Braves Spring Training Highlights and Stuff

Why am I not in Florida right now watching spring baseball?…Seriously.

Anyways, here’s a few quick notes from the Braves spring training performances so far:

-Yunel Escobar is really lighting it up right now.  I’m still not sure what to expect from him, but he looks very good on paper.  He’s hitting a cool .500, with only 4 strikeouts in 28 at-bats, so maybe his numbers last year will show up again this year.

-Jair Jurrjens is pitching his way into the starting rotation, while Jo Jo Reyes is turning into Kyle Davies.  I don’t think Jurrjens is going to be spectacular, and I don’t think Reyes is going to be a total dud, but there really is no comparison between the two.  Jurrjens is just plain better than Reyes, and that’s all there is to it.  Reyes would be good coming out of the pen, but I don’t want to see him in the starting rotation anytime soon…at least not until he learns to throw strikes.

-Mike Hampton isn’t out for the season!  He did have a groin injury or something like that, but it doesn’t look serious.  At 35 years old, and coming off a 2 year hiatus from baseball, I hope Hampton takes it nice and easy for the next 6-8 weeks and doesn’t hurt himself again.  You’re not 25 anymore Mikey!  In fact, you’re not even 30 or 32, so please be kind to your old bones and ligaments.

-Matt Diaz is still a hitting machine.  After looking at his stats, 2 things stuck out to me…

1) Diaz has 2 stolen bases.  When did those wheels show up, Matt?

2) He’s got a .423 average, with an on-base percentage of .407.  How does that happen?

-Javy Lopez leads the team with 2 homeruns.

-John Smoltz will make his first start of the spring this Saturday.  So far, it sounds like he’s got all his pitches working for him and he’s feeling good.  With Glavine, Jurrjens, and Hudson all performing well as of late, that gives us at least 4 solid starters, and if you throw in Chuck James and Mike Hampton, that’s a pretty good rotation.  Cross your fingers and say your prayers that no one gets hurt.