Well, I'M not at spring training, but the Bravos are. Here are your weekly notes and news.
It now appears that the man Boston Red Sox fans used to call Caveman Jesus will not walk on water in Atlanta. Johnny Damon has signed with the Detroit Tigers after the Chicago White Sox reportedly pulled out of the running for the former Yankee outfielder. Damon will reportedly split time between the outfield and the DH position for the Tigers. His deal will be worth one year for somewhere between $7-8M. The Braves reportedly offered Damon a one-year deal worth between $4-6M. The White Sox reportedly were discussing a multi-year deal with Damon but discussions ended before a deal was offered. With Damon apparently not coming to Atlanta, it appears Nate McLouth will bat leadoff, a sentiment Braves GM Frank Wren intimated last week on 680 The Fan. According to Wren, the team saw Damon as more of a No.2 hitter anyways.
Speaking of McLouth, the centerfielder now appears to have fixed both problems that plagued him last season: his vision and his sore hamstring. According to the AJC, McLouth got contacts over the off-season and will wear them this season. Also, an off season of rest will hopefully heal his sore legs so that he can be more active on the base paths this season. McLouth has also switched his number to No.24 after giving up No.13 to new closer Billy Wagner.
The Braves shortstop position appears solid with the young and blossoming Yunel Escobar back with his rocket arm, but it is never too early to think about the future. The Braves, according to several outlets, are on the verge of signing 18-year-old Edward Salcedo, out of the Dominican Republic. Two years ago the Cleveland Indians thought they had an agreement with Salcedo and his agent at the time Scott Boras for $2.3M, but the deal fell through after questions about the prospect’s age surfaced. The Braves have been working with Salcedo’s current agent Edgar Mercedes to hammer out a deal but no terms have been revealed. Several scouts have said that Salcedo has the talent equivalent of a first round draft pick, but he is not eligible for the MLB draft.
The results of Jair Jurrjens MRI came back as just inflammation and he should resume “baseball activities” sometime either this week or next week, however Jurrjens may be going up against stats and history. Tom Verducci has done multiple studies over the years of his covering baseball and has come up with the “Verducci effect,” that strikes pitchers under the age of 25 whose innings increase by more than 30 from the previous season. Verducci found that more often than not, those pitchers tend to either struggle the following season with ERA or injury. Though Jurrjens was not included in Verducci’s recent 10 for ’10: Young Aces at Risk list, Verducci noted after Jurrjens’ injury occurred, Jurrjens could be at risk due to the number of innings he threw last year. Jurrjens threw 215 innings last season after 188.1 in 2008, which is an increase of just 26.2, but for Jurrjens, it was the first time of his career that he went over 200 in a single season.
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