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Atlanta Braves 2009 report card - Positional players part two
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The Braves' may not have made the playoffs, but they did execute an impressive turnaround from a season ago. In the first of many articles reviewing the 2009 season, I'll be taking a look at the hitters - every positional player with at least 50 at bats will go under my microscope. All of the players are graded based on what was expected of them. This is part two of the positional players review.
The C students
Chipper Jones
488 AB, 23 2B, 2 3B, 18 HR, .264 AVG, .388 OBP, .430 SLG
Chipper's offensive production fell like a stock ticker in the season's second half, he didn't reach 20 home runs for the season and for the first time in years looked average for long stretches of baseball. The kicker is, he actually managed to stay relatively healthy this year - but when the Braves' needed his production the most, he provided the least.
Jeff Francoeur
304 AB, 12 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, .250 AVG, .282 OBP, .352 SLG
Francoeur had de-evolved into one of the worst major league hitters during his time with the Braves, he still earns a C because he did what most expected him to do - hit a few doubles and post an absurdly low on base percentage.
Ryan Church
127 AB, 12 2B, 2 HR, .260 AVG, .347 OBP, .402 SLG
The Braves were just happy to jettison Francoeur, but they still probably expected a little more out of former Mets outfielder Ryan Church. He looked okay and his OBP was herculean compared to Francoeur - but he won't be back next year as the Braves need to get more production from their outfield.
Brooks Conrad
54 AB, 1 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, .204 AVG, .259 OBP, .407 SLG
Conrad became a fan favorite for his energy on diamond, but ultimately he isn't much more than a utility infielder.
The D students
Casey Kotchman
298 AB, 20 2B, 6 HR, .282 AVG, .354 OBP, .409 SLG
The Braves desperately needed more power from Kotchman and eventually dealt him to Boston for Adam LaRoche. The slick-fielding Kotchman has a solid bat but isn't capable of the type of numbers that teams generally look for from corner infielders.
Jordan Schafer
167 AB, 8 2B, 2 HR, .204 AVG, .313 OBP, .287
It was an ugly season for Jordan Schafer all the way around - but there were encouraging signs amid the rubble. Consider that Schafer is still relatively inexperienced, dealt with a lingering wrist injury and despite his struggles didn't revert to becoming a free-swinger. The Grady Sizemore comparisons may have been premature, but I still like the kid's future - it goes without saying that 2010 will be a huge year for him.
Diory Hernandez
85 AB, .3 2B, 1 HR, .141 AVG, .198 OBP, .212 SLG
Not much was expected of Hernandez offensively, and he managed to disappoint even those modest hopes. He has some defensive value - but he looked helpless at the plate.
The F students
Kelly Johnson
303 AB, .20 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, .224 AVG, .303 OBP, .389 SLG
It was a lost year at the plate for the talented, but inconsistent Johnson. After a couple promising years, Johnson looked primed for a breakout season, but he seemed to be stuck between being over-aggressive and overly patient - and struggled mightily before being replaced by Martin Prado.
Greg Norton
76 AB, 2 2B, 145 AVG, .330 OBP, .171 SLG
Give Bobby Cox one thing, he has some patience built into his old bones - Norton, a player with almost zero defensive ability - also proved to have almost zero offensive ability. He was a tragic lost cause at the plate - like a Kevin Costner movie that never ends and never gets better; Norton just continued to get at bat after at bat. Both Javier Vazquez and Derek Lowe threw up better lines than our "veteran" pinch-hitter.
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