What if I told you the Braves just signed a veteran outfielder to a relatively inexpensive contract. Good defense, former 3-time Gold Glove winner. Better hitter than Ender Inciarte, who may not be on the opening day roster. Acuna will play right. Center field is rookie Christian Pache's job to lose. If rookie Drew Waters has a great spring, he could be the starting leftfielder. At worst the veteran will strengthen the bench and provide leadership. He has a career .288 batting average (certainly above average) and is a doubles-hitting machine. But the fans will complain, because the veteran's name is Nick Markakis.
Last year's leftfielder was Adam Duvall, a good home run hitter, but with a woeful career batting average of .233 (.237 last year). Duvall did have an OPS of .882 and .833 in 2019 and 2020. He was injured in the first 2020 playoff game, and missed the rest of the postseason. Appears the Braves and Duvall could not come to terms on a contract. Can the rookie Waters match Duvall's OPS?
With no DH in the National League in 2021, resigning the weak fielding Marcel Ozuna to a monster contract would be a reach. Like Duvall, Ozuna is still a possibility. Fans forget about the phenoms and want immediate big splash signings, though most free agents aren't slam dunks – they come with baggage. Then when the reality of the signing is realized, fans start the complaining all over again.
Catcher Travis d'Arnaud enters his free agent year, so he should be motivated to repeat his strong 2020 season. There's a rookie backstop coming up through the minors that could be ready in 2022.
LF Acuna
2B Albies
1B Freeman
C d'Arnaud
3B Riley
SS Swanson
LF Markakis
CF Pache
P Soroka Fried Morton Anderson Drew Smyly
As I've said, I've kinda been overwhelmed with all that's going on. Well reading John Grisham's "A Time For Mercy" isn't helping my mood. Poor lawyer Jake just keeps having bad things happen to him. A sad story that hopefully has a happy ending.
For Christmas Anna gave me a 30 ounce YETI tumbler to carry my drink around. Super nice, keeps things cold or hot. Kinda heavy. Sometimes I use two hands. Doesn't fit well in my backpack bottle holder. I used to reuse a plastic 32 ounce water bottle for my koolade, but the YETI is nicer. I just keep adding ice or drink or water all throughout the day. Last night when I got my Mtn Dew at Taco Bell I just poured it in with my cherry koolade.
Tuesday: Left work at five. Drove thru Taco Bell. Stopped by two thrift stores. At home I watched The Weakest Link and Seinfeld. Took C's car to get gas. Not much else.
My mom should be getting the vaccine in the next week or two. Guy here at work woke up this morning and had lost the ability to taste, so he went to get tested today. The only times I'd been in his vicinity, at least one of us had been wearing a mask. Admin's son at UGA tested positive, so she's in quarantine. Same with another coworker. Decided to not attend tonight's Hot Stove meeting with my elderly friends in Forsyth County, though masked asymptomatics can't spread the virus, according to the CDC. Missed showing out in my new Braves striped stirrups.
Man I continue to sleep all the way through the night without having to get up in the middle of the night. This has to be good. Planning on starting back hard on the diet and exercise come February first. Trying to let my wrist finish healing before I start back on the weights. Wearing the wrist brace all the time has really helped with the recovery, but the wrist still feels a little weak. I watched a video that said deep sleep was a real key to weight loss. If that were true I should be rail thin, am I right?
I'll be here all week.
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