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- Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:32 am
fredpaii wrote:I really like what St.Louis did. Holy crap. Not only Heyward but also Walden? The Cards can replace Miller pretty easily but can the Braves replace Heyward? Hell no! And Jenkins is in single A still and not dominating?
Good to be a Cards fan.
You've stupefied me, Fred. You or Teamnasty have to show how 4 years of Miller (at a low cost), and Jenkins, is worth one year of Heyward and 2 years of Walden. The numbers just don't bear that out. Miller is 24 years old, throws 94+ and won 15 games a year ago and 10 last year. He also had a 1.48 ERA in his last 4 September starts, so he's on track to improve on last year's campaign. That will make him a #2-3 starter for the Braves--who really need starting pitching--for four years. Shae Simmons, who pitched well last year, should do a fine job replacing Walden. The Cards on the other hand, who will now be without Lackey and Miller, are now short on starting pitching and will not have an easy time replacing Miller.
Heyward is an average hitter- who hit .271, with a dismal .384 slg pct., and only 11 hrs and 58 rbis, and can't hit left-handers. That''s not production to be missed or difficult to replace, and the Braves do have his replacement in Justin Upton, who slides over in right. The Atlanta JC has already indicated the Braves had no plans to meet Heyward's demands for a multi-year contract at the money they assumed he'd want. Considering Cuddyer got 21m for two years, Heywards demands are sure to be excessively high for a player of his mediocre/average offensive production.
As to Jenkins. he did very well in Class A, one doesn't need to dominate there to prove one's prospect status. He was 6-5, with a 3.28 ERA there. However, he is pitching even better in the AFL (2.22 ERA), where his fastball is back up to 95 MPH. Considering he is only 21, and was Baseball America's #50 overall prospect a year ago, he's a pretty nice bonus to the sweet 4-year Shelby Miller package.