Latest news with #BrianSnitker
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Michael Harris II is an elite defender, but Braves are still hoping for offensive resurgence
ATLANTA — Braves center fielder Michael Harris II expresses himself with an array of distinctive headbands, color-coordinated neon-bright cleats, batting gloves and arm sleeves, and some of the most spectacular catches we've seen since 10-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones manned that same center-field position in Atlanta. Advertisement But what 'Money Mike' would like to add to his featured mix is more hits. The Braves know he's a much better hitter than he's shown this season, and for much of 2024, because he's hit before at a far better rate than now. And almost every other lineup regular in the majors has hit better than Harris this season. Even after getting three hits in Thursday's doubleheader split at Philadelphia, including two off lefties, Harris entered Friday's series opener against the Boston Red Sox batting .229 with a .597 OPS, the fourth-lowest among National League qualifiers. His 66 OPS+ through Thursday was 34 percentage points below a baseline-average MLB player, though his defense remained elite — he was tied for third among MLB center fielders with 6 Outs Above Average before Friday. Mike brought this one back! 💸@MoneyyyMikeee | #BravesCountry — Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 29, 2025 'Michael is still a young player that's figuring some things out,' Braves manager Brian Snitker said. 'I know the one thing he's not doing is taking the offensive (struggles) to center field, because he's making highlight catches every day. I think you're seeing a young player that's still figuring things out, and he's going to get better. The upside is really big with a talented kid, a guy like that. He has strength and speed and can play defense. You know, this hitting is tough.' What makes it all the more frustrating for Harris, 24, and the Braves is what he's done before: He hit .295 with an .828 OPS during his first two MLB seasons in 2022-2023, with a 124 OPS+ in that span. That included a 133 OPS+ in his rookie season, when Harris was brought up directly from Double A. The Atlanta-area native hit .297 with 19 home runs and a .514 slugging percentage in 114 games as a 21-year-old that season, when Harris was NL Rookie of the Year ahead of teammate Spencer Strider. Advertisement But it's three years later, and Harris hit .214 with six extra-base hits, including no home runs in his past 26 games before Friday. He ranked among the majors' bottom 20 qualifiers with a .338 slugging percentage. He's one of the more personable and popular players in the clubhouse and among the fan base, so there are a lot of folks hoping Harris can get back on track with his hitting. He did have 14 RBIs in those 26 games, but his .257 OBP and one run scored (yes, one) over that span were jarring for a player who sprints to catch balls in the gaps and at the wall — or over the wall, as was the case Thursday in Philadelphia, when he leaped to rob Max Kepler of a home run. Braves third baseman Austin Riley said hitting success in the majors is often about making adjustments. And he can commiserate with Harris, albeit in different circumstances. Riley hit .349 with eight homers and a 1.150 OPS in the first 16 games of his career in 2019. Then pitchers figured out his weakness and started throwing him sliders away. Riley then hit .190 with a .632 OPS and 85 strikeouts in 211 at-bats over his final 64 games, his struggles exacerbated by a knee injury that sidelined him for a month beginning in early August. He sees Harris going through it now, an expression players use for slumping. 'I went through it,' Riley said. 'I came out hot, and then they started figuring me out. I think it's just more about just learning that game-inside-the-game, of just the adjustments on a daily basis. What (the pitcher) is trying to do to you, and also a big thing is understanding who's behind the plate, the catcher. Because you can start developing or figuring out tendencies on certain catchers and how they call games.' Never have there been as many analytics and sophisticated scouting of opposing players as there are now. If a hitter has a weakness, it will be exploited quickly until the hitter fixes the hole in his swing or the flaw in his approach. Advertisement 'Everybody knows your cold zones, from a hitting standpoint,' Riley said. 'Everybody knows where your holes are. I think the biggest thing is sticking to your strengths versus (worrying about the pitcher's) strengths and what they're trying to do. Because pitchers are really good, but their ability to throw in that certain location three times a row — it's not likely to happen. So I think just understanding — and I went through it too — you kind of tend to fall into that trap of thinking about what they're trying to do to you versus like, OK, let me get back to what I want to do.' Braves first-year hitting coach Tim Hyers has watched plenty of video of Harris when he was going well early in his career and also last season when he surged after a two-month IL stint for a serious hamstring strain. 'This league makes you make adjustments,' said Hyers, a former major-league journeyman who has World Series rings as a hitting coach with Texas and Boston. 'They have an army of guys on the other side that are putting game plans together, trying to find ways to get you out. So, yeah, absolutely, it can be harsh at times, and there is a learning curve. But I also think even to veteran guys, I mean, the league makes you make those adjustments. 'Because it's a copycat league. From series to series, the teams take their own data, but they also blend in what you're doing. Are you hitting the high fastball? So they take their strengths and your weaknesses and they blend them. I think that's the art of a young guy learning how to make those adjustments and not get too far away from himself. That's where a lot of young guys make mistakes, is they get away from their foundation. In trying to get in that survive mode, sometimes they lose themselves.' Which brings us to something that Harris and others, to be fair, have been working to correct. 'I think the high fastball in general — not micro'ing it (to Harris) — but high fastballs for many low-ball hitters,' Hyers said. 'Five or six years ago, everybody started to (throw fastballs up in the strike zone). Because everybody was trying to defend it, and they still made mistakes down. They still threw balls down. But we were trying to survive and everything, and we lost a strength (hitting low strikes).' Hyers said of Harris: 'He's got to get the ball off the ground. Got to find that swing plane again to redirect the baseball hard. And I think that's what he's trying to work on, and he needs to keep focusing in on it, because they're finding ways to get below his barrel and get a lot of ground balls. So he's trying to find his move, to find that swing plane, to get back to getting the ball (up) — and it's not lazy fly balls, but just redirect it. Be a line-drive machine.' Thursday was a good start, particularly his two hits off Phillies lefties, a single off starter Cristopher Sánchez and an RBI double against reliever Matt Strahm. Tie ballgame!@MoneyyyMikeee | #BravesCountry — Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 29, 2025 'It can do a lot, especially against a guy like Sánchez, who I haven't had a lot of success against,' Harris said. 'Being able to not just get a hit, but hit it hard, see it well. It was good, that first hit. And then the double, it was good to see a slider and stay on it, and drive in a run.' 'He's got a couple of big hits here lately,' Snitker said. 'It's like everybody else. I mean, we're just kind of waiting for this whole group to get off at the same time, pretty much. It was encouraging to see some individuals (get going), and we're just kind of still waiting to put it together as a team, which allows you to get on a roll a lot of times.' Advertisement Harris said he can feel it coming, that he's getting closer to where he wants to be with his approach and swing. 'Yeah, yeah, for sure,' he said. 'I've been working nonstop on some things to be in the best position to hit, for me. I've been working, and I'm glad I was able to get some results at the plate.'
Associated Press
2 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Braves RHP AJ Smith-Shawver diagnosed with torn UCL, placed on 60-day injured list
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Braves rookie right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver has a torn UCL in his pitching elbow, the team said Friday. Smith-Shawver left Thursday's 5–4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in a doubleheader opener and said he felt a 'pop.' The 22-year-old was initially placed on the 15-day injured list before being moved to the 60-day IL on Friday. '(His evaluation) showed a tear on his imaging,' Braves manager Brian Snitker said before Atlanta opened a three-game series against Boston. 'He'll consult with the physicians or doctors and they'll decide what the next step is.' Snitker said he didn't know if Smith-Shawver would need Tommy John surgery. On Thursday, Smith-Shawver appeared to say 'pop' toward Snitker after a third-inning pitch to Trea Turner. He gave up a go-ahead, two-run homer to Rafael Marchán, then took a 96.6 mph line drive off his right ankle on a a ball hit by Bryson Stott with one out. Smith-Shawver threw a warmup pitch and stayed in the game, then left after wincing while allowing a flyout to Turner on the fourth pitch of the at-bat. Smith-Shawver is 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA in nine starts and 44 1/3 innings, striking out 42 and walking 21. 'It's tough for all (young pitchers) when it happens,' Snitker said. 'Especially where he was, feeling good about himself and throwing good.' ___ AP MLB:
Reuters
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Braves' Chris Sale becomes fastest to 2,500 strikeouts
May 30 - Chris Sale made baseball history on Thursday with his last pitch of the night. The Atlanta Braves ace fanned the Philadelphia Phillies' Edmundo Sosa to end the sixth inning, the 2,500th strikeout of Sale's career. The left-hander became the fastest in baseball history to reach the 2,500-K milestone, getting there in 2,026 innings. The record previously was held by Randy Johnson, when he fanned his 2,500th batter after 2,107 2/3 innings in 1999. "I appreciate it for what it is, but I try not to get too caught up in stuff like that right now," Sale said after the Braves closed out a 9-3 win to gain a split of a day-night doubleheader in Philadelphia. "I know what our job is here. And no matter whether you have a good one or a bad one, the next one is the most important one." Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said of Sale, "He's kind of doing Hall of Fame stuff. That guy is probably as big a baseball fan as anybody, just the history of the game and the competition. He's a ballplayer, and it's really cool to watch." After allowing two hits and three walks while striking out eight Phillies, Sale is 3-3 with a 3.06 ERA through 12 starts this year. While his numbers are decent, they are far off the production he managed last year en route to winning the National League Cy Young Award. Sale won the pitching Triple Crown by leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225). He took just three losses and also topped the majors in fewest homers allowed per nine innings (0.5) and most strikeouts per nine innings (11.4). Sale, 36, is an eight-time All-Star who helped the Boston Red Sox win the 2018 World Series. He has pitched for the Chicago White Sox (2010-16), Boston (2017-19, 2021-23) and Atlanta (2024-25). He owns a career 141-86 record with a 3.04 ERA in 384 career games, 304 starts. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Smith-Shawver手肘受傷退場 勇士教頭：不太妙
勇士與費城人今天(30日)進行雙重賽，沒想到第1場比賽先發投手AJ Smith-Shawver投不滿3局就因為右手肘受傷提前退場，而總教練Brian Snitker則說Smith-Shawver的情況看起來不太妙。 AJ Smith-Shawver。圖片來源：達志影像 第3局當Smith-Shawver被費城人捕手Rafael Marchan敲出全壘打後，隨即被Bryson Stott擊出的強襲球打到右腳跟形成安打，而在面對Trea Turner時，Smith-Shawver有望休息區看了一下，儘管之後解決Turner但也被換下場。 Snitker賽後表示：「他當時對我說『在投Turner時我聽到斷裂的聲音』，我當時不知道他是否是指手肘，或者是阿基里斯腱還是腳跟讓他感到困擾。」 而在雙傷進行第2場比賽前，Smith-Shawver就已先離隊回到亞特蘭大接受進一步的檢查，此舉通常代表是出現重大傷勢。 Smith-Shawver的受傷退場讓勇士教練團浮現去年主力先發投手 Spencer Strider受傷當下的既視感，Strider之後動了手肘手術，直到今年才復出。 值得一提的是，Smith-Shawver第1局對Turner曾投出生涯第2快的99.6英哩速球，且今天速球均速來到97.1英哩寫下生涯單場新高；而連同今天比賽在內，他連續3場出賽的速球均速均刷新個人紀錄：5月16日為96.8英哩、5月23日為96.9英哩。 Snitker指出：「我不認為那傷勢與之前被強襲球打到有任何關係，我認為那是他的球速所帶來的結果，他之前投的非常好，所以這有點像是注定會發生的事情。」 現年22歲的Smith-Shawver雖然早在2023年就登上大聯盟，但過去2年投球局數不到30局，因此今年仍具備新人資格，而他開季前7場比賽繳出3勝2敗、自責分率2.33的驚人數據，大有挑戰國聯新人獎的氣勢，直到上周對國民才遭到砲擊，僅投3局就狂失7分。連同今天在內，本季9場出賽自責分率為3.86。 如果Smith-Shawver的傷勢得缺席不短的時間，那將是勇士遭遇的另一次重大挫折，難怪捕手 Sean Murphy會說：「感覺糟透了，他之前一直投的很好。」 - ✎緯來體育台官方網站 【 】 ✎緯來新聞網 【 】 ✎緯來體育台官方YouTube收看NBA LIVE直播 【 】 緯來體育台-2024-25NBA美國職籃大賽-賽程轉播表
Reuters
3 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Braves RHP AJ Smith-Shawver exits start after feeling 'pop' in elbow
Atlanta Braves right-handed pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver exited Thursday's start with a right elbow injury after he "felt it pop," according to Braves manager Brian Snitker. In the third inning of an eventual 5-4 road loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader, Smith-Shawver was struck in his right ankle by a comebacker off the bat of Bryson Stott. After throwing a warmup pitch, the righty remained in the game before wincing while allowing a flyout to Trea Turner. "Anytime you hear those words, when they describe soreness and 'I felt something pop,' then that's usually not real good," Snitker said. "But we've got to look at it first." Smith-Shawver was sent back to Atlanta for additional testing. He was 3-2 with a 3.67 ERA heading into Thursday, including a 3-0 record with a 3.27 ERA over his past six starts. He allowed two runs on three hits over 2 2/3 innings of a no-decision. --Field Level Media
