Atlanta Braves news and links: We’re talking about parking?

BRAVES NEWS

ESPN profiles Dansby Swanson

The Braves were off yesterday (which is a weird way to kick off the season, but whatever), but that doesn’t mean that it was a completely dead day for the Braves. For instance, they released this commercial with (of all people) Pro Basketball Hall-of-Famer Allen Iverson.

Meanwhile, ESPN also released a profile piece on the future face of the franchise: Dansby Swanson.

"I tell people I was drawn to the Braves' unit," Swanson says. "They won the division every year. Coming into the year, you didn't say, what kind of year is Chipper Jones going to have? You said the Braves are going to win the division again. I was immediately drawn to winning."

Swanson is still a rising star, but his personality reminds his manager of that golden era.

"He fits right in there with the guys back in the day, when all the flags were getting put up in that stadium," [Brian] Snitker says. "A lot of people also say he reminds them of [Derek] Jeter, that kind of player, in how he handles himself."

Braves set their minor league rosters

If one particularly bad game of major league baseball from the Braves got you down, then you’ve always got the minor leagues to look forward to. The minors will start play tomorrow, and the Braves have set their rosters for the farm. So, if you want to know where Atlanta’s prime prospects will be honing their craft to start 2017, then this is the post for you.

Nine bold Braves predictions from CBS Atlanta

Normally if you see an article or television segment centered around a “bold predictions” from a pundit, that’s normally a warning for you as a reader that what you’re about to read or see is going to be absolutely off the wall. While these predictions from Knox Bardeen aren’t off-the-wall crazy, they definitely fit the bill of being bold.

What do the last two drafts tell us about the Braves’ draft strategy?

The current Braves front office has two drafts under their belts, and we’re a couple of months away from their third draft. With that in mind, Matt tried to get into the brain of the front office in an effort to figure out what their draft strategy will look like going forward.

Can we expect another pitcher despite having unbelievable pitching depth and still need some bats? I don't think this matters to the front office. They've basically said that the draft is where to get your pitching and you can get your bats through trades and the international free agent market. I don't believe that the front office would hesitate to take a bat if they believed an Austin Beck or Jeren Kendall was the best available player, though they very well may end up with another high upside arm.

MLB NEWS

Tigers tag White Sox in Opening Day victory

Monday was a washout in Chicago, which meant that the White Sox and Tigers were forced to kick things off yesterday afternoon. Justin Verlander put in a solid effort over six innings, and Chip Caray’s favorite Tiger JaCoby Jones hit his first career dinger and helped push Detroit to 1-0 on the season.

Mets place Lugo on disabled list

Just a week after learning that Steven Matz would be out for a while, they got some concerning news about one of their top prospects. Seth Lugo has what’s being described as a “slight” UCL tear and has been placed on the 10-day disabled list.

Marc Carig from Newsday now reports that Lugo has a “slight UCL tear” in his pitching elbow and that he received a PRP injection. No surgery is planned, and all parties are hopeful that some rest—and the injection—will help forestall more serious problems.

After undergoing an MRI over the weekend that was said to have shown no structural damage, a team source now suggests that there was in fact a “serious problem” found. Lugo is reportedly seeking a second opinion, and in his post-game press conference manager Terry Collins said, "He's going to miss some time with his elbow" on the order of “a couple weeks.”