Atlanta Braves II

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#8,953
#8,953
I just don't think Freeman could ever play third. It will be very interesting what happens with McCann cause he won't be cheap.
 
#8,956
#8,956
Dbake005 said:
I just don't think Freeman could ever play third. It will be very interesting what happens with McCann cause he won't be cheap.
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I was just curious to what you thought. I agree I don't think freeman is an option at 3rd, but I want some option to keep McCan
 
#8,960
#8,960
_vol said:
What ya thinking? FF to 3rd and giving McCann a try at 1B?
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It's probably too late for that now. The time to figure out if he could handle 3B was in the minors. I'd really be leery of taking a guy who's a cornerstone of your offense and asking him to learn a completely new infield position in spring training.

I definitely think that if the Braves are planning to extend McCann's contract, then they need to be thinking about getting him out from behind the plate some. Brian doesn't strike me as someone who's going to use all the, uh, enhanced techniques that let Ivan Rodriguez catch forever. Maybe Freeman could learn to play a little LF and McCann could play 1B 20 or so games a year. Something to save the wear and tear a little bit.

There may be a perfectly good explanation why the Braves never tried Freddie anywhere else. He's just so good with the glove that I'd like to know what it is.
 
#8,961
#8,961
Dbake005 said:
I just don't think Freeman could ever play third. It will be very interesting what happens with McCann cause he won't be cheap.
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Why don't you think Freeman could have played third? He's big, he's got great feet, he's got a great glove, he's right-handed. Unless he hasn't got the arm, he looks like a prototypical third baseman to me.

If you're saying that now it's too late to move him at the ML level, then I'd agree with that.
 
#8,962
#8,962
Vercingetorix said:
It's probably too late for that now. The time to figure out if he could handle 3B was in the minors. I'd really be leery of taking a guy who's a cornerstone of your offense and asking him to learn a completely new infield position in spring training.

I definitely think that if the Braves are planning to extend McCann's contract, then they need to be thinking about getting him out from behind the plate some. Brian doesn't strike me as someone who's going to use all the, uh, enhanced techniques that let Ivan Rodriguez catch forever. Maybe Freeman could learn to play a little LF and McCann could play 1B 20 or so games a year. Something to save the wear and tear a little bit.

There may be a perfectly good explanation why the Braves never tried Freddie anywhere else. He's just so good with the glove that I'd like to know what it is.
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I imagine you would get some standard response that he's always played first and done well, why change. But, I am with you I imagine there may be another reason other than "being so good at 1B" that another position was not given a look. Then again, it might be a simple that he's a young kid and within the last two years has just come into his own defensively at first. I do not know how good he was coming up, but you can even see huge improvement this year versus last year and he was great with the glove last year.
 
#8,964
#8,964
I don't think he would be very good at third. By all accounts, never played there. Was drafted as a first baseman. He's a bit too big to be crazy good over there. Maybe I'm missing something, but he certainly wouldn't be a plus defensively over there.
 
#8,965
#8,965
If more raw power is still to come from Freeman, he will be such a force. Had worries that he might just be more of a line drive / ground ball type hitter and never mash like a guy his size can.
 
#8,966
#8,966
Dbake005 said:
I don't think he would be very good at third. By all accounts, never played there. Was drafted as a first baseman. He's a bit too big to be crazy good over there. Maybe I'm missing something, but he certainly wouldn't be a plus defensively over there.
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That's a circular argument, isn't it -- he wouldn't be good at third because he never played third? He's a natural fielder just like Cal Ripken was -- who was almost as big as Freeman, but didn't let that stop him from playing short, much less third.

There's not much doubt in my mind that -- again, assuming he could make the throws -- Freeman would have been a fine 3B if they'd moved him over there at 17 or 18. Where he would be more valuable.
 
#8,967
#8,967
He's a natural fielder like Cal Ripken was. Ya lost me.

The fact that he wasn't even drafted as anything but a first baseman shows that he just might not be crazy nimble and quick enough to be good at the hot corner.

And yes, if he had played there his entire life, I would have more faith in him being able to do it, even if it was moving back from first.
 
#8,968
#8,968
I would be totally fine being wrong... I'd love to see McCann be at 1B and last much longer, Bethancourt show off behind the plate, and Freeman fill in at the hot corner after Chip is done.
 
#8,969
#8,969
He looks as nimble and quick as Chipper Jones, and Chipper's been playing 3B for most of two decades. I'm not arguing that he'd be Brooks Robinson. I'm arguing that there sure doesn't look like there's any reason he couldn't play the position. Hell, the Braves are trying Terdoslavich at 3B in the minors right now, and he's a guy that people are already saying is a natural DH.

If 1B is the only position Freeman can play, then fine. He's great at it. But if there was an option -- not now, but back in 2008 or so -- then having him locked in there now for the next X number of years until his free agency is going to cost the Braves some flexibility. It's easier to plug guys in at 1B and LF than it is 3B.
 
#8,970
#8,970
I just don't think he would be a very good defensive third baseman. But, they may be heavily considering trying it, to keep McCann. Maybe his offense would make up for it.
 
#8,971
#8,971
Vercingetorix said:
Freeman is such a good 1B that it makes you wonder why they never tried him at a more valuable defensive position. Doesn't have the arm to play 3B, I guess? He's right-handed, so that's not it.
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He has a strong arm. I believe range and path to the majors kept him at 1st.
 
#8,973
#8,973
I hear "they have redesigned cutoff plays to let Freeman take them" a lot. So the arm must be notable.
 
#8,974
#8,974
TBrown said:
He has a strong arm. I believe range and path to the majors kept him at 1st.
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That's probably it. The Braves think about one move ahead. I'd wager that they sat there in 2008, figured they had a 3B but no 1B, and that was it. Freeman's a 1B. Never mind thinking three or four years out.
 
#8,975
#8,975
Vercingetorix said:
That's probably it. The Braves think about one move ahead. I'd wager that they sat there in 2008, figured they had a 3B but no 1B, and that was it. Freeman's a 1B. Never mind thinking three or four years out.
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Cmon, Ole Battleaxe will play forever. (Please tell me someone else has noticed DOB beating this nickname to death.. Also, chipper has been playing for a year or two and you've covered the team for a year or two and you just now came across this nickname?)
 
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