Battery Power - Braves Prospect Retrospective SeriesYour one stop shop for everything Atlanta Braveshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52890/favicon-32x32..png2020-11-26T14:00:00-05:00http://www.batterypower.com/rss/stream/211695472020-11-26T14:00:00-05:002020-11-26T14:00:00-05:00Braves prospect retrospect: Charlie Morton
<figure>
<img alt="Houston Astros v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rRIijQsCIdkMKyat8j5aC8lcXJE=/0x0:3888x2592/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67987477/81889112.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sometimes life comes full circle in Major League Baseball. As Charlie Morton rejoins the Atlanta Braves, let’s take a look at the road he traveled to get here.</p> <p id="CiFzJr">Charlie Morton isn’t your average <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> prospect that this series has thus far dug into. He was never a top-100 prospect, nor was he even a Braves top-10 prospect, but he certainly made a name for himself in the MLB.</p>
<p id="Y9WPQb">Now, back to the team that drafted him, let’s look at Morton’s journey from Atlanta to... well, Atlanta.</p>
<h3 id="1LwFtP"><strong>Charlie Morton, third-round draft pick</strong></h3>
<p id="zhekOh">The Braves selected Morton in the 2002 <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mlb-draft">MLB Draft</a> out of high school in Connecticut. Athleticism was in his blood. His father Chip was one of the best high school basketball players in Long Island and went on to play at Penn State. His grandfather played baseball in the Philadelphia <a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com">Athletics</a> organization.</p>
<p id="ZBJY2m">The odds were forever in his favor.</p>
<p id="FaHjrT">Morton certainly didn’t dazzle in his debut. The 18-year-old went 1-7 with a 4.54 ERA and 1.689 WHIP in the GCL. He quietly climbed the ladder repeating Rome in his 2004 and 2005 season. He was a top-30 prospect for the Braves per Baseball America in both of those seasons, but still was a relative unknown.</p>
<p id="xDcehe">He began pitching more out of the bullpen and his ERA began to come down and his strikeout rate began to rise. He had a strong 2007 stint in the desert, where he earned Arizona Fall League Rising Stars honors. He made five starts in six appearances struck out 20 in 21 innings and posted a 1.10 WHIP. Of course when you succeed in the AFL, small sample size or not, people notice. </p>
<p id="2M3VG4">That momentum carried into the 2008 season. Morton, back in the rotation for Richmond in Triple-A, went 5-2 over 12 starts, posting a 2.05 ERA and a career-best 0.99 WHIP while striking out 72 in 79 innings. His fastball was up to the mid-90s and his curveball began to look like it could get batters out.</p>
<p id="OWWjvT">The Braves thought so as well. Morton made his big league debut on June 14 against the 41-27 <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Los Angeles Angels</a>. He pitched six strong innings on the road, allowing three runs, striking out four and walking just one in picking up his first MLB win. </p>
<p id="gsUQRC">It seemed like great things were on the horizon.</p>
<h3 id="oJB4Vk"><strong>Charlie Morton’s wild MLB ride begins</strong></h3>
<p id="VaH11j">As it turned out, we had to pump the brakes. Morton’s 2008 season did not end up as it started. He finished 4-8 with a 6.15 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and a mere 5.8 strikeouts per nine over 15 big-league starts.</p>
<p id="vO70ia">The following season, along with Gorkys Hernandez and Jeff Locke, Morton was shipped to the Pirates for Nate McLouth (more on that in a bit). </p>
<p id="UR8wgs">Morton became a mainstay in the Pirates rotation for the next seven years, teasing fans with strong streaks, but overall, a rather average pitcher. He was traded to the <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a> after the 2015 season and after just one season in the City of Brotherly Love, he signed with the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com">Astros</a>.</p>
<p id="dyVg9d">Suddenly, Morton was a great pitcher. </p>
<p id="cWOrsF">Morton dazzled in his first year in the Astros rotation, posting a career-high 14 wins and 10.0 per nine strikeout rate, He played a large factor in Houston’s first-ever <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> title making two appearances in the Fall Classic and going 1-0 while allowing two runs and striking out 11. </p>
<p id="IqMMG8">The following season, he earned his first of two-straight All Star nods. Morton signed a lucrative deal to become the ace of the young <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Tampa Bay Rays</a> rotation heading into 2019 and delivered. It was the best season of his career and he even finished third in Cy Young voting.</p>
<p id="qdA42y">The 2020 season was one full of injury. Morton elected free agency, and just a day prior to this writing, <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2020/11/24/21674809/atlanta-braves-offseason-hot-stove-free-agency-trade-charlie-morton-starting-pitching">decided to return back to where it all began</a>. </p>
<h3 id="m8lPy0"><strong>Charlie Morton: What’s next?</strong></h3>
<p id="Dkb4KZ">As he did before 2019, Morton joins an exciting rotation of young arms. Unlike his time with the Rays, the freshly-turned 37-year-old won’t be counted on to be the ace.</p>
<p id="x6lPKY">Morton could slot in at the No. 2 or No. 3 spot of this Braves rotation once Mike Soroka is ready to go. A Soroka-Max Fried-Morton-Ian Anderson-Drew Smyly rotation, on paper, will be one of the best in the National League.</p>
<p id="nLEeLX">Looking back, the Nate McLouth trade was a complete bust. In his three seasons with the Braves he hit .229 with a .699 OPS. Now to be fair, there was no way to know Morton would have a late-career renaissance, nor anyway to know if the Braves would have held on to Morton for all those years in between his struggles and success. So, in one sense, the Braves didn’t lose much. In another sense, well I’ll quote my good friend when I asked what he thought of the recent Morton signing:</p>
<blockquote><p id="iq1FLk"><em>“I don’t like anything that reminds me of Nate McLouth.”</em></p></blockquote>
<p id="fZlJKj">Now, Morton gets the chance to etch himself into my friend’s mind for something positive. He’s craftier now, using his fastball and knuckle-curve to keep batters off bay and can serve as the ideal middle-of-the-rotation arm for the three-time NL East champions. </p>
<p id="Q5RhFu">His ultimate place in Braves history may just be getting started.</p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2020/11/26/21652648/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospect-charlie-mortonWayne Cavadi2020-11-16T12:00:00-05:002020-11-16T12:00:00-05:00Braves prospect retrospect: Mike Minor
<figure>
<img alt="Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals - Game One" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5f2s6l_6Ix2P41eEkE5ti6PZrAM=/0x0:2996x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67799188/180892094.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Mike Minor made pretty quick work of the minor leagues and is still going strong today. Take a look back at the former Atlanta Braves top-10 prospect.</p> <p id="fEXO5f"><span>Mike Minor</span> was an exciting arm out of the pitching factory of Vanderbilt. Both a first-round draft pick and top-100 prospect for the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a>, <span>Minor</span>’s MLB career never fully panned out as hoped. That’s not to say he hasn’t made a career for himself.</p>
<p id="3MPa4t">Let’s take a look back at Minor’s career.</p>
<h3 id="oB0k4Y">
<span><strong>Mike Minor</strong></span><strong>, Vanderbilt sensation</strong>
</h3>
<p id="FHIgin">Minor was a ridiculous high school pitcher. He threw 12 complete game shutouts in 13 starts for Forrest High School (Tennessee) and posted a 0.08 ERA with 188 strikeouts in his senior season. Despite being drafted in 2006 by the <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Tampa Bay Rays</a>, Minor elected to go to Vanderbilt. </p>
<p id="fZGmus">He certainly delivered. Minor was the 2007 SEC freshman of the year. He and this other starting pitcher named <span>David Price</span> combined to go 20-2 that season. He stepped into the spotlight as the ace in his sophomore and junior campaigns and climbed the draft board ladder. A command and control pitcher, Minor was one of the tops arms poised to go in 2009.</p>
<p id="52pNXQ">Check out this solid highlight reel from <a href="https://vucommodores.com/mike-minor-highlight-reel-vanderbilt-baseball/">Vanderbilt baseball.</a></p>
<div id="1DpMVG"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 75%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iNSnvS_HvHo?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media; accelerometer; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="c8YZwJ">Sure enough, the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> came calling and took Minor seventh overall in the 2009 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb-draft">MLB draft</a>. </p>
<h3 id="S4r9q6">
<span><strong>Mike Minor</strong></span><strong>, Braves top-100 prospect</strong>
</h3>
<p id="FsJ3WE">Minor hit the ground running and was ridiculous in his 2009 professional debut. He made four starts with the Rome Braves and pitched to a 0.64 ERA, a 0.71 WHIP and 17 strikeouts with no walks in 14 innings. A trip to the desert that autumn in the Arizona Fall League didn’t go as well but it didn’t change Minors status as one of the best up-and-coming lefties.</p>
<p id="4PUS14">The 2010 campaign was a big one. He began the year in Mississippi, earned an MLB Futures Game selection, utterly dominated in six starts in Gwinnett (going 4-1 with a 1.89 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 37 strikeouts in 33.1 innings) and made nine appearances with Atlanta in just his second season. </p>
<p id="5Jn6YA">In just about a calendar year, Minor was a big-leaguer. Heading into his 2011 season, he was a consensus top-50 prospect by Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and MLB.</p>
<h3 id="KeUDYu">
<span><strong>Mike Minor</strong></span><strong>’s MLB career</strong>
</h3>
<p id="BjXXnA">Minor has quite the interesting career. The lefty with so much promise was part of a youth rebellion in the Braves rotation. He joined exciting prospects like Tommy Hansen, <span>Jair Jurrjens</span> and <span>Brandon Beachy</span>.</p>
<p id="nyhE7p">Most of those arms, Minor included, never seemed to reach their full potential in large part thanks to injury-plagued careers. </p>
<p id="jLdiYw">Minor spent six seasons with the Braves, though he missed his entire final year with rotator cuff, shoulder and torn labrum issues. In fact, Minor didn’t throw a single MLB pitch in the 2015 and 2016 season.</p>
<p id="O82ZIr">He went 38-36 with the Braves in five seasons, posting a 4.10 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 566-to-187 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 652.2 innings. He made it back to the big leagues with the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a> in 2017 and had a career rebirth out of the bullpen. That big season led to a contract with the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a> where he became a solid starting pitcher once again, even earning All-Star honors in 2019. </p>
<p id="MLpEa0">Minor was traded to the Oakland A’s halfway through 2020 and then released at the end of the season. Still just 32 years old, the lefty is sure to have some suitors this offseason proving he can still be a viable back-of-the-rotation arm. Though he never reached the lofty expectations, Minor has enjoyed a solid nine-year career that the final chapter has not yet been written. </p>
<p id="FbQpPT"><strong>Did you hear? Thanks to you, our dear readers enjoying this series, we have our own </strong><em><strong>Prospect Retrospect </strong></em><strong>hub page now! Be sure to check out those prospects we have already looked at and keep up with who is yet to come below:</strong></p>
<h3 id="Vvk3Li"><a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2020/8/28/21405506/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospective-series"><strong>The Prospect Retrospect Hub</strong></a></h3>
<p id="OB8rbv"></p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2020/11/16/21513265/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospect-mike-minorWayne Cavadi2020-10-20T12:00:00-04:002020-10-20T12:00:00-04:00Braves prospect retrospect: Marcus Giles
<figure>
<img alt="Detroit Tigers v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2gUxmOdqPtMO6wz0k8EkkG99cis=/0x0:2438x1625/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67660527/612050834.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Marcus Giles was once a shining star in the Atlanta Braves farm system. Let’s take a look back at how his career panned out.</p> <p id="ld2hoi"><span>Marcus Giles</span> erupted onto the baseball scene after sneaking to the end of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb-draft">MLB Draft</a>. A career full of injury left a lot of questions on what could have been for the former <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> second baseman.</p>
<p id="7QeFJl">Let’s take a look back at the career that was.</p>
<h3 id="uSwCTZ"><strong>Marcus Giles, former 53rd-rounder in the MLB draft</strong></h3>
<p id="Y2lIA0">Yup. You read that correctly. Marcus Giles was selected in the 53rd round of the 1996 MLB draft, the same year his older brother Brian was making a name for himself in the big leagues. The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> saw what everybody else did in Giles, a player with immense raw power but at a disadvantage with his height (or lack thereof standing at 5’7) and questionable mechanics. Giles signed, but went to Grossmont College for a year.</p>
<p id="kAImhi">That was a smart choice. He won the triple crown for the Pacific Coast Conference and reported to Danville the following season.</p>
<p id="06sUYJ">Giles had a strong debut in the Appalachian League as a 19-year-old but it was his 1998 season in Macon that put him on the map. Giles hit .329 with a 1.068 OPS adding 38 doubles, and a league-best 37 home runs, 111 runs scored and 108 RBI. It earned him SAL MVP honors. </p>
<p id="W8qKWQ">His defense per reports left much to be desired. That was somewhat expected as Giles transferred from the outfield to second base in his final year of high school. Still, he was a project in the field. </p>
<p id="Ij1yTQ">He made 25 errors that season. The silver lining? He made just five after the All Star break working relentless with then-manager Glenn Hubbard, who knew a thing or two about second base.</p>
<p id="Py9Jvs">After proving that season wasn’t a fluke with a solid performance in High-A in 1999, Giles entered the 2000 season ranked the 74th-best prospect by Baseball America.</p>
<p id="QS20UI">The 2000 season was down by the standards Giles had set for himself, but still strong. He hit .290 with an .860 OPS, 28 doubles, 17 home runs and 25 stolen bases. He was a Southern League All Star and played in the 2000 MLB Futures Game as well. </p>
<p id="gE7lAL">He entered 2001 rated the 54th-best prospect in all of baseball.</p>
<h3 id="gm3iUg"><strong>Marcus Giles’ big-league rollercoaster with the Atlanta Braves</strong></h3>
<p id="SMY3jl">Giles debuted for Atlanta in 2001. He made three April appearances without a hit. He finally recorded some hits in May, including his first home run — an eighth-inning grand slam against the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com">Colorado Rockies</a> that put the Braves ahead for good. He put up good numbers in both Richmond and Atlanta and looked poised to see more playing time in 2002.</p>
<p id="eKDm4w">That was not the case as a string of injuries began that impeded Giles rise to stardom. It was an ankle injury — and tragic death of his newborn daughter — in 2002, a concussion in 2003 and then a broken collarbone in 2004. Giles was breaking out as well in that 2003 season for the record-setting Braves lineup, earning his lone All Star nod of his career. On the year, he hit .316 with a .917 OPS, 49 doubles and 21 home runs in 145 games. </p>
<p id="gGT0st">Giles was healthy again in 2005 and played the most games in any single single season of his career at 152. And it was a good one. He slashed .291/.365/.461 with 45 doubles and 15 home runs, even earning a few MVP votes at the end of the season. His production began to fade in 2006 — with a somewhat controversial move to the leadoff spot — and at season’s end, the Braves granted Giles free agency.</p>
<h3 id="cL9eEl"><strong>Marcus Giles Braves legacy</strong></h3>
<p id="lSfzdr">Giles joined his brother Brian in San Diego that following 2007 season. He was a shell of the player he was with the Braves and it was his last season as a big-leaguer. His brother was able to hang on for two more seasons. </p>
<p id="cGmY4N">For his Braves’ career, Giles finished with a very admirable .285/.361/.448 slash line in parts of six seasons. A doubles machine throughout his minor and major league career, Giles added 168 two-baggers with 72 home runs over that span. The talent and work ethic was clearly there, seemingly playing with an enormous chip on his shoulder to prove doubters and those that passed hime over wrong. </p>
<p id="HQv917">All in all, not bad for a 53rd-round draft pick. </p>
<p id="fEXO5f"><strong>Did you hear? Thanks to you, our dear readers enjoying this series, we have our own </strong><em><strong>Prospect Retrospect </strong></em><strong>hub page now! Be sure to check out those prospects we have already looked at and keep up with who is yet to come below:</strong></p>
<h3 id="Vvk3Li"><a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2020/8/28/21405506/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospective-series"><strong>The Prospect Retrospect Hub</strong></a></h3>
<p id="fhMQ80"></p>
<p id="dFLQdA"></p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2020/10/20/21512731/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospect-marcus-gilesWayne Cavadi2020-09-28T16:00:00-04:002020-09-28T16:00:00-04:00Braves prospect retrospect: Craig Kimbrel
<figure>
<img alt="85th MLB All Star Game" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oH5ly213W2PR0sG8IwbYS7rNDuA=/28x0:2236x1472/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67548379/452251432.jpg.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p>The Atlanta Braves had themselves a record-setting closer right off the bat in Kimbrel’s rookie season. Let’s take a look back at his career.</p> <p id="Uq2S5y"><span>Craig Kimbrel</span>’s five-year run with the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> was the stuff from which legends are made. While his later career hasn’t panned out the way it started, there was arguably no more dominant closer in the game from 2011 to 2015.</p>
<p id="iMctHP">Let’s take a look back at Kimbrel’s rise to stardom.</p>
<h3 id="PWcfTn">
<span><strong>Craig Kimbrel</strong></span><strong>’s 100-mph fastball makes him a top-100 prospect</strong>
</h3>
<p id="SYlRyE">Kimbrel grew up in Alabama, where he not only played baseball, but quarterback for his high school football team. He went to Wallace State Community College and as a freshman was absolutely absurd, going 8-0. The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> drafted Kimbrel in the 33rd round after that 2007 season but, like Rodney Dangerfield, Kimbrel went back to school. After another impressive season in which Kimbrel struck out 123 batters in 81 innings, the Braves made him the third-round pick in the 2008 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb-draft">MLB draft</a>.</p>
<p id="DfZoc4">Kimbrel stuck around this time. And the fast track began.</p>
<p id="PGZ7fg">The 6-foot, right-handed flamethrower climbed three rungs of the minor league ladder in his 2008 debut. He finished the season with two relief appearances in High-A Myrtle Beach. Altogether, he posted a 0.51 ERA with 10 saves ad 56 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched across all three levels.</p>
<p id="gUj7Ld">He reached Triple-A in 2009 and though he struggled in the Arizona Fall League that autumn, he was named to the Rising Stars team. </p>
<p id="RpHzF2">Entering 2010, Kimbrel was known as a young fireballer with a triple-digit fastball and a nasty curve that generated a ton of swing-and-misses out of the bullpen, albeit a bit wild at times. He was sensational in Gwinnett that season — a 1.62 ERA, 23 saves and 83 strikeouts in 55.2 innings — and was even more impressive in his Atlanta debut. In his first 21 appearances in the bigs, Kimbrel went 4-0 with a 0.44 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.</p>
<p id="7J4ACN">He entered the 2011 season a top-100 prospect in baseball by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. John Sickels had him as the sixth-best prospect in the Braves system.</p>
<p id="hpXyh5">A year later, he’d be the best closer in baseball.</p>
<h3 id="TbOsGy"><strong>Kimbrel’s record-setting debut with the Braves</strong></h3>
<p id="oi58Gw">It was quite the rookie season for Kimbrel, wasn’t it? Let’s talk about some records.</p>
<ul>
<li id="GoKh54">Most saves by a rookie before the All Star Break (both National and American League)</li>
<li id="ijYPtc">Fastest Braves pitcher to reach 100 strikeouts (in just 59.1 innings)</li>
<li id="MFwa9Q">Most saves by a rookie in a single season (National and American League)</li>
</ul>
<p id="yClHHU">The end of that season was a rough one for Kimbrel and the Braves, but his accomplishments couldn’t be ignored, becoming the first NL Rookie of the Year to gain all 32 first place votes in a decade. He led all relievers with 127 strikeouts, tied for the NL lead with 46 saves and tossed 34.2 scoreless innings, the longest stretch in the majors that season.</p>
<p id="yJva3j">The next three seasons were more of the same. Kimbrel led the NL in saves in 2012, 2013 and 2014 (leading the majors with 50 in 2013) while keeping his ERA low and his WHIP even lower. He became one of the most feared pitchers in baseball with a sinking fastball that could saw your bat in half and a notorious stare down that would make even the best hitters think twice.</p>
<p id="FPnfZp">For all his accolades and success, Kimbrel was set for a big payday. That made him a casualty of the Braves rebuild and on April 5, 2015 just before the MLB season got underway, Kimbrel was shipped to the <a href="https://www.gaslampball.com/">San Diego Padres</a> for <span>Austin Riley</span> (I know, I know, but he’s the only one I choose to remember). </p>
<h3 id="ea3EKs">
<span>Craig Kimbrel</span>’s legacy</h3>
<p id="GeYYWe">It’s hard to believe that after all that Kimbrel accomplished in his first four full seasons, he would bounce around as much as he has. Now on his third team in the past six years, Kimbrel will certainly will have some naysayers on how his career will be remembered.</p>
<p id="Ml1B5K">Kimbrel’s five-year run in Atlanta put him on an unquestionable Hall of Fame trajectory. He had a 1.43 ERA and a 0.958 WHIP with a 14.8 strikeout-per-nine rate in 289 innings pitched. His 186 saves (thats 37.2 per year) are still the most in Braves history. He struck out nearly 45 percent of all batters he faced.</p>
<p id="4UtOC3">But Kimbrel was never the same after he left Atlanta and is now hardly recognizable as the dominant closer he once was. His velocity is down, trickling more slowly over the years and his knuckle curve doesn’t get the swing-and-miss it once did when it was amongst the best curves in generating whiffs throughout his early career. He did win a <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> as the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a> closer in 2018, but his performance was not a memorable one.</p>
<p id="yMqbx8">He declined his option following that World Series and wasn’t signed until roughly halfway through 2019. His walk rate has since continued to climb, while that hard contact has also risen drastically, his renowned soft-contact rates now nearly forgotten. There’s no denying Kimbrel has thrown a ton of innings, currently the active leader in games finished, but it seems at 32 there should be some magic left in that arm.</p>
<p id="YhTVJl">Whatever the case, Kimbrel is the active leader in saves with 348, which places him 12th all time. And for a solid five-years, he was the most feared closer in the game. And you can make the case he’s the best closer in Braves history as well. That’s a good five years.</p>
<p id="fEXO5f"><strong>Did you hear? Thanks to you, our dear readers enjoying this series, we have our own </strong><em><strong>Prospect Retrospect </strong></em><strong>hub page now! Be sure to check out those prospects we have already looked at and keep up with who is yet to come below:</strong></p>
<h3 id="Vvk3Li"><a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2020/8/28/21405506/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospective-series"><strong>The Prospect Retrospect Hub</strong></a></h3>
https://www.batterypower.com/2020/9/28/21447518/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospect-craig-kimbrelWayne Cavadi2020-09-22T10:00:00-04:002020-09-22T10:00:00-04:00Braves prospect retrospect: Rafael Furcal
<figure>
<img alt="Atlanta Braves v Cincinnati Reds" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5eKCEgAqmyt1L5XTfahMhLH2aLw=/0x0:3072x2048/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67448448/53212448.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by John Grieshop/MLB via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Atlanta Braves former top prospect got his MLB career started in award-winning fashion. Here’s a look back at his climb up the ladder. </p> <p id="EAFMKe"><span>Rafael Furcal</span> was the catalyst for some fun <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> offenses in the early-2000s, including <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2020/9/17/21440941/braves-throwback-thursday-comparing-the-record-setting-2003-atlanta-lineup-to-current-starting-9">the record-setting 2003 lineup</a>. Before he embarked on his successful 14-year career, he was one of baseball’s top prospects. </p>
<p id="P8dYSh">Let’s take a walk down Braves memory lane and look at the career of the 2000 National League Rookie of the Year.</p>
<h3 id="wSamQF"><strong>Rafael Furcal, a top-10 MLB prospect</strong></h3>
<p id="IgQTpe">Furcal grew up in the Dominican Republic, son to one of the better Dominican ballplayers of his time and brother to Manuel Furcal who wound up pitching a few seasons in lower-level ball for the <a href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Seattle Mariners</a>. </p>
<p id="T9yMwH">The Braves signed Furcal to a $5,000 deal in 1996 at the age of 17... or was it 19? It would take us a few years to find out that answer, but Furcal began is professional career in the Gulf Coast League in 1997. It was a big 1998 year in the Appalachian League that put Furcal on the board. He hit .328 with a league-best 60 stolen bases in just 66 games. That performance propelled Furcal into Baseball America’s top-100, making his debut at No. 60 for the 1999 season.</p>
<p id="xXJOGf">The then-second baseman shifted to the left side of the infield and found his permanent home at shortstop that year. He split the season between Low and High-A and made a Futures Game appearance. Furcal was quick, not only on the base paths but in the field, swift with the glove, armed with one of the most powerful arms in the minors and making a name for himself as an all-around player. He entered the 2000 season as the top prospect in the Braves system and the No. 8 prospect in all of MLB according to Baseball America.</p>
<h3 id="VSYO1v"><strong>Rafael Furcal’s big debut MLB season</strong></h3>
<p id="sPDbq2">Baseball’s eighth-best prospect played all of three games in Double-A in the 2000 calendar year. He became the Braves everyday shortstop and ran away (pun intended) with the National League Rookie of the Year award. He hit .295 with a .776 OPS while scoring 87 runs and swiping 40 bases. </p>
<p id="zp0vIR">It was around this time that rumblings of Furcal’s age came into question. After getting pulled over for a DUI and underage drinking, it turned out that Furcal was not underage. Later it came out that he was roughly two years older than he said he was, claiming a scout told him that saying he was younger improved his chances of getting signed. </p>
<p id="WBj6fo">It didn’t matter. After an injury-riddled 2001 campaign, Furcal found himself some pop. After hitting eight home runs in 2002, he erupted in 2003. He slashed .292/.352/.443 scoring 130 runs and belting 25 doubles, a NL-best 10 triples and 15 home runs to go along with 25 stolen bases. It was the first of Furcal’s three career All-Star seasons. He also led the league in assists that season, the first of two times doing so, <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2020/8/10/21360858/this-day-in-braves-history-rafael-furcal-turns-unassisted-triple-play">and turned an unassisted triple play</a>.</p>
<div id="mtJrVg"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KjN-W64xwg8?rel=0" style="border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media; accelerometer; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe></div></div>
<p id="m1Am5H">Furcal put in two more solid seasons for the Braves before signing a big deal with the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> in 2006. He finished a six-year career in Atlanta with a .284/.348/.409 slash line, 189 stolen bases, and a 17.9 fWAR. </p>
<p id="KbS5Ch">That 17.9 fWAR was the best amongst NL shortstops over the six years he was in Atlanta (<a href="https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/braves-history-best-shortstops-all-time">per Mark Bowman</a>).</p>
<h3 id="It5Vzm"><strong>Furcal’s post-Braves career</strong></h3>
<p id="RmcIzh">Furcal played in parts of nine more seasons with the Dodgers, <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> and a brief stint with the <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a>. A controversial <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/news/furcal-contract-perk-put-fires-024600413%E2%80%94mlb.html">signing with the Dodgers in 2008 did come with a fire truck attached</a>, which he donated to his home town in the Dominican, so he always had a passion for his homeland. </p>
<p id="Taea5e">The shortstop missed the 2013 season after Tommy John surgery in the spring and never fully recovered. He was a Rookie of the Year, earned three total All-Star nods and won a <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> in 2011 with the Cardinals before retiring in 2015.</p>
<p id="xTqKMD">That made Furcal eligible for the Hall of Fame this year. He was solid defensively and put together a nice resume, finishing his career with a .281/.346/.402 slash line, 314 stolen bases, 1,063 runs scored and over 1,800 hits. His 39.5 career bWar is also impressive. </p>
<p id="xskCmO">Alas, Furcal is not a Hall of Famer, but he is certainly one of the greatest Braves shortstops to suit up in franchise history. </p>
<p id="fEXO5f"><strong>Did you hear? Thanks to you, our dear readers enjoying this series, we have our own </strong><em><strong>Prospect Retrospect </strong></em><strong>hub page now! Be sure to check out those prospects we have already looked at and keep up with who is yet to come below:</strong></p>
<h3 id="Vvk3Li"><a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2020/8/28/21405506/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospective-series"><strong>The Prospect Retrospect Hub</strong></a></h3>
<p id="SYhfIe"></p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2020/9/22/21447204/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospect-rafael-furcalWayne Cavadi2020-09-21T10:00:00-04:002020-09-21T10:00:00-04:00Braves prospect retrospect: Wilson Betemit
<figure>
<img alt="Atlanta Braves third baseman Wilson Betemit looks out of the" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7bj7xsqpd6EDhoDYaUVinTO5qhY=/0x47:3000x2047/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67442361/112924500.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by George Bridges/MCT/Tribune News Service via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Twice a top prospect in the Atlanta Braves system, Betemit etched out an 11-year MLB career. Let’s take a look back at his career.</p> <p id="wOu5d3">There were lofty expectations for <span>Wilson Betemit</span>. He climbed the prospect charts and sat atop the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> organization a couple of times. </p>
<p id="8DK2Oy">His career wasn’t exactly what many expected, but he certainly hung around awhile. Let’s take a look back at his career. </p>
<h3 id="Loy7OQ"><strong>Wilson Betemit, the two-time Braves top prospect</strong></h3>
<p id="GS2AvN">Betemit was signed by the Braves out of the Dominican Republic at the young age of 14. While that not only sounds unbelievable, it was also against Major League Baseball’s rule book, as international free agents had to be 16. Still, the information came to light much later, and Betemit began his professional career as a 15-year-old in the Gulf Coast League.</p>
<p id="PHp7ua">The switch-hitting shortstop spent his first two years in the GCL before breaking out in Danville as a 17-year-old. He earned All-Star honors slashing .320/.383/.463 with 18 doubles and five home runs. Baseball America took notice, and entering the 2000 he cracked the top-100 prospects in baseball, coming in at No. 99.</p>
<p id="bLnPrH">Another strong season in the New York-Penn League in 2000 saw Betemit jump 70 spots, now the No. 29 prospect in baseball and ranked No. 1 overall in the Braves system for the 2001 season. </p>
<p id="2HvKkm">And what a year that 2001 season was. After a modest showing to start the year in Myrtle Beach, the 19-year-old tore up Double-A, slashing .355/.394/514 in 47 games. He even earned his first call to The Show, albeit didn’t register a hit in his first eight games. He was the youngest player to play in MLB that season. </p>
<p id="mvDz9o">He entered the 2002 season once again the top prospect in the Braves system and now the No. 8 overall prospect in the game. He wouldn’t return to the big leagues for two years.</p>
<h3 id="BqlYO3"><strong>Betemit’s return to the big leagues</strong></h3>
<p id="YiFe4b">Betemit was blocked at the shortstop position by the 2000 National League Rookie of the Year Rafael Furcal (<em>Prospect Retrospect </em>coming soon) so he shifted and started to play some third base. Of course, having a future Hall of Famer in <span>Chipper Jones</span> manning the hot corner didn’t make things much easier. </p>
<p id="bmASW5">Now 22, Betemit returned to the Braves in 2004 after three rather ho-hum seasons in Triple-A. His 22-game stint wasn’t anymore inspiring, however, 2005 was a very promising season. He hit .305 with a .794 OPS in 115 games split between third and short and came out firing in 2006. He was hitting .281 with an .842 OPS and nine home runs at the halfway point. That’s when the Braves dealt him to the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> for <span>Willy Aybar</span> and <span>Danys Baez</span>.</p>
<p id="JSqeZy">Betemit’s long trip around Major League Baseball was just getting started. He was dealt at the deadline the following season to the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">New York Yankees</a>. A season later the Yankees dealt him to the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">Chicago White Sox</a> and after just one season on the South Side, he left in free agency for the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Kansas City Royals</a>. </p>
<p id="sRnJWd">Got all that? Good, we still have a long way to go.</p>
<p id="jbK4MF">Betemit had a big season — well, by his standards at — in his 2010 Royals’ debut. He hit .297 with an .889 OPS, slugging 13 home runs and 20 double in 84 games. Naturally, the Royals dealt him at the trade deadline the following season to Detroit where he played 40 games before hitting free agency. He signed with the <a href="https://www.camdenchat.com/">Baltimore Orioles</a> for the 2012 season and was decent before being released after injuries limited him to six MLB games in 2013. Betemit signed on with the <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Tampa Bay Rays</a> in 2014 but never made the big-league club. </p>
<p id="nS3M3M">Betemit’s career in the MLB came to an unofficial end with a 50-game suspension for PEDs in 2015. He floated around the Dominican Winter and Mexican Leagues a few more seasons before hanging it up and becoming the Royals DSL affiliate’s hitting coach in 2019.</p>
<h3 id="Y812gn"><strong>Wilson Betemit, the aftermath</strong></h3>
<p id="FxGDNh">Betemit didn’t come close the prospect rankings placed upon him. His four years in Atlanta ended with a .281 batting average, .774 OPS and 45 extra base hits. He finished an 11-year MLB career with a respectable .267/.332/.442 slash line and a career 104 wRC+, but never really became more than a utility player at any one stop. </p>
<p id="xUAKn4">From the day he signed, his story was so intriguing. Imagine playing baseball at the age of 15 amongst pros and being ranked as a top prospect in just a few short years. A man of many hats, Betemit was an enigma. When was his birthday? Was he going to hit for average or power? What position was he going to play? And how the heck do you pronounce his last name (turns out it is Betem-ee)? However you decide to pronounce it, he definitely made Betemit a known name around baseball for 11 years. </p>
<p id="fEXO5f"><strong>Did you hear? Thanks to you, our dear readers enjoying this series, we have our own </strong><em><strong>Prospect Retrospect </strong></em><strong>hub page now! Be sure to check out those prospects we have already looked at and keep up with who is yet to come below:</strong></p>
<h3 id="Vvk3Li"><a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2020/8/28/21405506/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospective-series"><strong>The Prospect Retrospect Hub</strong></a></h3>
<p id="cSYi8n"></p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2020/9/21/21437292/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospect-wilson-betemitWayne Cavadi2020-09-14T12:00:00-04:002020-09-14T12:00:00-04:00Braves prospect retrospect: Andrelton Simmons
<figure>
<img alt="Toronto Blue Jays v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jFuY6-0n7IgEXJImKzgIjPOpVCI=/0x110:4193x2905/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67403385/488375378.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Atlanta Braves former shortstop was once one of the best defensive prospects in baseball. Let’s take a look back at Andrelton Simmons time in Atlanta.</p> <p id="hrrug4">It didn’t take <span>Andrelton Simmons</span> long to become a fan favorite in his brief time in Atlanta. His trade to the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Los Angeles Angels</a> still stirs the pot a little bit in conversations about the rebuild. </p>
<p id="hnLBM2">But we’ll get to that in a little bit. Let’s take a look back at the career of the man named Simba.</p>
<h3 id="YejioF">
<span><strong>Andrelton Simmons</strong></span><strong> short time as a top MiLB prospect</strong>
</h3>
<p id="GMPUBu">When it comes to looking back at <span>Simmons</span> career in Minor League Baseball, there isn’t a whole lot to discuss. Simmons was recruited from his home country of Curacao to play for Western Oklahoma State College, where he helped lead them to the NJCAA Division II <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-world-series">College World Series</a> and hit .472 as a freshman and threw a 95 mile-per-hour fastball on the bump. </p>
<p id="bViWwK">The <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> selected the slick-fielding shortstop in the second round of the 2010 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb-draft">MLB draft</a> and he was sharp in his half-season debut. Though there were little questions about his glove, many questioned his ability to hit at the next level. Simmons answered the call in 2011, slashing .311/.351/.408 in the Carolina League. </p>
<p id="sqC7ha">Heading into 2012, Simmons was the 92nd-best prospect in the game according to Baseball America and seen by just about everyone as <a href="https://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/10/12/2485724/atlanta-braves-top-20-prospects-for-2012">the fourth-best prospect in the Braves system,</a> only behind the Big Three pitching prospects of <span>Julio Teheran</span>, <span>Arodys Vizcaino</span> and Randall Delgado. After just 44 games in Double-A Mississippi, Simmons was headed to Atlanta, never taking a Triple-A at bat. </p>
<h3 id="RubaAu"><strong>The best defensive shortstop in Major League Baseball</strong></h3>
<p id="MWrTlR">Simmons adjusted well in his rookie season. He made his big-league debut in June and made an immediate impact taking home National League Rookie of the Month honors. He suffered an injury in July and tailed off a bit when he returned in September, but finished his rookie campaign hitting .289 with a .335 on-base percentage (OBP) in 49 games.</p>
<p id="SmJEzD">That same postseason Simmons hit a fly ball between the shortstop and left fielder that is still one of the more debated calls in recent playoff history. That’s all I have to say about that.</p>
<p id="XtaN9T">The 2013 season was one of historic proportions for Simmons. At the plate, he found unexpected power hitting 27 doubles and 17 home runs. Simmons was an interesting hitter in that he was aggressive in his approach, but rarely struck out. He showed that, striking out 55 times in 658 plate appearances, but he rarely drew a walk, finishing with just a .296 OBP. </p>
<p id="LqusYo">In the field, Simmons saved 30 runs per Baseball Reference, which set the record since the dawn of the Defensive Runs Saved metric in 2003. He was the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year — the first of three in a row — and finished 14th in the Most Valuable Player voting. He also won his first of five career Gold Gloves. </p>
<p id="wIfl8S">The 2014 and 2015 seasons were more of the same, although the power faded rather quickly. That didn’t really matter though, because Simmons strength wasn’t creating runs, but saving them, something he did and still does better than most anyone. The Braves locked up Simmons for the long-term in 2014, signing him to a seven-year, $58-million deal.</p>
<p id="DlMVVY">Or so we thought.</p>
<h3 id="jwgkyk"><strong>Simba and the Los Angeles Angels</strong></h3>
<p id="kvXtEH">When the Braves began shedding contracts, Simmons was one of the casualties. In November of 2015, Simba was dealt to the Los Angeles Angels for <span>Erick Aybar</span>, <span>Chris Ellis</span> and <span>Sean Newcomb</span>.</p>
<p id="CcFHir">While many of the trades made a lot of sense, this one stood out as a head scratcher. At the time, <span>Newcomb</span> was indeed one of the premier left-handed prospects in the game, but Simmons was young and locked up through his prime. Though the Braves would be paying him a pretty penny in 2019 and 2020 — $13 million and $15 million respectively — it still seemed like it had value based on his defense. (Author’s note: this is my opinion, not a statement of fact.)</p>
<p id="LGbgDD">Of course a month after the Simmons trade, the Braves dealt for <span>Dansby Swanson</span> and filled the hole left by Simmons at a much more favorable price tag, but we didn’t know that at the time. </p>
<p id="QdOIH3">Simmons went on to break his own Defensive Runs Saved record in 2017 with the California Angels of Los Angeles in Anaheim (which should be their official name), now holding the mark with 40 per Baseball Reference. Since the stat was conceived in 2003, no one has saved more runs than Simmons and per MLB, he has 100 more saved runs than the next closest shortstop since his 2013 full-season debut. That same 2017 season he posted a 5.0 dWAR per Baseball Reference — the third-highest single-season dWAR of all-time.</p>
<p id="pEiX5a">His bat also worked well in his first three seasons with the Angels, hitting a career high .292 in 2018 and re-finding that pop he had in his rookie year with back-to-back double-digit home run seasons. </p>
<p id="TVA8Th">Over the years, Simmons has been called other worldly, an acrobat and even the best defensive shortstop ever. He does things that sometimes you think can’t be done. These are some of my favorite headlines on his play:</p>
<ul>
<li id="jY55eL"><a href="https://www.theringer.com/2017/4/26/16040848/mlb-shortstops-los-angeles-angels-andrelton-simmons-119c55e84657">Andrelton Simmons is Peerless (The Ringer)</a></li>
<li id="8JuIlQ"><a href="https://blogs.fangraphs.com/andrelton-simmons-is-incredible-in-ways-we-cannot-measure/">Andrelton Simmons is Incredible in Ways we Cannot Measure (FanGraphs)</a></li>
<li id="WISYQx"><a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20434823/stop-everything-doing-watch-los-angeles-angels-andrelton-simmons">Stop everything you’re doing and watch Andrelton Simmons (ESPN)</a></li>
</ul>
<p id="mLgujO">A just recently-turned 31, Simmons will hit free agency this offseason for the first time in his career. He has established himself as one of the greatest defensive shortstops of his generation, now with six career Defensive Player of the Year awards at the shortstop position. Although not a hitter of high average, he is reliable enough by not striking out and getting the ball in play frequently. </p>
<p id="OlegeE">He’ll have little issue finding a home in 2021. And when he does, the fans will quickly grow to love having their Simba.</p>
<p id="fEXO5f"><strong>Did you hear? Thanks to you, our dear readers enjoying this series, we have our own </strong><em><strong>Prospect Retrospect </strong></em><strong>hub page now! Be sure to check out those prospects we have already looked at and keep up with who is yet to come below:</strong></p>
<h3 id="Vvk3Li"><a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2020/8/28/21405506/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospective-series"><strong>The Prospect Retrospect Hub</strong></a></h3>
<p id="gftecM"></p>
<p id="LXK7bo"> </p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2020/9/14/21434733/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospect-andrelton-simmonsWayne Cavadi2020-09-10T10:00:00-04:002020-09-10T10:00:00-04:00Braves prospect retrospect: Bruce Chen
<figure>
<img alt="Bruce Chen #48" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HO8TIdMilfEpQnj38MRRs3nfNO8=/0x51:3394x2314/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67382184/1485127.jpg.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p>There was a time when the Atlanta Braves once-top prospect was compared to Greg Maddux. Let’s take </p> <p id="P4cSGn"><span>Bruce Chen</span> has become somewhat an afterthought in <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> prospect lore. But as the Braves were ready to bring in the new century, there were quite a few that prophesied the then-21-year-old left-hander was a young <span>Greg Maddux</span> in the making.</p>
<p id="5E6Ctb">Well, it’s safe to say that isn’t quite how it turned out. But to be fair, there aren’t many that can live up to that kind of billing. </p>
<p id="GlG3A8">How close did Chen get? Let’s take a look back at the long and strange MLB journey of Bruce Chen.</p>
<h3 id="3THzTs"><strong>Bruce Chen: a Top-5 MiLB prospect in all of baseball </strong></h3>
<p id="bRbhi3">Chen, although of Chinese decent, was born and raised in Panama, which was where the Braves found him. He signed with the Braves at the age of 16 in 1993 and began his professional career a year later in the Gulf Coast League. </p>
<p id="slAkZK">After slowly climbing the ranks of rookie and half-season ball, Chen put himself on the map as a 20-year-old in his 1997 South Atlantic League debut. He became an All Star pitching to a 12-7 record with a 3.51 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 182 strikeouts in 146.1 innings.</p>
<p id="qazz2w">He entered the 1998 season ranked by Baseball America in their top 100 for a second year in a row, this time at No. 27. Chen — armed with the rare “polished” four-pitch arsenal of a low-90s fastball, curve, slider and change — climbed three rungs of the ladder in 1998, finishing the season with his MLB debut. He was a Southern League All Star and made quick work of the International League in four starts, posting a 1.88 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 24 innings, although an insanely high 19 walks was worrisome. </p>
<p id="QyfigH">Chen reached Atlanta in September of that ‘98 season and after getting hit hard in his first start, adjusted and made three strong starts to finish the year, hurling 17.1 innings, allowing five runs and striking out 12.</p>
<p id="vDgEjR">The 21-year-old lefty was named the Braves minor league pitcher of the year, the top prospect in the system and the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball by Baseball America heading into the 1999 season.</p>
<h3 id="4HAk5j"><strong>Chen’s career in Atlanta was short-lived</strong></h3>
<p id="prnTfT">The Braves obviously liked what they saw. Denny Neagle, who had won 36 games for the Braves in the previous two seasons, was traded away prior to the 1999 season. Though Chen began the 1999 season in Triple-A for a couple of fine-tuning starts, he was expected to become part of the Atlanta Braves coveted rotation.</p>
<p id="8Vx6s5">Oops.</p>
<p id="Sqasxi">Chen, who earned those lofty comparisons to Maddux for being a clean and precise pitcher, was quite the opposite. He came up in May and in his first six starts of that 1999 season he walked 17 batters and allowed eight home runs (note: he was sent down after those first two starts and did not return until July). </p>
<p id="SUY1KS">Chen appeared in 16 games for the Braves that 1999 season and lost his spot in the rotation. As a reliever in 2000, Chen had a nice start to the season, going 4-0 with a 2.50 ERA, but the walks and home runs allowed were still too high. He was traded to the <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Philadelphia Phillies</a> midway through the season for <span>Andy Ashby</span> and thus concluded Chen’s Braves’ career.</p>
<h3 id="bc0YAi"><strong>Chen was a ramblin’ man</strong></h3>
<p id="fvWf9K">Though Chen’s Braves career came to an end, his big-league career was just getting started. In fact, he became a National League East staple going from the Braves to the Phillies in 2000, the Phillies to the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">New York Mets</a> in 2001 and then the Mets to the Montreal Expos in 2002. </p>
<p id="u6Yzqj">It took awhile for Chen to find a home. In 2004, Chen finally latched on with the <a href="https://www.camdenchat.com/">Orioles</a> where he stayed for three seasons. Now back in the rotation, Chen had the best year of his career: he won 13 games and posted a respectable 3.83 ERA, but he allowed 33 home runs and walked 63 batters in 197.1 innings. The following season was one of the worst of his career: he went 0-7 with a 6.93 ERA allowing 28 home runs... in less than 100 innings pitched.</p>
<p id="tq9kt7">Chen made his way to Kansas City where he spent six seasons and had a late career renaissance. From his age-33 to age-35 season, he made 82 starts and picked up 35 wins for the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a>. When he finally hung it up after the 2015 season with the <a href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a>, he had made a 17-year career for himself playing for 11 different MLB teams. While he never became Greg Maddux, there aren’t many people that figure out how to hang around that long. He was a starter, a long man, a swing man, a set up man, and if you needed someone to walk your dog, Chen would probably do it.</p>
<p id="XmgP3E">He lived in at least 11 MLB cities and probably five or six more minor league ones. Of course, no 17-year career is complete without a season lost to Tommy John, and Chen complied, spending all of 2008 on the shelf. But whenever you look back at photos of Chen, he is smiling. </p>
<p id="aW4lnl">He finished with 82 wins (and 81 losses, which shouldn’t be at all surprising for the odd, yet delightfully average, journey Chen was on). That is the same amount of wins as Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera. That makes him tied for the most wins ever by a Panama-born pitcher. </p>
<p id="My52Hg">Not bad for a guy with Chinese heritage. In fact, at age 39, he un-retired for one last go and pitched very well for China in the 2017 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-baseball-classic">World Baseball Classic</a>. </p>
<p id="ywB9fC">And let’s not forget, <a href="https://twitter.com/OGTedBerg/status/1141709996725587968?s=20">per Ted Berg</a>, Chen is MLB’s all-time leader with three 1.000 batting average seasons (he went 1-for-1 in 2006, 2009 and 2010).</p>
<p id="mWKNdm">Did Chen ever become that No. 4 prospect? Not even close, but somehow, he had himself quite the lengthy career. If you told me he was attempting to comeback for the 2021 season, I’d believe you in heartbeat. </p>
<p id="fEXO5f"><strong>Did you hear? Thanks to you, our dear readers enjoying this series, we have our own </strong><em><strong>Prospect Retrospect </strong></em><strong>hub page now! Be sure to check out those prospects we have already looked at and keep up with who is yet to come below:</strong></p>
<h3 id="Vvk3Li"><a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/2020/8/28/21405506/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospective-series"><strong>The Prospect Retrospect Hub</strong></a></h3>
<p id="Mk28WV"></p>
https://www.batterypower.com/2020/9/10/21424499/atlanta-braves-prospect-retrospect-bruce-chenWayne Cavadi