Braves News: William Contreras is a Home Run Derby King, Mets Managerial Search, Plus More

With the MLB Lockout fully in place, baseball fans will certainly look anywhere they can to find content that is both fun and interesting. For some, during the COVID-19 pandemic, overnight baseball in Korea was a fun source of entertainment. Now, for anyone craving baseball, Latin American Winter leagues are certainly a fun source to follow.

This past Monday night, Braves fans in particular had every reason to tune into the Venezuelan Baseball League. Braves catching prospect William Contreras was apart of a home derby that included some notable MLB names. However, Contreras would not be denied, as he earned his second straight home run derby crown.

Obviously, beyond the natural fun of any home run derby, it certainly is a reminder of the potential that remains in Contreras’s bat. Once the MLB Lockout ends, the Braves catching situation remains one to monitor. With both Travis d’Arnaud and now Manny Pina in place for the next two years, it will be interesting to see how the short-term futures for Contreras and Shea Langeliers unfolds, whether it be with the Braves or perhaps elsewhere if the right trade opportunity presented itself.

Braves News

• One byproduct of the MLB lockout is that MLB.com has plenty of opportunity to shed the spotlight on some stories from the past. One story is the Braves brief history as the Boston Bees.
• Mark Bowman takes a look at the career of Brian Snitker, and the key moments that played a huge role in him becoming a World Series winning manager.
• Some fun content to consume via Talking Chop, including the 10 longest home runs of the season for the Braves, season reviews for Touki Toussaint and Indigo Diaz, and a fresh, new Road to Atlanta Podcast to enjoy.

MLB News

• The New York Mets certainly were creating some of the biggest headlines of the offseason before the MLB Lockout came into effect. Now, they are making news as they look to find their new Manager. The Mets will be talking with Buck Showalter and Bob Geren about the vacancy in the near future. It seems the newest Met, Max Scherzer, certainly supports the idea of hiring Showalter.
• While the MLB Lockout has cancelled/postponed many notable dates on the offseason calendar, business could soon be back to normal once the holding pattern ends as the MLB Rule 5 Draft is still expected to take place this winter.
• Veteran catcher Tim Federowicz announced his retirement on Tuesday. Federowicz played in different parts of eight seasons in the big leagues. An exciting opportunity awaits him as he will be the new manager of the Tacoma Rainiers, the Mariners’ AAA club.
• Former Nationals pitcher A.J. Cole will continue his career in Japan. A former top prospect who was involved in multiple significant trades, Cole has never found sustained success in the majors. Perhaps he could benefit from the long line of MLB pitchers who have found success after a sting in Japan and returning to the majors.