The Georgia DOT is doing construction on the north side of the connector, so if you're headed down to the game via 75 or 85 southbound you may want to allow an extra half-hour to an hour to get to the park. I drove up 85 today and traffic was backed up all the way back to Georgia 400. I would recommend taking 285 to 20 and get to Atlanta that way -- especially if you're one of those who don't like to sit in traffic. Check out this website before you leave for the park.

And back at the Ted, we won a one-run game last night.... how about that. Hudson had a good outing last night despite the line score that says he gave up five runs. Let's hope Gonzo was just shaking off the second half cobwebs, or serving up some free hits for ex-teammates. The surgeon goes tonight.... let's keep this winning streak going!

The hottest rumor going for the Braves if they are to be buyers at the trade deadline has us acquiring outfielder Xavier Nady from the Pittsburgh Pirates. But do we really want Xavier Nady? 

The Good:

• He's hitting a career best .321 this year with a career best ..525 slugging percentage
  
• He'll be around next year and could be an option to take over at first base after Teixeira leaves
• He's only in his second year of arbitration and would be relatively affordable this year and next
• He's a lifetime .290 hitter at Turner Field (.478 SLG)
• We could prevent the Mets from trading for him (or at the very least we could run up the price on the Mets and hope they don't run up the price on us)

The Bad:

• He's hitting 42 points above his career average this year, and is slugging 71 points above his career average -- how long can he keep that up
  
• One of the people with similar career comps to Nady is Jeff Francoeur (at this point do we want to run the risk of acquiring another Jeff Francoeur)
• The dreaded Scott Boras is his agent
• He's never played more than 130 games in any season
• We would likely have to give up two "quality" prospects in return

Certainly Xavier Nady would not be the sexiest trade acquisition we've made in recent memory, and yet we would still be counting on him to be an offensive spark plug in the lower-middle part of our order for the remainder of the year. The biggest drawback (or red flag) to this trade from my perspective is that Nady has never really shown this kind of offensive prowess in the major leagues. But... he has been fairly consistent throughout this year and maybe at age 29 he's ready to be more than an average major leaguer. If that's the case and we are able to tap into it for a couple of years then I'm okay with this trade. I do like the fact that Nady "could" be a potential replacement for Teixeira at first base next year; I don't think it would be hard to find another outfielder if Nady were to move to first, besides, many of our almost-ready-prospects are outfielders.

While I'd rather not give up any more prospects in trades (especially after the deals last year), this may be the perfect place to use Gorkys Hernandez -- long thought to be a chip we would use in the trade market ever since his acquisition from the Tigers last November. We may also be able to sell high on a pitcher like Kris Medlen. I would probably be okay with that trade, not devestated or blown away, but okay.

We'll have to see if the Braves make this move. With the ability of Nady to play first, this may be a trade that is made whether or not the Braves keep winning in the next week or two, with the intention that Nady would be the replacement needed anyway next year for Tex. A lot depends on what we have to give up, but I'm warming up to this trade more and more.

It's time to see how the Braves handle the second half. Interestingly, our second half starts with the same team that the first half started with. We lost our opening day game to the Washington Nationals by a prophetic one-run. In fact, our first five losses of the season were all by one run. As I said in a column earlier today, this trend of losing games by one run is one of the biggest things the Braves are going to have to reverse if they expect to be competative in the second half.

Here are the top-5 things that must happen for the Braves to make the playoffs this year:

1. Mark Teixeira must repeat the kind of performance he had in the second half last year (and the Braves, of course, must not trade him).
   
2. Either Rafael Soriano, Tom Glavine, or -- heaven forbid -- Mike Hampton must return to our pitching staff and stay healthy and effective for the remainder of the season.
   
3. Jeff Francoeur must hit with runners in scoring position (.198 BA w/RISP in the first half).
   
4. The team must win twice as many one-run games as they lose in the second half; reversing the trend of losing more then three times as many one-run games as they won in the first half.
   
5. Maturity and major league ability must come quickly to Charlie Morton, Jo-Jo Reyes, Brandon Jones and Brent Lillibridge. All three may be counted on to play important roles in the second half.

Oh, and one more thing... we need a lot of luck. The kind of luck and the kind of breaks we didn't get in the first half of the season. We currently have an 11.9% chance of making the playoffs, so if the Braves like being the underdog, they've certainly played themselves into that position.

And in case you were wondering, I actually wrote this piece yesterday afternoon before the AJC published their list of five.

I've had my say...

1. Jason Heyward, OF
2. Tommy Hanson, RHP
3. Jordan Schafer, OF
4. Gorkys Hernandez, OF
5. Julio Teheran, RHP
6. Jeff Locke, LHP
7. Brent Lillibridge, SS
8. Cole Rohrbough, LHP
9. Brandon Jones, OF
10. Freddie Freeman, 1B
11. Kris Medlen, RHP
12. Tyler Flowers, C
13. Brandon Hicks, SS
14. Cody Johnson, OF
15. Charlie Morton, RHP
16. Travis Jones, 2B
17. Kevin Gunderson, LHP
18. Todd Redmond, RHP
19. Richard Sullivan, LHP
20. Eric Campbell, 3B
21. Van Pope, 3B
22. Cory Gearrin, RHP
23. Jon Gilmore, 3B
24. Scott Diamond, LHP
25. Edgar Osuna, LHP
    

... now it's your turn. Post your top-25 Braves mid-season prospects in the comments section (feel free to explain your ranking or feel free to just rank them). I'll give you until Saturday night and then I'll tally up all the rankings and see what kind of combined top-25 we come up with. Have fun!

Firstly, get your mind out of the gutter. Secondly, think about the Braves and their never give in approach and their play for one year approach. The price for Matt Holliday of the Rockies is likely a pretty steep one. He’ll be around for next year (like Tex was last year) and he’s got good enough power and hitting numbers away from Coors for other teams not be scared off from dealing top prospects for him. The scenario I’m about to unravel is highly unlikely, but it occurred to me, I have a blog, so I put it out there for all to comment on.

First of all the assumption is that there truly is a team that has a need for Mark Teixeira, something the blogosphere’s trade rumor clearinghouse (MLBTR) doesn’t think there is. Take for instance the Angels, who would love more power, but don’t want to supplant Kotchman at first for the future, don’t need another outfielder, and aren’t usually a team that trade away a ton of prospects. In that instance this Teixeira-Holliday three-way might match up pretty good.

Here’s the magical mythical deal:
Angels – get Mark Teixeira; give up one A+ prospect and one B prospect
Braves – get Matt Holliday; give up Teixeira and one A- prospect
Rockies – get two A prospects and a B prospect; give up Matt Holliday

Crazy, wild, far-fetched, I know.  Sometimes trades are all about how teams match-up, not about what a team has to offer or what a team has to give up. The Angles usually do not like to give up the haul of prospects needed to get one of the two best hitters available, but with the Braves kicking in an extra prospect to the Rockies the deal might seem palatable for the other two teams involved. The Rockies would also have a better selection of prospects to choose from. Of course, would the trade be palatable for the Braves?

In this scenario we’re giving up Teixeira and the chance to get perhaps two prospects from the Angels or two draft picks should we not resign Teixeira. But we’re already revamping our team for next year with the hottest bat on the trade market. We are, of course, giving up a second top-prospect, but remember that’s what prospects are for, and traditionally that’s how the Braves have treated their prospects – as fodder for trades. This move actually allows us to keep more prospects than we would have normally had to give up for the likes of a Matt Holliday. We presumably would still get two draft picks for Holliday, when his agent, Scott Boras, takes him to free agency after 2009, so all we’ve really given up is one prospect and we’ve added a premier hitter for a run at the postseason next year.

Anyway, this is just a pure hypothetical, but in the era of creative trading and trying to find ways to match up Teixeira with a willing recipient, things like this could begin to circulate.

From a Mississippi Braves Press Release:

The Mississippi Braves are proud to announce that RHP Kris Medlen has been named the Southern League's Pitcher of the Week for the week ending July 12th.
 
Medlen continued his seamless transition from reliever to starter with a 2.08 ERA and a league-leading 16 strikeouts in two outings during the week. The 22-year-old Medlen allowed just four hits and struck out a career-high 10 batters in seven innings of an eventual 4-3 victory against Chattanooga on July 7.
 
Five days later, he gave up five hits and recorded six strikeouts in six innings of a 2-0 win at Jacksonville. That triumph enabled the Braves to enter the All-Star break with a one-game lead atop the South Division's second-half standings.
 
A closer to begin his professional career, Medlen made 77 relief appearances before his first career start on June 5. In eight starts, the native of Norwalk, CA has gone 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 43 innings.

I've always liked Medlen, and his transition to starting has been a fantastic story to watch.

Here are my top-10 mid-season Braves prospects. There’s a lot of talent in this group, and a lot of excitement for the future of Braves baseball. Tomorrow you will be asked to post your own top-25, so keep working on your list.

1. Jason Heyward, OF – Like the Tina Turner song says, “simply the best, better than all the rest.” He’s shown he’s talented beyond his age this year at Rome. Everyone who follows the Braves prospects have been calling for him to be promoted to Myrtle Beach, but the Braves seem to be taking it easy with Heyward, allowing him to get settled into a full season team. He’s their top dog and that’s not going to change, but at some point he’s going to make great leaps through the minor leagues.
2. Tommy Hanson, RHP – The no-hitter was the icing on his season so far. After dominating at the Beach he struggled some at Mississippi before figuring it out, but sometimes struggling is what a prospect needs to get better, and Hanson is indeed getting better. This year may be too early for his arrival in Atlanta, but he’s a definite possibility for the rotation next year.
3. Jordan Schafer, OF – He’s got the stain of an HGH suspension to follow him around, but he’s got too much talent to let it distract him for too long. While he’s not hitting for a great average at Mississippi, his power numbers and on-base percentage are right about where they need to be. His timetable may have to be pushed back from a 2008 arrival in Atlanta to a 2009 arrival, but he’s young enough to where that’s probably a good thing.
4. Gorkys Hernandez, OF – After getting off to a hot start he has cooled down some, but he’s still got some of the best talent in the system, and at the end of the year his stats will be right where they should be.
5. Julio Teheran, RHP – Teheran has been slowed this year at Danville due to some nagging injuries and the Braves are being super-cautious with him, and rightfully so. He’s still very young (he was born in 1991) so he has plenty of time to work out the kinks before he’s expected to be major league ready. We have yet to see any proof of all the hype that surrounded Teheran as the top prospect in Latin America last year, but his hype and super-star potential will still get him listed high on this list.
6. Jeff Locke, LHP – Locke got off to a terrible start at Rome, but again, working through struggles is usually good for a prospect. And he has indeed worked through his early season problems and is beginning to dominate. His ERA has gone from 5.63 in April, to 4.13 in May, to 3.26 in June, to 1.29 in July. He’s also averaging almost six innings a start, proving that in addition to a very talented pitcher he may be counted on as a workhorse in the rotation.
7. Brent Lillibridge, SS – He’s struggled at Richmond and he’s struggled in the majors, but he still has a lot of talent and a chance to be a very good major leaguer. He may need more time in the minors, but it looks like for the immediate future he will get a chance to fill in for Escobar and serve as a utility player in the majors.
8. Cole Rohrbough, LHP – He has struggled this year with injuries and control, but the stuff is still there. It would be nice to see a bit more in the results department or some other guys may pass him in these rankings.
9. Brandon Jones, OF – Like Lillibridge, Jones has struggled some at both Richmond and in the majors. At Richmond his power has been absent and his strikeouts are up. In his stint in the majors his power has been present, but his strikeout rate is still way too high. He is yet to play a full year at triple-A and may benefit from some more time in the minors.
10. Freddie Freeman, 1B – As good as Heyward has been at Rome, Freeman has been right on his tail all year long and has arguably been just as good. He has displayed more power while striking out less than Heyward. If he has a good second half he will find himself even closer to the top of this list.

Chipper Jones is hitting fifth between Pujols and Holliday... not a bad spot.

Brian McCann should get in there at some point -- his third consecutive All-Star game. I wonder what Jeff Francoeur thinks of that. By the way, McCann has already equaled last year's homerun total.