Willy Aybar

[McCarroll21]

Okay, most of you know that I was a bigtime supporter of the Willy Aybar trade when it went down. I think Aybar and Betemit are the same player, though Aybar is younger, has a better idea of the strike zone and has yet to tap into all of his talent, especially in terms of power.

Anyway, Aybar Time has officially arrived in Atlanta. I think last night marked his arrival.

Since coming to us, he's done this...
AVG .283 | OBP .368 | SLG .409 | OPS .787
...while playing most of August with a broken bone in his hand.

His September numbers, which show him fully healthy, are even better than that...
AVG .359 | OBP .431 | SLG .500 | OPS .931...all 7 of his XBH (6 2B and 1 HR) have come during September. While upping his power numbers, he's also taken a walk every 10.3 times he comes to the plate.

I think it's safe to say he is tapping into that potential that JS saw when he made the deal. I think we need to play him at 2B some over the course of the next week to see how he does there. If he does well, say goodbye to Giles and make the 2B job his to lose in the Spring ... or has that already been done?

[Jsh1284]

Agreed. I really like Aybar. He reminds me of a smaller Edgar Renteria for some reason ... and thats a huge compliment IMO. You are also right about his all-around ability.

Willy can take a walk .. (as you can see in Mc's ^ post. Thats a very attractive number especially when you realize he has been hurting ever since his first game with us.) Combine that with an above average arm and that good range he has displayed (sample size of course) and we've got a better than average second baseman.

We already have a high quality 2B though. Thats a problem... a very GOOD problem, actually. :) This is why I think Giles will be somewhere else. Along with Tim Hudson and Horacio Ramirez.
:beer: :gobraves:

[Nasadega]

I'll wait until he plays more before thinking of him fulltime at 2B. Ofcourse he's showing great abilities, but being good one month is good, one year is better

[Adam's Army]

I do think that Giles is till a very good 2b, just not a lead off guy. however, I think Aybar has the ability be our every day 2B, which means Giles will be gone, which means we have a quality 2B for not much $ in Aybar, which means more money to spend else where (say on pitching).

Also this may come back and bite me in the ass, but I dont think Hudson is going anywhere, and I think he can return to form

[vnodnarb]

give giles arbitration, trade him, make willy our 2nd basemen and leadoff guy, even an average hitter will be fine with the rest of our lineup, then just focus the rest of the offseason on pitching

[McCarroll21]

I'll wait until he plays more before thinking of him fulltime at 2B. Ofcourse he's showing great abilities, but being good one month is good, one year is betterI just want to say that I don't honestly think Aybar is a .359 hitter and a .900+ OPS man, but I do think that his walk total for this month are for real. His OBP is being boosted by his average, but I still think that over the course of a year he could post a .390-.400 OBP.


I do think that Giles is till a very good 2b, just not a lead off guy. however, I think Aybar has the ability be our every day 2B, which means Giles will be gone, which means we have a quality 2B for not much $ in Aybar, which means more money to spend else where (say on pitching).

Also this may come back and bite me in the ass, but I dont think Hudson is going anywhere, and I think he can return to formI think you hit the nail on the head when you talk about more money, or even trading Giles for pitching when we have a guy who can adequately play 2B for us. And as for Hudson, I think he can return to form, but I don't know if he can do that in Atlanta. We'll wait and see ... the only thing I can say for sure is that I will hope he is very successful next year (whether it's with us or someone else), unless he's traded to a division rival, of course.


give giles arbitration, trade him, make willy our 2nd basemen and leadoff guy, even an average hitter will be fine with the rest of our lineup, then just focus the rest of the offseason on pitchingIf Giles is traded, it will be before we go through arbitration with him. This will allow his new team to work out the contract negotiations. But I agree with your solution.

[Chief Knockahoma]

Chief <3's http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_430632.jpg

[hotcorner33]

Willy Aybar will be a very productive hitter in his career. Here are my projected career totals for him:

2000 games
6500 at-bats
1800 hits
250 homers
.965 fld. pct

There you go.

[Nasadega]

.276 career AVG ? eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew

[hotcorner33]

.276 career AVG ? eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew


That is an o.k. average. He is not gonna tear it up in the avg dept.

[Chief Knockahoma]

yeah, because Andruw's AVG is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO impressive

[oyhstah crachah]

Willy Aybar will be a very productive hitter in his career. Here are my projected career totals for him:

2000 games
6500 at-bats
1800 hits
250 homers
.965 fld. pct

There you go.
I hope those are totally made up, cause if there is a credible basis for them... well, as Nasadega said: eeeeeeeeew........

[hotcorner33]

I hope those are totally made up, cause if there is a credible basis for them... well, as Nasadega said: eeeeeeeeew........


Well, absed on his career hitting and fielding stats, that is what I came up with. He is not the greatest contact hitter.

[oyhstah crachah]

eeeeeew...