Post by Agent Kev on Dec 16, 2004 21:28:51 GMT -5
Yikes. After all of those Cooperstown-tinted seasons with Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine atop the rotation, Atlanta struck gold again by dealing for Oakland ace Tim Hudson on a winter's afternoon that brought sobering news for any National League team thinking 13 consecutive division titles is enough for the Braves.
"We think this pitching staff has the capability of pitching as well as or better than any pitching staff we've ever assembled," said Braves general manager John Schuerholz, and let's just say that that ain't exactly like, say, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays proclaiming that they've got their best staff ever.
Wow. In Hudson, Smoltz and Mike Hampton, the Braves have a top three as good as anybody in the game (assuming Smoltz bounces back from three seasons as a closer and remains healthy and strong as a starter, of course).
In John Thomson, the Braves have a 14-game winner who compiled a 3.72 ERA in '04 pitching all the way down in the fourth slot in the rotation.
In Horacio Ramirez, whom Schuerholz says is completely healthy after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in mid-October, the Braves have a fifth starter who was their best starter during nine pre-injury starts in '04 in which he compiled a sparkling 2.39 ERA.
"As you can tell by our approach, we've gone back to the old-fashioned Braves teams that won championships with dominant pitching," Schuerholz said.
"We think this pitching staff has the capability of pitching as well as or better than any pitching staff we've ever assembled," said Braves general manager John Schuerholz, and let's just say that that ain't exactly like, say, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays proclaiming that they've got their best staff ever.
Wow. In Hudson, Smoltz and Mike Hampton, the Braves have a top three as good as anybody in the game (assuming Smoltz bounces back from three seasons as a closer and remains healthy and strong as a starter, of course).
In John Thomson, the Braves have a 14-game winner who compiled a 3.72 ERA in '04 pitching all the way down in the fourth slot in the rotation.
In Horacio Ramirez, whom Schuerholz says is completely healthy after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in mid-October, the Braves have a fifth starter who was their best starter during nine pre-injury starts in '04 in which he compiled a sparkling 2.39 ERA.
"As you can tell by our approach, we've gone back to the old-fashioned Braves teams that won championships with dominant pitching," Schuerholz said.
