From: niguma@ug.cs.dal.ca (Gordon Niguma)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Parrallels between Yanks and Braves
Date: 16 Nov 92 18:59:32 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Math, Stats & CS, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada


  Has anyone noticed the similarity between the Yanks and the Braves of
several years ago? Barring typical Steinbrennarian moves I think the Yanks
will follow the Braves and develop a strong, division title in a few years
based on pitching.
  The Yankees don't have any big arms in their arsenal yet with the exception
of Melido Perez. I guess the Braves had Smoltz so they had one guy who was
a good starter in 1990. The Yankees have Brien Taylor, Domingo Jean,
Sam Millitello and Sterling Hitchcock in their minor league system who all
appear to be very good prospects. Following them are players like Bob Wickman,
Russ Springer. The Braves were and still are loaded with pitching of course 
led by the established names of Smoltz, Avery and Glavine and followed by
Pete Smith, Dave Nied, Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers and Mike Stanton (although
one of these guys or more will be gone after tomorrow's draft). Pitchers tend
to burst on the scene once they reach a certain hump; 1990 everything turned
the right way for Atlanta and Avery, Glavine and Smoltz were superstars. The
same could happen for the Yanks but probably at different stages.
  Both the Braves and Yanks have weak infielders, who are essentially glove
men with small bats. This was likely the master plan for Bobby Cox; to surround
his pitchers by good fielders so they would gain confidence and overcome the
park factors to a degree by having some good gloves behind them (Bream,
Belliard, Lemke and Pendleton). Guys like Gallego, Pat Kelly and Stancaksjdh
(if you can't spell it ignore it 8-) ) fit that bill. Charlie Hayes and Don
Mattingly are actually quite comparable to their Atlanta counterparts at the
same stage (1990). Pendleton was a good glove and sporadic hit player for the
Cards and only had one goood year with the bat. At that time I would have
assesed him as a not much power (Hayes has more), no OBP, glove man which
is somewhat similar to where Hayes is now (although I doubt severly that
Hayes will become the Pendleton of the last two years.....I'm just saying that
at 1990 Pendleton wasn't really any better than Charlie Hayes, who would've
thought Pendleton would be an MVP candidate for two straight years after that!)
. Mattingly, is of course, extremely overrated by the mediots as a TWG and so
is Bream to a lesser extent. Mattingly does carry the better BA but he's not
much better than his counterpart Bream.....both are low powered, good glove
first basemen. Mattingly's better but he's no Fred McGriff either.
  New York has big bucks to spend and the Braves did to a lesser extent. The
Yankees appear to be heading in the right direction if they're going to sign
Bonds and Cone; you can't go wrong with these guys. If they want Joe Carter and
Jeff Reardon then they're going backwards and won't clear the hump. If the
Yanks do sign Bonds an outfield of Bonds, O'Neill and Bernie Willians with    
Tart-a-Bull DHing looks like pennant contender to me and is probably superior
to anything the Braves had (or have). 
  So watch the Yanks, I cry to the Blue Jays. Their potential is much greater
than the Jays of 1994-1996.

					Gord Niguma
					(fav player: John Olerud)