Great write up, I’m with you on about 75% of it, which for me is basically full agreement.
What’s your honest take on Profar? To me, it feels like it would be downright silly to play him anywhere outside of Rome or Gwinnett when he comes back. Verdugo looks locked in, Eli is absolutely raking (and I’m pulling for him, I’ve always had that old school baseball mindset about rewarding hard work and grit), and of course Acuña will be back eventually, though his health is a major question mark. His attitude lately has been a concern too, that Kelenic tweet was a bad look, no way around it.
I just don’t see why the Braves would shoehorn Profar into any meaningful playing time when he wouldn’t even be eligible for the postseason. Add in the PEDs issue, and while I’m not saying he can’t work his way back into good standing, that kind of redemption arc should probably start next year, not in the middle of a pennant race.
Also, if you’re really bored and since we are on the topic of outfielders, can you please explain (in the name of everything holy to the baseball gods) what exactly AA is doing bringing Rosario back? Seriously, I’m all ears if there’s even a single rational justification. Because I’ve thought about it way too long, and I can’t find even a breadcrumb. Not a crumb, not a speck, not even a faint whiff of a reason to stick him back in this lineup. At this point, it feels like nostalgia for 2021 got weaponized and no one remembered to tell reality.
On the Profar thing: You can only put him in the minors if he agrees to go, so that's the majority of the issue there. I'd be fine making him play his way back through Gwinnett, but he has to consent to the assignment.
On Rosario: It's got to be a clubhouse and veteran pinch-hitter thing, although I will say that the Gwinnett outfielders have almost universally been disappointing so it's not like we had many options. Go with the guy you know in Rosario versus the guys you don't - Nick Senzel, Ben Gamel, David Peralta, or Robbie Grossman (although he did briefly play for Atlanta in 2022)
Hadn’t thought about the Profar situation like that, but makes complete sense to keep him in Gwinnett and let the playoff eligible guys have all the run this year.
I’m not saying the dude should be kicked out of the league, but any notion to have him on the 40-man is absurd. Especially considering how well the ‘stand-ins’ are doing. I just hope they don’t play the “we pay him too much not to play him” or the “we brought him here for a reason, let him get the boys to the playoffs as his penance for the PEDs” game.
And to be brutally honest, this is the first year where I have thought AA is losing it. Last year’s ending was the start but I definitely see the cracks now.
Great write up, I’m with you on about 75% of it, which for me is basically full agreement.
What’s your honest take on Profar? To me, it feels like it would be downright silly to play him anywhere outside of Rome or Gwinnett when he comes back. Verdugo looks locked in, Eli is absolutely raking (and I’m pulling for him, I’ve always had that old school baseball mindset about rewarding hard work and grit), and of course Acuña will be back eventually, though his health is a major question mark. His attitude lately has been a concern too, that Kelenic tweet was a bad look, no way around it.
I just don’t see why the Braves would shoehorn Profar into any meaningful playing time when he wouldn’t even be eligible for the postseason. Add in the PEDs issue, and while I’m not saying he can’t work his way back into good standing, that kind of redemption arc should probably start next year, not in the middle of a pennant race.
Also, if you’re really bored and since we are on the topic of outfielders, can you please explain (in the name of everything holy to the baseball gods) what exactly AA is doing bringing Rosario back? Seriously, I’m all ears if there’s even a single rational justification. Because I’ve thought about it way too long, and I can’t find even a breadcrumb. Not a crumb, not a speck, not even a faint whiff of a reason to stick him back in this lineup. At this point, it feels like nostalgia for 2021 got weaponized and no one remembered to tell reality.
On the Profar thing: You can only put him in the minors if he agrees to go, so that's the majority of the issue there. I'd be fine making him play his way back through Gwinnett, but he has to consent to the assignment.
On Rosario: It's got to be a clubhouse and veteran pinch-hitter thing, although I will say that the Gwinnett outfielders have almost universally been disappointing so it's not like we had many options. Go with the guy you know in Rosario versus the guys you don't - Nick Senzel, Ben Gamel, David Peralta, or Robbie Grossman (although he did briefly play for Atlanta in 2022)
Hadn’t thought about the Profar situation like that, but makes complete sense to keep him in Gwinnett and let the playoff eligible guys have all the run this year.
I’m not saying the dude should be kicked out of the league, but any notion to have him on the 40-man is absurd. Especially considering how well the ‘stand-ins’ are doing. I just hope they don’t play the “we pay him too much not to play him” or the “we brought him here for a reason, let him get the boys to the playoffs as his penance for the PEDs” game.
And to be brutally honest, this is the first year where I have thought AA is losing it. Last year’s ending was the start but I definitely see the cracks now.