Coming into this season the Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones signed a new contract to ensure that he would end his Major League career in the A.T.L. Doing so would put him in a rare category of being a player who spent his entire professional career in one organization.

Although his contract stretches through 2012, there was talk of Chipper calling it quits after a slow start to the MLB 2010 season. Eventually, Jones said that he wouldn’t think about the issue further until the season was over.

Unfortunately for the third baseman and Braves fans, it appears that Chipper’s season has already come to an end after he tore his left ACL in a win over the Houston Astros.

At this point in his career Chipper is no stranger to injuries having missed dozens of games over the past few seasons. Although he had avoided DL time through August, the third baseman had spent a lot of time on the bench after aches and pains kept him out of the lineup.

Not surprisingly, this isn’t the first time that Chipper has injured his left ACL. What is surprising, however, is the fact the first time occurred way back in 1994, when he was entering his rookie campaign.

While Jones made it all the way back from that 1994 injury, this time he faces a more difficult decision with retirement looming in the near future.

Although his agent has made it clear that a decision shouldn’t be expected immediately, Chipper will have to decide if he will attempt a return after a long and strenuous rehab period. Several athletes can testify how difficult it is to rehab an ACL injury of this magnitude, even at a younger age. Jones’ body has gone through a lot of trauma over the years and is sure to heal at a slower pace.

That said, we may have seen the last of Chipper Jones. This injury may be the final stone that knocks him off the fence and into retirement.

Whether he returns or not, Chipper has already established a legacy. A key member of the Braves incredible division title won, Chipper won the 1999 MVP award and was a member on the 1995 World Series Champions.

The third greatest switch hitter of all time, and possibly the third greatest third baseman of all time as well, Jones is a sure Hall-of-Famer.

Used with permission of the author.

 Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

In 2008, it was Jair Jurrjens. In 2009, it was Tommy Hanson. Now 2010 is here, the Braves are in need of another rookie pitcher to fill a void, and they may have found their man.

With Kris Medlen injured and Kenshin Kawakami trying to stretch himself out after rotting away in the bullpen for the past month, Bobby Cox and the Atlanta Braves will turn to highly touted prospect Mike Minor to start game one of their series with the Houston Astros.

Their first round draft pick just a year ago, Minor has progressed extremely rapidly as expected and will be the fourth player from his draft class, following Mike Leake, Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen, to reach the majors.

But even though he is just a year into his professional career, Minor has already given plenty of indication that he will exceed the expectations that were originally placed on him.

When the Braves originally picked him out of Vanderbilt, they thought they were getting a “safe” college arm that would rapidly rise through the organization and quickly be ready to help out at the Major League level. Some even criticized the pick, as the Braves used the seventh overall selection on a player who projected to be a reliable, but unspectacular, third starter who never would dominate or strike many batters out.

Although Minor did dominate in his first taste of professional baseball, he didn’t change many people’s opinions of him. After all he had only pitched 14 innings in 2009. Although he allowed just a single run and struck out 17 batters (while walking none), it was expected the strikeouts would decline when Minor faced stiffer competition.

2010 has turned into a coming out party for Minor. Starting at AA Mississippi, Minor quickly showed that he might have a higher ceiling than originally expected. Minor added a couple ticks to his fastball, and went from being a finesse pitcher to a dominant strikeout artist seemingly overnight.

Although his initial numbers (2-6, 4.03 ERA) at Mississippi don’t show anything special, you notice something else when you look deeper. Minor struck out an incredible 109 batters in just 87 innings and posted an FIP of just 2.78.

Although Minor’s star was quickly rising, it wasn’t until he reached AAA that everyone saw the dominant pitcher he could become. In 33.1 innings there, he has allowed just seven earned runs (good for a 1.89 ERA) and continued to strike out more than a batter per inning.

On the year as a whole, Minor has struck out 10.9 batters per inning and posted an FIP of 2.64. He has actually posted a better strikeout rate and FIP than Tommy Hanson, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting despite being a mid-season call-up last year.

In just a year, Minor has quickly become a stud prospect in a Braves system loaded with young pitching talent (also be on the lookout for Julio Teheran next summer). He made Baseball America’s mid-season top 50, and will look to be the next young Braves pitcher, following Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson, to burst onto the scene with a terrific rookie season.

Used with permission of the author.

 Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

On Friday, August 6^th, the Atlanta Braves will retire number 47, the number that Tom Glavine wore while pitching the majority of his career in Atlanta.

Drafted in the second round back in 1984, Tom Glavine passed up a chance at an NHL career to pitch for the Atlanta Braves after he was a 4th round pick in the NHL draft.

After pitching well in AAA for the majority of the 1987 season, Glavine was called up to Atlanta and made his MLB debut on August 17^th. In his first start, he allowed six runs in just 3.2 innings. Overall, his 1987 major league campaign was forgettable.

In 1988 it was better ERA-wise but Glavine led the league in losses. By 1989, Glavine started to figure things out, going 14-8 with a 3.68 ERA. After a solid but unspectacular 1990 season, Glavine and the Braves started creating their legacy in 1991.

The 1991 edition of the Atlanta Braves went worst to first, in large part thanks to Tom Glavine. With a league leading 20 wins and a sparkling 2.55 ERA, Glavine won his first Cy Young award and led the league in ERA+. Although the Braves eventually lost in the World Series, their dynasty had started.

Glavine picked up where he left off in 1992, winning 20 games for the second year in a row, and finishing second in Cy Young voting.

The Braves dynasty started a new era in 1993. The Braves signed free agent Greg Maddux, who, along with Glavine and John Smoltz, became the “Big Three” in Atlanta. Although Maddux won the 1993 Cy Young, Glavine led the team in wins with 22.

To say the least, 1995 was a special year for Glavine and the Braves. After the strike-shortened 1994 season, the Braves won the NL East for the third straight year, and eventually made it back to the World Series.

With the Braves leading the series 3-2, Glavine got the ball in game six. Glavine was at his finest, shutting down the Cleveland lineup for eight innings. Although the Braves managed to push just one run across, Glavine made it stand up. He allowed just one hit while striking out before giving way to Mark Wohlers.

When Wohlers recorded the final out, the Braves were World Series Champions and Glavine was named Series MVP.  Although Glavine went on to pitch seven more seasons for the Braves before departing to the Mets, the World Series win was his signature moment with the Braves.

In 2007, Glavine won his 300^th game while with the Mets, essentially guaranteeing himself a spot in Cooperstown.

Glavine returned to Atlanta for the 2008 and 2009 season, but was a shade of his former self, and retired from baseball after the Braves released him.

Glavine finished his career with 305 wins and a 3.54 ERA. He won 20 or more games five different times. Glavine appeared on 10 All-Star teams, won two Cy Young Awards and four Silver Sluggers.

But Glavine’s legacy to the Braves goes deeper than the jaw-dropping numbers. Glavine was a member of possibly the greatest pitching three-some of all time. He, along with Maddux and Smoltz defined a Braves team that won an unprecedented 14 consecutive division titles.

Just about every Braves home game, it seems that the television cameras seem to find the picture of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. To say the least, the three are all Atlanta icons. Three aces on one team, a feat which may never again be accomplished.

Glavine even wrote a book about his time with the Braves and their World Series win: None but the Braves: A Pitcher, A Team, A Champion.

But Glavine has something that neither Smoltz nor Maddux have: a World Series MVP. Glavine’s masterpiece was probably the most memorable game that the Braves have played during their time in Atlanta.

Glavine was part of an iconic pitching staff, and will be inducted into the Braves Hall-of-Fame on Friday. Without a doubt, this will just be practice for Glavine’s eventual call to Cooperstown.

Used with permission of the author.

 Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The month of July (specifically the last week) is always a busy time for Major League Baseball. The All-Star game is fun, but the real action comes at the end of the month, when MLB reaches its non-waiver trade deadline.

By my count, 25 major trades happened in the month of July, with 22 of them coming within the last week. Twenty-five teams were involved in these trades with the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies and Oakland Athletics all stayed quiet as the deadline passed.

The most active buyers were the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees and the teams that unloaded the most talent were the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburg Pirates and Cleveland Indians.

Instead of analyzing each individual trade, I’ll go through a division-by-division breakdown about which trades will ultimately affect who is going to be playing in October.

AL East:

Coming into the trade deadline, the Yankees were not only the favorites to win the division, but also to win the World Series. Given that the Tampa Bay Rays made only one move (and a small move at that) the Yankees would have still been the favorites had they kept the status quo.

Instead, the Yankees went out and acquired Lance Berkman, Austin Kearns and Kerry Woods. Sure, all three of them are passed their prime, but with the Yankees they will simply be role players, complimenting an already deep core.

Both the Rays and the Boston Red Sox were relatively quiet. The Rays added some relief help in Chad Qualls, while the Red Sox added catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and traded away reliever Ramon Ramirez. With only these minor additions, I think the Rays and Red Sox will hold place in the second half, meaning the Rays will be playing in October while the Red Sox watch from home.

Both the Blue Jays and the Orioles were sellers at the deadline. Between the two of them, the Blue Jays got the biggest prize in Yunel Escobar, who has the talent to be an All-Star shortstop if he can stay focused on baseball. The Blue Jays also had an interesting trade with the Astros, sending top prospect Brett Wallace away for Anthony Gose.

AL Central:

With Jake Peavy out for the year, the division leading Chicago White Sox went out and added pitching help by acquiring Edwin Jackson from Arizona. The Twins also upgraded their pitching staff by adding closer Matt Capps from the Washington Nationals.

Riddled with injuries, the Detroit Tigers stayed relatively quiet at the deadline, adding only Jhonny Peralta and failing to address some of their major holes.

As the season plays on, Chicago and Minnesota will battle for the division lead as Detroit slowly begins to lag behind. In the end, my money is on the Twins, who are smoking hot right now.

Both Kansas City and Cleveland were sellers (as expected). Cleveland is still waiting on half of its returns, as both of their trades with the Yankees involve players to be named later. Kansas City didn’t make out with any stud prospects, but Tim Collins could be a future closer, as he has dominated in AA this year and has struck out 15.4 batters per nine innings.

AL West:

The Rangers made the earliest splash of anyone, acquiring Bengie Molina and Cliff Lee before the All-Star break. In the end, the team with the biggest lead in baseball added five players (also including Mark Lowe, Christian Guzman and Jorge Cantu) to fill various roles on the team.

The Angels, who are currently tied for second, came away with Dan Haren, but he alone likely won’t be enough to get catch the Rangers. For the record, I think the Angels got away with robbery in the Haren trade, as the centerpiece going to the Diamondbacks was mediocre starter Joe Saunders. The Halos almost added Derek Lee as well, but he used his no-trade clause to prevent that deal.

Seattle didn’t complete any trades near the deadline (only the Lee trade early in the month) and Oakland stood pat. In the end, I don’t see much changing in this division. The Angels will finish the year ahead of Oakland, but won’t have enough to catch Texas.

NL East:

The division leaders both made strides to improve their teams this month. The Philadelphia Phillies grabbed headlines by acquiring Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros. Although he got hammered in his first start, Oswalt gives the Astros a phenomenal number two starter.

Despite what you may have heard (after the Oswalt trade), the Atlanta Braves actually remain the division leaders at this point. After acquiring Alex Gonzalez early in the month, the Braves took Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth from the Royals. If Ankiel lives up to his potential, he will be a huge boost to the Braves. If not, he will still be better than Nate McLouth.

All in all, I still think the Braves will win the division. Even if Oswalt pitches well, over a third of the season, he only adds about a win or two to the Phillies, which is further back than they are right now.

The Mets stood pat at the deadline. They are seven games back, and weren’t clear buyers or sellers. The Marlins seemingly also kept the status quo. Although they did trade, they were sellers in one instance (Jorge Cantu to the Rangers) and buyers in another (acquiring Will Ohman from the Orioles). Neither the Mets nor Marlins are going to compete for the division title.

The Nationals were sellers (as expected) although they hung onto a couple guys (Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham) that could have brought the team significant value. I think the Nationals robbed the Twins, as Wilson Ramos could be a perennial All-Star at catcher and Matt Capps is an average at best closer.

NL Central:

There really weren’t any buyers in the NL Central. The St. Louis Cardinals acquired Jake Westbrook, but in doing so lost Ryan Ludwick. Their main competition for the division title, the Cincinnati Reds did nothing at all, which surprises me.

In the end, I like the Cardinals to win the division. I think they will benefit from what was essentially a swap of Ludwick for Westbrook, and have more talent than the Reds.

The Brewers also stood firm, which is interesting since they are not going to compete this year and had some valuable trade pieces (notably Corey Hart).

The Chicago Cubs (Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot), Houston Astros (Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman, Anthony Gose) and Pittsburg Pirates (just about everyone in the bullpen worth mentioning aside from Evan Meek) all shed some salary and added young talent. The Cubs could have done more in my mind, as they are still a veteran loaded team that isn’t close to competing.

NL West:

The front running (and offensively starved) San Diego Padres went out and acquired a solid bat in Ryan Ludwick. The San Francisco Giants on the other hand (who are also offensively challenged) ignored their needs while beefing up their bullpen for the stretch run.

Colorado didn’t make any trades, deciding to stand pat (although the recent returns of Troy Tulowitski and Jorge De La Rosa could boost the team up in the standings). The Los Angeles Dodgers were the big buyers in the division, adding Scott Podsednik, Ted Lilly, Ryan Theriot and Octavio Dotel.

The Dodgers did a great job of adding talent, but they are already 7.5 games out of first and I don’t think they did enough to get all the way back.

Ultimately, I think the top four slots in the division will go San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado, in what might be one of the closest four team races in baseball history.

Arizona sold off just about everyone worth mentioning at the deadline. They got some decent talent in return, but I think that Dan Haren could have fetched more value had the D-Backs waited until the deadline to deal him. Arizona will still get two more players at the end of the year, as the Angels and Rays owe them a player to be named later.

Used with permission of the author.

 Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

With their 5-3 loss to the Washington Nationals, the Atlanta Braves lost their second consecutive series, and both of them were to teams within the division narrowing the gap of their lead.

While the Braves are struggling, the Phillies continue to gain ground and sit just 2.5 games back. The Phillies also just acquired Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt to become their second starter.

With the July 31^st trade deadline approaching, the Braves are in an interesting position. They already made one deal acquiring Alex Gonzalez but could make another to fill the centerfield hole that Nate McLouth has created.

According to Baseball America, the Braves have 5 of the best 50 prospects in baseball (Teheran, Freeman, Delgado, Minor and Vizcaino) so they have plenty of pieces to trade with should they look outside the organization.

At this point, it may be time to let Gregor Blanco and Melky Cabrera play.

Projected Pitching Matchups: Atlanta Braves @ Cincinnati Reds

7/30: Kris Medlen (6-2, 3.57) @ Johnny Cueto (10-2, 3.18)

7/31: Jair Jurrjens (3-3, 4.37) @ Bronson Arroyo (10-6, 4.21)

8/1: Tommy Hanson (8-7, 3.99) @ Edinson Volquez (1-1, 8.25)

Series Outlook

Kris Medlen has been about as good as anyone could have hoped from the sixth starter but Johnny Cueto has been fantastic this year, and the Reds have a definite advantage in game one.

Jurrjens has been terrific since returning from the DL but the Braves should be able to get to Arroyo in game two to even the series.

Hanson was ok in his last outing against the Nationals. Volquez has really struggled lately (although his first start after returning was good) and the Braves might be able to sneak away with a victory in game three of the series.

Used with permission of the author.

 Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The year of the pitcher continued and Matt Garza became the fifth pitcher to throw a no-hitter this year in the Tampa

Matt Garza no-no

Bay Rays 5-0 win over the Detroit Tigers. It was actually the sixth no-no if you count the Jim Joyce debacle.

Although the final score was 5-0, the majority of the game was a pitchers’ duel. Garza’s opponent, Max Scherzer threw 5-plus innings of no-hit ball before the wheels came off in the sixth.

After Kelly Shoppach struck out to begin the 6^th inning, the Rays loaded the bases on two walks and a catcher’s interference call. Scherzer then struck out Carlos Pena, and looked like he might be able to escape the jam and continue to pursue his no-hitter.

That vision was erased when ex-Tiger Matt Joyce drilled a 3-2 pitch over the right field wall to give the Rays a 4-0 lead. One hit and four runs. After Joyce emptied the bases and broke up Scherzer’s no-no, all the attention turned to Garza, who had allowed just one base runner, a walk to Boesch in the second inning.

After retiring the side in both the seventh and eighth innings, Garza returned for the ninth already having thrown 107 pitches. It took Garza six pitches to retire Don Kelly for the first out of the inning. He then struck out Gerald Laird on four pitches, putting him in position to make history and pitch the first no-hitter in Tampa Rays history.

Pinch hitter Ramon Santiago made contact on a 1-1 pitch from Garza, but it was a harmless fly ball to right field, which Ben Zobrist put away to seal the game.

Garza was mobbed by teammates on the mound, and now will have his name forever etched in baseball history. His final pitching line was 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 120 pitches.

The no-hitter comes at a great time for Garza and the Rays, who had both cooled after a tremendous start to the year.

The Rays were in first place early in the year, and looked like the best team in baseball for a while. They currently trail the Yankees by three games, and could use this to build momentum in the near future.

Garza also started off the year well, holding down a 3.08 ERA through the month of May. Since the start of June however, Garza had a 5-1 record which hid his terrible 6.60 ERA.

Here are some interesting tidbits on Garza’s no-hitter:

 This was the first no-hitter in Rays history, leaving the San Diego Padres and New York Mets as the only teams left without a no-hitter . . .

The five no-hitters thrown so far this year are the most since 1991 . . .

Garza previously threw a one-hitter in 2008 . . . 

The Rays have been involved in three of the no-hitters this year, as they were previously no-hit by Dallas Braden (OAK) and Edwin Jackson (ARZ) . . .

Garza faced the minimum 27 batters . . .

Used with permission of the author.

 Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Here’s an Atlanta Braves update and Nats series preview. The Braves are just 3-3 over their past six games now, even though they could easily be 6-0.

Billy Wagner has blown two saves in the past two series and Sunday we were given another example of why Jesse Chavez doesn’t belong in the major leagues.

On the bright side, the Braves did have a big comeback win Saturday and Jason Heyward has been terrific since coming off the DL.

I know it’s been a day since the last loss, but I’m still in a bad mood about it, so instead of discussing things further I will just move onto the upcoming series against the Nationals.

Pitching Matchups: Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals

7/27: Tommy Hanson (8-6, 4.12) @ Stephen Strasburg (5-2, 2.32)

7/28: Tim Hudson (10-5, 2.47) @ Livan Hernandez (7-6, 3.12)

7/29: Derek Lowe (10-8, 4.48) @ Craig Stammen (2-4, 5.50)

Series Outlook

It’s safe to say that everyone is looking forward to the first game of this series, as baseball’s top prospect, Jason Heyward (that’s right everyone, he was BA’s top prospect) will take on its’ second ranked prospect (Stephen Strasburg).

Heyward has raked since coming off the DL, hitting .436 with an OPS over 1.000. Strasburg has already lost to Atlanta once this year, but it will be interesting to see how this game plays out, as it is the first time in his pro career that he is facing the same team for a second time.

I think the first game will come down to Tommy Hanson, who has been inconsistent so far in 2010. However, Hanson has been great in the month of July (2.66 ERA) and has pitched well against the Nationals in the past.

Just like last time, I think the Braves will beat the Nationals even with Strasburg on the hill.

To me, the second matchup is almost as interesting as the first. While Strasburg and Hanson both have electric stuff, Hudson and Hernandez are their polar opposites. Neither of them rely on overpowering strikeout pitches, but both have been terrific in 2010.

Overall, I think Hudson is the better pitcher, and he will do his thing, getting the Nats to pound the ball into the ground en route to a Braves win.

The Braves would look to have a favorable matchup in game three, but I just can’t find it in me to pick this team to sweep a series on the road right now. Derek Lowe has been consistently mediocre lately, and I don’t think the Braves will be able to give him another cheap win. 

Used with permission of the author.

 Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

For the past two seasons, the AL Central race has gone to the last day of the season. Actually, it’s gone past that, as both the Chicago White Sox (in 2008) and Minnesota Twins (2009) needed an extra game to win the division outright.

 This year, the AL Central will once again likely come down to the wire, with three evenly matched teams fighting for what will likely be, barring a collapse of the Tampa Bay Rays, one playoff spot.

At the time of this article, the White Sox have a 2.5 game lead over the Detroit Tigers and a 3 game lead over the Twins.

Interestingly enough, the Twins actually have the best run differential of the three, and the Tigers seem to be playing above their heads right now with a negative run differential despite a winning record.

Offensively, the Twins have led the way so far. With Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, they have scored the most runs in the division and have also gotten surprising production from Delmon Young.

On the other side of the ball, the White Sox have allowed the fewest runs, but will be without Jake Peavy for the remainder of the season. The Sox have a terrific bullpen, and have been scoring more runs lately as Gordon Beckham remembers how to hit.

The Tigers would seem to have a great lineup, with the fifth best batting average and seventh best OBP in all of baseball. However, the team is only tied for 16^th in runs scored. Pitching wise, the Tigers rotation is rather thin after Justin Verlander, and even he hasn’t been overly impressive (3.87 ERA) thus far in 2010.

Over the rest of the season, the White Sox may be at a scheduling disadvantage, as they have played six more home games than the Twins and seven more than the Tigers.

But the most important thing to who wins the division will be head-to-head competition.

In September, the White Sox have seven games with Detroit and three with Minnesota. The Tigers and Twins play each other five times that month.

Minnesota seems to have the edge in head-to-head competition, with winning records over both the Tigers and White Sox. The Tigers are at the biggest disadvantage, as they also have a losing record against Chicago.

All in all, if the last two years have proved anything, it’s that anyone could ultimately walk away with the AL Central.

If I had to put my money on one team at this point, it would be the Twins, who have the best run differential to date, winning records against both the White Sox and Tigers, and have been involved in the one game playoff in each of the past two years.  

Used with permission of the author.

 Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC