bit as we name these other names with
a bit more upside. And also when you mentioned the
fact you just can't go into twenty twenty six with
him as your starting shortstop.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
I could not agree more. I mean this, I tweeted
it actually on Tuesday night. Love Nick Allen for the glove,
but you can't run it back with it. He has
a five forty nine ops this season. That's unpre eeuably bad.
He should win a gold Glove. We'll see gold gloves
are often popularity contests. We will see how that goes.
(33:06):
But he is a fantastic defender. But you have to
have more than just a glove at shortstop, especially for
the Braves. With the other concerns this lineup has right now.
I absolutely think that Nick Allen will be on this
team in twenty six as the defensive whiz on the infield.
He can also run, so that's not a small thing.
He could be a speedster as well. Maybe someone like
(33:29):
Eli White gets squeezed off because you feel like, while
Nick Allen is not as fast as Eli White, he
can at least be a much better base running option
late and then you can sub him in at shortstop
or second base or wherever you want to put him.
But yeah, I mean, I think one of my bold
predictions this year was that Orlando Arcia was going to
lose his job to Nick Allen. I didn't necessarily think
(33:51):
it was gonna happen two weeks into the year, which
is when that transition basically happened. But I just I
don't see a world where you can go into twenty
twenty six without some kind of improvement at shortstop.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
And many may think, Okay, why are we talking about
what the bench may look like in twenty twenty six. Well,
it's important because that puts more emphasis on the guys
that are going to get the majority of the playing
time for the rest of twenty twenty five, and especially
when you go into twenty twenty six coming off two
straight years with so many potential injuries this year included,
and you're probably going to have a roster to open
(34:25):
up if, for instance, Ozuona is not back trades were
to happen, what have you. So it's making value out
of the guys who are going to get the bulk
of playing time for the reigning of this year, for
the remainder of this year, not only Michael Harris, Profar
and others improving their stock when they're going to be
required pieces for US winning in twenty twenty six, but
that depth, adding more depth to that if we do occur,
(34:48):
if injuries do occur, that's going to be a really
big part to watch as well for the rest of
this year. Hopefully all the guys we name can have
successful ends to the season. Scott, anything else from you
as we wrap up this edition of the ham Our
Territory Podcast.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Not much for me, Sean. I mean, a fun game tonight.
It looked like the Braves were gonna get blown out
for the second night in a row to the White Sox,
and it was like, dear Lord, of course they're getting
blown out again by the White Sox after a really
good week last year in New York and then the
sweep in Cleveland. So nice to win one. It was
a fun game tonight, we'll see It is Hurston Waldrop
Day on Wednesday, which is exciting, probably the best day
(35:24):
of the week right now in terms of Braves pitching.
So I think a lot of folks are tuning in
to see what Waldrop can do, and I think I
can tease that I believe we're going to have another
show breaking down that start from Waldrop on Wednesday night.
So as always, thank you to everybody for tuning in,
and if you are a new listener, please hit that
subscribe button. We'll have shows throughout the rest of the
regular season, and then we do not take a break.
(35:46):
We keep rolling all off season long. YEP.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
Steven Tolbert and Scott Covid will be with you tomorrow night,
and then me and Stephen will be back on Thursday
night breaking down all the action for the Braves. And
of course you can find all the great content from
Scott Scott fifty five on Twitter slash x. My name
is Sean Comnette stats SAC on Twitter slash X. You
can find Hammer Territory across all forms of social media,
(36:09):
part of the Foul Territory family of podcasts. Whoop, look
at that? Look at that? Just perfect setting right there.
Of course, cannot thank you enough. Make sure you listen
to it wherever you find your podcast. That's where we'll
be for free nearly every day on YouTube as well,
again under the Foul Territory family of podcasts. Listen these wins.
(36:31):
I know that many feel that they don't mean much,
and that is accurate. But again, at least for this year,
when you're seeing the contributions we're getting from players who
are going to matter plenty when we want to win
to get in twenty twenty six, you want them to
be rewarded with wins. It's good to see it. Plus
Baldwin making some more headway on that Reokie of the
Year March. Until next time, go bravez. We'll talk to
(36:53):
you again soon. Here of a Hammer Territory podcast.
Speaker 5 (37:03):
Let them let the gas, to let them let
Speaker 2 (37:18):
The copy
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