Sunday, April 02, 2006
Davies likely sews up rotation spot
03/22/2006
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With Opening Day 12 days away, the Braves face the enviable dilemma of having too many quality candidates to fill their starting rotation.
But as the regular season nears its start, it's becoming much safer to assume that Kyle Davies will begin the season in the Atlanta rotation and that either John Thomson or Jorge Sosa will soon be traded.
Davies strengthened his bid with five scoreless innings against the Phillies at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex Wednesday. It was a shaky sixth inning from a rusty Sosa that allowed the visitors to come back and then salvage a 4-4 tie in a game called after 10 innings.
"I said when we came here [Davies] belongs in the big leagues," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "I really believe that. He's really got everything down right now that you'd want in a pitcher."
Davies, who made 14 starts for Atlanta last year, has allowed just one run in 14 Grapefruit League innings. The 22-year-old right-hander will make two more exhibition appearances and then assume his likely spot in the Atlanta rotation.
"I feel good about the results," Davies said. "But it's more or less about getting your arm ready for the season, wherever it's going to be."
While there's still a chance Davies could start the year at Triple-A Richmond, the ringing endorsements he's received from Cox and his teammates after his past two appearances seem to indicate otherwise.
"He's certainly got the makeup and the stuff to be a really, really good one," Chipper Jones said. "I don't think there's any doubt about that. We've just got to let him get his sea legs. When he gets them, I can see him as a future [number] one or two starter."
Making the relatively safe assumption that John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Horacio Ramirez and Davies have secured four of the spots in the five-man rotation, the Braves now must decide what to do with Thomson and Sosa, who are both drawing some interest in the trade market.
With top scout Jim Fregosi having arrived in town this week for meetings, the chances of the Braves making yet another late March trade have increased. During the past two years, they've acquired Chris Reitsma and Sosa during the final week of camp.
The Braves would like to use their depth in the starting pitching department to help strengthen an injury-plagued bullpen. But there are very few teams willing to part ways with relievers who would provide equal compensation in exchange for either Sosa or Thomson.
As for Davies, he falls into that untouchable category. Jason Schmidt and Jason Marquis were also once labeled "can't misses" in the Braves' Minor League system. But neither can match what Davies does both mentally and physically.
"He's just a starting pitcher," Braves catcher Brian McCann said. "He's got three pitches, and he can throw them all for strikes. With his demeanor, he's got the best poise I've seen."
McCann grew up playing against Davies in the Atlanta area, and the two spent a number of seasons together in the Minor League system. They began the 2004 season together at Advanced Class A Myrtle Beach, where in 14 starts, the young right-hander limited opponents to a .208 batting average.
"He was unhittable in the Minor Leagues," said McCann, who enters this season as Atlanta's starting catcher.
Davies' physical abilities may only be dwarfed by his mental strength, which was immediately displayed during the five scoreless innings he provided in his May 21 Major League debut against the Red Sox at Fenway Park last year.
Davies allowed just two runs and totaled 23 1/3 innings in his first four career starts. By the time the 2005 season concluded, his statistics as a starter included a 4.28 ERA and .274 batting average allowed.
His struggles came because of his inability to keep the ball down in the strike zone. Thinking back, he believes that was a result of trying to be too fine and precise in the strike zone.
"I feel like sometimes when I leave the ball up is when I don't want to throw the ball and I'm trying to place the ball," Davies said. "This year, I'm not taking that attitude into any start. I'm just going out there and trying to pitch and give 100 percent every time."
Even if the seemingly obvious proves to be wrong and Davies does indeed begin this season in Richmond, he's determined to stay focused and await his chance to continue his construction of what appears to be a very promising big-league career.
"If I go there, it's not something I'm going to get down about," Davies said. "If they send me there, I'm just going to pitch. That's all you can do."
Keeping with that theme, it appears he's already done all he had to do to prove he belongs in the Atlanta rotation.
Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With Opening Day 12 days away, the Braves face the enviable dilemma of having too many quality candidates to fill their starting rotation.
But as the regular season nears its start, it's becoming much safer to assume that Kyle Davies will begin the season in the Atlanta rotation and that either John Thomson or Jorge Sosa will soon be traded.
Davies strengthened his bid with five scoreless innings against the Phillies at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex Wednesday. It was a shaky sixth inning from a rusty Sosa that allowed the visitors to come back and then salvage a 4-4 tie in a game called after 10 innings.
"I said when we came here [Davies] belongs in the big leagues," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "I really believe that. He's really got everything down right now that you'd want in a pitcher."
Davies, who made 14 starts for Atlanta last year, has allowed just one run in 14 Grapefruit League innings. The 22-year-old right-hander will make two more exhibition appearances and then assume his likely spot in the Atlanta rotation.
"I feel good about the results," Davies said. "But it's more or less about getting your arm ready for the season, wherever it's going to be."
While there's still a chance Davies could start the year at Triple-A Richmond, the ringing endorsements he's received from Cox and his teammates after his past two appearances seem to indicate otherwise.
"He's certainly got the makeup and the stuff to be a really, really good one," Chipper Jones said. "I don't think there's any doubt about that. We've just got to let him get his sea legs. When he gets them, I can see him as a future [number] one or two starter."
Making the relatively safe assumption that John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Horacio Ramirez and Davies have secured four of the spots in the five-man rotation, the Braves now must decide what to do with Thomson and Sosa, who are both drawing some interest in the trade market.
With top scout Jim Fregosi having arrived in town this week for meetings, the chances of the Braves making yet another late March trade have increased. During the past two years, they've acquired Chris Reitsma and Sosa during the final week of camp.
The Braves would like to use their depth in the starting pitching department to help strengthen an injury-plagued bullpen. But there are very few teams willing to part ways with relievers who would provide equal compensation in exchange for either Sosa or Thomson.
As for Davies, he falls into that untouchable category. Jason Schmidt and Jason Marquis were also once labeled "can't misses" in the Braves' Minor League system. But neither can match what Davies does both mentally and physically.
"He's just a starting pitcher," Braves catcher Brian McCann said. "He's got three pitches, and he can throw them all for strikes. With his demeanor, he's got the best poise I've seen."
McCann grew up playing against Davies in the Atlanta area, and the two spent a number of seasons together in the Minor League system. They began the 2004 season together at Advanced Class A Myrtle Beach, where in 14 starts, the young right-hander limited opponents to a .208 batting average.
"He was unhittable in the Minor Leagues," said McCann, who enters this season as Atlanta's starting catcher.
Davies' physical abilities may only be dwarfed by his mental strength, which was immediately displayed during the five scoreless innings he provided in his May 21 Major League debut against the Red Sox at Fenway Park last year.
Davies allowed just two runs and totaled 23 1/3 innings in his first four career starts. By the time the 2005 season concluded, his statistics as a starter included a 4.28 ERA and .274 batting average allowed.
His struggles came because of his inability to keep the ball down in the strike zone. Thinking back, he believes that was a result of trying to be too fine and precise in the strike zone.
"I feel like sometimes when I leave the ball up is when I don't want to throw the ball and I'm trying to place the ball," Davies said. "This year, I'm not taking that attitude into any start. I'm just going out there and trying to pitch and give 100 percent every time."
Even if the seemingly obvious proves to be wrong and Davies does indeed begin this season in Richmond, he's determined to stay focused and await his chance to continue his construction of what appears to be a very promising big-league career.
"If I go there, it's not something I'm going to get down about," Davies said. "If they send me there, I'm just going to pitch. That's all you can do."
Keeping with that theme, it appears he's already done all he had to do to prove he belongs in the Atlanta rotation.
Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/
