Rowland's Office

It was a jolt to click on the link to Edgar Renteria’s player page from the Braves site and see him wearing the Detroit uni, with the organge and blue Tigers colors framing the page. No doubt the Detroit web people digitally gave him a Detroit cap and jersey.

Still, it’s sad to see such a classy pro leave so quickly. Has there ever been such an excellent, popular, solid citizen and winning player who’s changed teams so often? Vagabonds like Sheffield and Lofton are fine players. But popular? Good in the clubhouse? Not quite.

Detroit will be Edgar’s third club in four seasons, after stints here and in Boston. In appreciating Edgar, I struggled to recall standout moments. And maybe that’s the point with Edgar. He’s not a player who hits a game-winning homer, or makes a spectacular play that defines a season or career. Rather, he’s a guy you need to watch daily to truly appreciate.

Edgar is more Columbo than Magnum PI: an unassuming genuis, a player of pure substance.

I would offer that Edgar, in his two seasons here, established himself as the best shortstop in Atlanta Braves history. It’s no landslide and maybe you don’t achieve that in just two seasons. However, I think it’s proper in this case.

Furcal was faster, had more range and a stronger arm. Blauser put up some solid years. Nevertheless, as a Brave, defensively, at the plate, in the clutch, I’d submit that Edgar was better.

In two years here, he hit a combined .310 with a .375 on base percentage. He made 24 errors. Dude hit line drives to right center in his sleep. Edgar’s better than Blauser offensively and defensively. As for Furcal, he averaged 24 errors a season in his five full years here. Furcal stole more bases, yes, but his batting average and OBP were consistently below those Edgar posted here.

Edgar joins Marquis Grissom as guys who were here briefly but made a lasting mark. Fare thee well, Edgar. We will miss you and remember you fondly.

–CD

Perhaps Mark Bradley should stick to writing mash notes to Mark Richt. He suggests the Braves move Frenchy to CF and let, ahem, Willie Harris man RF — "he might get the Braves through 2008." Why not play him in center then? Better yet, why play him at all?

Tom Glavine, it’s assumed, will be back in Atlanta next season. Might Curt Schilling join him?

Not likely, but the Red Sox free agent lists the Braves as one of 12 teams he would pitch for in 2008.

I’m guessing he returns to Boston, and even if he doesn’t I can’t see the Braves making a serious push to sign him. A starting staff comprised of three fortysomethings would be unprecendented — how ’bout three Hall of Famers in the same rotation?

Perhaps Schilling is intrigued by the idea of playing alongside Smoltzie and Glavine. I know he’s an annoying loudmouth, but he showed this postseason that he’s not quite finished.

It would also buy time for Reyes and J-Air; both would benefit from more seasoning.

Schilling and Glavine are only seeking one-year deals, so the risk is minimal. And the money is there, assuming the Braves don’t sign a center fielder.

I think Schilling in a Braves uniform (for no more than $10 mil) makes sense, strangely enough. Do you?

–CB

I have a gut feeling it’ll be New York. Not the Bronx, but Flushing. As in, meet the Mets new (SS/3B?) Alex Rodriguez.

I come to that conclusion through the process of elimination. The Yanks say they’re out, and I actually believe them. Despite some lapses in judgement (i.e. J.D. Drew), Boston’s management is smart enough not to mess up a good thing by adding a destabilizing influence to a tight-knit clubhouse. The Cubs are for sale and aren’t likely to increase their payroll by 25 percent.

Most seem to think the Los Angeles teams will make a run, but I’m not convinced. The O.C. Angels certainly could use him, but how do you tell Vlad Guererro he’s worth half as much as A-Rod? It just seems like an out-of-character move by the Halos. I think they’ll be players, but I don’t see them succumbing to Boras’ demands.

If the Dodgers do indeed hire Joe Torre, that would virtually eliminate them as contenders to sign A-Rod, as he and the former Yankees skipper didn’t get along in New York.

San Francisco is a wild card — they’ll have the money, and are used to dealing with a diva. But if A-Rod wants to play for a contender, the Giants ain’t it, at least not yet (though their rotation could be the NL’s best next season). Offensively, they make the Padres look like the ‘95 Indians.

That leaves the Mets. Omar Minaya likes to make a big splash, and signing A-Rod would be a tsunami in New York. But where would he play? Shortstop, perhaps. The Mets could package Jose Reyes (who performed horrribly down the stretch) with one of their young pitchers or perhaps Lastings Milledge to the Twins for Johan Santana. Or they could try and do something similar with Cleveland, who may figure they have no chance of keeping C.C. Sabathia (like Santana, a FA after 2008).

They could also keep Reyes and move David Wright to first base. Delgado is due big money, but the Mets could offer to pay half his contract and trade him. Despite a down year, I’d imagine some team would take a flier on the lefty slugger.

It may seem outlandish, but the Mets have the resources, and the chutzpah, to get it done. It would make for a scary team, but at least we’d get the pleasure of booing baseball’s emerging villain 12 times a year.

–CB

Rankin’ Rob wants to know: who’s going to play CF next season? After a lengthy chat with Frank Wren, I think I can provide him with some answers. Granted, the chat was imaginary.

I’m guessing we’ll end up with an affordable, short-term option. Coco Crisp makes some sense, as does David DeJesus from the Royals (perhaps for Chuck James). Both are solid defensively and do the little things well. Neither excites.

Wren has already said the Braves have some internal options for CF in 2008. They don’t include Frenchy — the organization is determined to keep him in RF — or Willie Harris, who may not even be back with the Braves next year. He’s arbitration-eligible and was so ineffective down the stretch I don’t see management making much of an effort to keep him. His best shot at returning may be as a non-roster invitee.

That leaves the organization’s latest “it” boy, Jordan Schafer, and Brent Lillibridge, a fine defensive SS who played CF last for the Washington Huskies.

Schafer is off to a great start in the Arizona Fall League, batting .347 (with a .919 OPS) through 13 games. Of course he’s yet to advance past Single-A ball, but Wren thinks he might be ready: “Ask Rafael Furcal,” he said, referring to Fukey’s meteoric rise to the majors in 2000. Still, I’d be surprised to see Schafer in Atlanta, at least in April.

Lillibridge is the real wild card. He’s due to log some time in center in the AFL, an experiment that’s been delayed due to tendinitis in his left wrist. He finished with a fluorish in Richmond and has the speed necessary to adapt to the OF. I see Lillibridge as a Ryan Freel-type down the road, with more pop.

What about Mike Cameron? He’s a native Georgian, and would likely fit into the team’s payroll, but I don’t see it happening. Cameron’s a nice player and a nifty defender, but spending a lot of money (I’d guess it would take no less than two years and $16 mil) on a stopgap doesn’t seem to be the way to go.

Finally, might Torii Hunter be headed South? He said he’d like to play for the Braves, and the home team could make room for him financially by not re-signing, say, Ron Mahay and dealing aribitration-eligible Matt Diaz. Do you gut depth to make way for a superstar, particularly with two young studs (Schafer and Gorkys Hernandez) on the horizon? I say no, though I would contradict myself in a minute if the Braves signed Torii. Besides, Schafer could easily learn to play left (imagine that defensive outfield).

–CB

Only one more day in Boston. Thank the Good Lord. Ol’ JD’s getting on the next plane to Atlanta after I’m done with this dumb parade. I didn’t want to be in it, but Mr. Boras said it would be good for my image. Haven’t I done enough? I hit .314 and drove in 11 runs. I came up huge, even with all my aches and pains. And I gotta go march in some parade? You ain’t never gonna please these Boston people.

I asked Young Einstein how much I’d be paid for this, and he looked at me like I was a Miami fan at Doak Campbell Stadium. Apparently we gotta do it for free. Now that’s really unfair. Just like the people who own this computer thingy, expecting me to keep writing stuff for ‘em even though they only paid me for one series. That’s how I saw it. They said it was a flat fee for the whole postseason. Ol’ JD don’t understand: the better I play, the more I have to work?

I’m starting to wonder if Mr. Boras is looking out for ol’ JD. Lately he ain’t been returning my calls and he actually took Young Einstein’s side on this whole parade thing. Guess he cares more about Alan Rodriguez than me. I know I seem like a tough guy, but ol’ JD has feelings, too.

It’ll be nice getting back to the bosom of my family in Hahira. I told the missus I ain’t going do nothing for the next two months but sleep. I used to chop wood to keep in shape, but them splinters can be mighty painful. I missed Christmas one year ’cause of one I got in my pinkie finger.

Stephen, Tim and I like to have sleep-offs in the winter, see which one of us can spend the most time in bed. Ha ha, I know what you’re thinking, but I told the wife she ain’t getting none of ol’ JD until 2008. I’m just plum tuckered.

Oh yeah, winning the World Series was nice and all, but during the celebration Papelbon steppped on my toe doing that gay dance he does (I guess it’s true what daddy’s always said about people from Baton Rouge) and it’s really hurtin’. I’m going to get Doc Harcavy down in Hahira to take a look at it ’cause I’m sure something’s broken. He always takes ol’ JD’s side, even when them fancy doctors in Boston say I ain’t really hurt. Doc says no one knows your body better than yourself. Ol’ JD likes that.

Now on to the important stuff: Go ‘Noles!

Yours in Christ,
Ol’ JD

First, the name. Think J.R. (actually, it’s J-Air) JER-jens. We’ll call him JR, er: J-Air, (who impressed a Tigers fan enough to start a blog in his honor).

Prospect guru Kevin Goldstein likes him (and Hernandez):

“Jurrjens is just 21 years old and has already proven the ability to hold his own in the big leagues. The Curacao native isn’t especially big or projectable, but what he is now is pretty darn good, as he throws a low 90s fastball, decent slider, and deceptive changeup. Scouts do wonder is he has a big league out pitch and see him as more of a No. 4 starter type – a role the Braves could use him in immediately.

“Hernandez hit .293/.344/.391 in the Midwest League this year for his full-season debut while also leading the Midwest League with 54 stolen bases. He’s an absolutely burner on the base paths, and also a spectacular center fielder with a plus arm. Despite the numbers, he’s still more tools than performance. He needs to either hone his approach to develop into a leadoff man, or develop more power (the bat speed is there) to become a dynamic power/speed combo. Very high upside, but obviously some risk. He’ll likely begin next year at High A Myrtle Beach.

Both players were going to be slam dunk top five prospects on the upcoming Detroit prospect rankings.”

He’s developed velocity — touching 95 MPH on the radar gun — and as his body fills out he could become even more of a power pitcher. Regardless, the fact that he’s already ready to compete for a spot in the rotation at such a young age speaks well of JR’s future.

Reading between the lines, the Braves seem confident that JR — a "control pitcher that has power," according to Frank Wren — and Jo-Jo will be in the rotation next year.

"[Jurrjens] and Jo-Jo Reyes are very good looking, young, talented pitchers," Wren said in reference to the hurlers who will compete for the final spots in the Atlanta rotation. "If they aren’t in the rotation at the beginning of the season, they will be there very quickly."

That is, if they are still in the organization once Spring Training rolls around (thanks to D’Andre at Blabberin’ Braves for the tip): ESPN’s Keith Law says he wouldn’t rule out another big acquisition by the Braves for an established starter like Dan Haren. Baltimore’s Erik Bedard may also be available — I’d give the O’s JR and Jo-Jo for him. I don’t expect that to happen. If not, I’m quite happy to have two potential studs competing for starting jobs next year.

Overall, I like the deal, keeping in mind that shortstops aren’t in high demand this offseason. Most of the good teams are set at the position, and rebuilding squads like Oakland aren’t usually in the market for veteran shortstops with a big (albeit reasonable) contract. And for those who wanted Nate Robertson or someone of that ilk in return: Why? Robertson is Chuck James, with more experience. JR may not pan out, but at least he has the potential to be something better.

Besides, Curacao has been good to Atlanta so far.

–CB

*Stay tuned for our farewell to Edgar, easily one of the game’s most underrated players. We were privileged to watch him play.

**UPDATE: Within the comments in his latest blog entry, DOB said Wren told him the Braves would NOT trade JR or Hernandez this winter. And check out these stats of major league hitters who faced JR down the stretch:

.220 (24-for-109) with four homers, 11 walks, 13 K.

vs. LHB: .262 (16-for-61) with two homers, 10 walks, 6 K, .366 OBP, .508 slugging

vs. RHB .167 (8-for-48) with two homers, 1 walk, 7 K, .196 OBP, .313 slugging.

Dude DOMINATED right-handed batters, and consider the teams he faced: Cleveland (twice), Yankees, Minnnesota (twice), Texas and K.C.

Five of his seven starts were against good teams.

Too many obnoxious Dawg fans to count, but this guy seems a worthy candidate. I’m a UGA grad, and an admittedly lukewarm supporter, but seeing Georgia fans taunt the Gators reminded me of how easy it is to dimiss Mets backers who mock the Braves. Sure, you won this round, but do you really want me to recount the last two decades?

(via Mostly Muppet)

–CB

The local organ is reporting that Edgar has been shipped to the Motor City for a couple of prospects. I don’t know anything about the two players — centerfielder Gorkys Hernandez and righthanded pitcher Jair Jurjjens — but my initial reaction is: Is that it?

As a debut for Frank Wren, this is underwhelming, at first blush anyway. Maybe there’s something more in the works.

The two players sound highly promising, so maybe this will work out long term. It frees up some payroll too. Still, I figured we’d get at least a decent major league pitcher for Edgar. On the other hand, young arms are what we need most. And another speedy young outfielder can’t hurt.

CB is more excited about the deal. He ponits out that Jurjjens pitched well for the most part for Detroit this season and is among that organization’s prized prospects. He also points out, rightly, that teams are not going to trade No. 1-2 starter types for veteran position players who are not superstars. Also, not many teams need shortstops. CB also notes that it’s good to see Wren make a deal so quickly and an aggressive one at that.

Here’s more on our new guys from Bloomberg:

–CD

Hernandez (first is pronounced GOR-keys), who just turned 20 in September, is considered one of the top outfield prospects in all ofbaseball. He completed his first full professional season in 2007 and earned the Class-A Midwest League Most Valuable Player Award while leading West Michigan to the league championship. Hernandez paced the circuit with 54 stolen bases and batted .293 with 84 runs, 25 doubles, four home runs and 50 RBI in 124 games. He grounded into just two double plays in 533 plate appearances.

A Midwest League All-Star, Hernandez was voted by the MWL’s managers as being the Most Exciting Player and the Fastest Baserunner in 2007. The strong-armed center fielder walked and scored a run in the World Team’s 7-2 win in the 2007 MLB Futures Game in San Francisco on July 8.

Jurrjens, 21, was rated by Baseball America to be the Eastern League’s sixth-best Major League prospect (third-best pitcher) this past season. In 2006, Baseball America rated him as the best control pitcher in the Tigers organization.

Jurrjens (pronounced JEYE-air JER-jens) went 7-5 with a 3.20 ERA in 19 starts at Class-AA Erie in 2007 before making his Major League debut with Detroit in August. He worked in seven games (all starts) for the Tigers, going 3-1 with a 4.70 ERA. In his last three minor league starts, Jurrjens went 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA, with 24 strikeouts and just one walk in 23.0 innings pitched. In 502.2 career minor league innings pitched (89 games/84 starts), Jurrjens has posted a 3.20 ERA with 404 strikeouts and just 121 walks.

"We appreciate the talent and professionalism that Edgar Renteria brought to us the last two years and we wish him the best in his career," said Wren. "Today we were able to acquire two special players. We are extremely excited to be able to add a starting pitcher who we believe will compete for a spot in our rotation next spring, as well as an exciting and gifted outfielder who possesses tremendous speed for the future."

Longtime Office readers probably have seen a "Larvell Capra" comment now and then. Larvell is actually honest-to-goodness novelist Dallas Hudgens, a lifelong Braves fan, damned fine fellow and good friend of mine. Dallas’ second book, Season of Gene, was published last month by Scribners. Like his leadoff work, Drive Like Hell, it’s as entertaining as watching Smoltzie fan Jose Reyes with the bases loaded. Dallas was nice enough to answer a few questions for us.   

CD: Both your books include plenty of baseball references, but this one was packed with them. In Season of Gene, the main characters play in a men’s league and watch and talk a lot of baseball. A Babe Ruth bat is a central part of the story. Did you set out to write a — I’m not sure exactly how to describe it — a character-driven, petty-crime mystery with baseball as a sort of backdrop?

DH: I didn’t have an outline, or a plan, just an idea for a few characters. So I started from there and tried to write a couple of scenes with those characters to see what would happen. I’m not smart enough to handle the intricacies of a mystery, so I wouldn’t call ‘Season of Gene’ a mystery. I always have a hard time describing the book, but I guess it sort of became a character-driven caper as I was writing it. It’s got some baseball, online pharmaceuticals, and various criminal activities. But it’s still mostly about the characters and their relationships with one another.

CD: Drive Like Hell’s protagonist, Luke, is a big Braves fan in the ’70s and readers get a nice sense of that. Was it important to weave Bob Horner particularly and the Braves in general into that story? Why?

DH: I had to mention the Braves. I guess it’s because I have so many memories of the team from that time. My brother took me to a lot of games. If it was a special occasion, we’d eat at the old Pilgreen’s steak place on Lee St. and then head to the stadium, strolling up to the ticket booths about ten minutes before game time. You could sit pretty much anywhere you wanted to sit back then. Also, being able to watch every game on TBS was a big memory. I think I worked that into the book, watching a game from L.A. and Bob Horner hitting a home run off Don Sutton. Seems like Sutton always shut down the Braves when we’d go to see the Braves play the Dodgers at FulCo Stadium. So, I guess I got some minor fictional revenge having Horner hit a home run off him in the book.

CD: Being a lifelong Braves fan and Atlanta native, was it at all tough to write this new book featuring Yankees fans?

DH: Since Luke, the narrator of Drive Like Hell, was a Braves fan, I thought I should do something different in the second novel. I’ve always had friends who were Yankees fans, and my father went to New York a lot when I was a kid. So, I had a chance to go to some games at Yankee Stadium when I was little. It was such a different atmosphere from FulCo Stadium in those days: jam packed, an electricity in the air. It was like a different world. So, that sparked an interest in those Yankees teams of the late ’70s. I read some of the books that later came out, like "The Bronx Zoo." I guess that interest and always having friends who were Yankees fans made it easier to write.

CD: How did your experience playing men’s baseball inform Season of Gene?

DH: I’ve played on the same weekend team in Virginia for about ten years. Everyone on the team is really nice, and we have a lot of fun. I’ve tried to stop playing several times, either because of the time that it takes up or just from me being lazy. But I always go back and play again. I sort of realized that if I moved away, the team was one of the things I’d miss most about living here. So, the main character in ‘Season of Gene’ really likes his baseball team. But the team in the book is nothing like the team I’ve played on in real life.

CD: How’d you come up with the idea to make a rare Babe Ruth bat a core part of the book?

DH: I think in the original draft of the book there was simply a valuable bat floating around, but it didn’t have much significance. So, the Babe Ruth connection came in later. I was trying to find out what might be the holy grail of baseball bats. The bat in the book is supposedly the one that Ruth hit the called shot with in the 1932 World Series. The narrator, Joe, is kind of bewildered by the reverence shown to sports memorabilia. He’s a big baseball fan, but a bat is a bat to him. The Ruth bat, to him, is simply a means to saving his business and helping out his friend’s widow, who is about to lose her house due to Gene’s debts.

CD: Season of Gene is set in the DC area, but most of the main characters are from New York or New Jersey. Why did you set it up that way?

DH: I guess one of the smaller threads in the book is looking at how and why we end up living in a particular place. I live in the D.C. area, so I set the book there. But I wanted the main character to be from somewhere else. I chose Cliffside Park, N.J. since that was the old home of Manny’s Baseball Land, which always advertised in Baseball Digest when I was a kid. I think the original Manny’s was on River Ave. across from Yankee Stadium, but I had a chance to visit the Cliffside Park store a few times when I was a kid. They had hats, jerseys, photos, team yearbooks; almost anything you could want from any major league team.

CD: You threw in several mentions of Chick-fil-A. Is that a nod to the home folks?

DH: I need a Chick-fil-A about once a week. Sweet tea and a chicken sandwich, or a chicken biscuit if it’s morning. Sometimes, I’ll buy the gallon jug of sweet tea for refill purposes. They’ve got really good milkshakes now, too. I believe there was a discussion on Rowland’s Office about the Chick-fil-A milkshakes one day.

CD: Do you figure you’ll return to Atlanta, or the South, for your next book? Will baseball be part of it too?

DH: I may have gotten the baseball out of my system for a while with ‘Season of Gene.’ But it was a lot of fun to write. And I did kind of miss writing some scenes that were set in Atlanta.

Thanks, CD. Always fun to talk with you. And thanks for helping me keep up with the Braves.