Musings

So Cory asked the question in his blog. Why exactly is it that the Braves are so keen on trading Adam LaRoche?

I've got a theory. Right now the Braves jave LaRoche at 1B, with really nobody behind him. They have McCann at catcher, and behind him is Jarrod Saltalamacchia. My first intuition is that McCann isn't going anywhere at C, and they would rather move LaRoche to make room for Saltalamacchia.

Saltalamacchia is listed as the Braves' #1 hitting prospect by a wide margin. That is understandable, since he tore up A+ ball in 2005 to the tune of 19 HR, 81 RBI and a .314 AVG. But then last year, he disappeared a bit, hitting .230 with 9 HR and 39 RBI, and for some odd reason he missed pretty much the last month of the season.

If he was hurt, this perhaps lends credence to the theory that he's taking a beating behind the plate. It has always been rumored that Salty would be moved anyways, since 6'4" is big for a catcher. However, even if they do move him, he'll need this year to rediscover his hitting, then next year to lear 1B or OF...

Had Salty had a year in 06 like he did in 05, the Braves would have an issue of his starting this year at AAA and being blocked by McCann. However, it would seem that his (temporary?) regression would have eliminated any need to clear up a minor logjam.

So perhaps the mystery remains...