Manny Acosta

Manny Acosta Statistics and History – Baseball-Reference.com.

So, what is his deal? Is he a flake, or is the ability he occasionally flashes an illusion? Acosta throws as hard as anyone on the staff, is not a one-pitch pitcher either, and yet he goes through periods where he can’t get anyone out. It’s very frustrating. Last season, he managed to get his strikeouts up to 7.7 per nine, which isn’t as good as it should be but is getting there, and didn’t have any corresponding loss of control. And yet, his overall results were at best mediocre, as he allowed 10.8 hits per nine, which makes no sense whatsoever for a hard-throwing reliever. The average batter hit .30/.386/.460 against Acosta last season; the OPS is actually higher than any Braves regular’s.

As an added benefit, Acosta continued to do his worst pitching in pressure situations. He was pretty good when the pressure was off, but in high and even medium-leverage situations he was a catastrophe. Eventually, the Braves will cut him loose, but I expect he will make the ballclub. Maybe he’ll turn it around.

62 thoughts on “Manny Acosta”

  1. I’ve given up putting mental energy into Acosta. When he puts together a season that doesn’t make me constantly want to throw a brick at the TV, I’ll re consider the possibility that Acosta has a future in Atlanta.

  5. Great nickname.

    The turning around to check the mph on the scoreboard really irked me. Maybe other pitchers do it too, but he was so obvious about it.

  6. Perhaps the best scenario for him is to pitch in low-pressure situations, either when the Braves have big leads or trail by more than a couple runs. Somebody has to pitch those innings anyway.

  7. Acosta could throw 92 and be a good pitcher, but he wants to throw 1750mph and be an awesome pitcher. As Rob said, they need to turn the pitch speed indicator off when he’s pitching. I dread this generation of all-mph, no-brain pitchers (see Mr Poser).

  8. All I hope for out of Acosta is to not suck in ‘Braves Save’ situations.

    I thought last year the rest of the pen was so bad in those situations that the braves had to use one of the big 3 more than they should have had to, and the hurt the pen in terms of extra appearances.

  9. As an added benefit, Acosta continued to do his worst pitching in pressure situations.

    So of course, he just pitched a 1-2-3 inning against Houston, striking out two. As the meme says, it’s a trap.

  11. Yes, they do, Ryan.

    Why is Chris Resop still in camp? To show the other pitchers how not to pitch?

  15. so, I just caught up with the world, and saw Big Ben of the Steelers has been charged with raping a girl at my undergrad in Milledgeville (millyvegas) Georgia. Lake Tahoe I can see, but in Milledgeville Ben? MILLEDGEVILLE! That is just sad, to be a gazillionaire who gets charged with assault somewhere as awful as Milledgeville, that is a double whammy.

  16. The TAMI show on PBS this month is ridiculously good. That is all.

  24. chris coghlan produced an obp of .390 last year. it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility for heyward to be a .315 avg .400 obp kinda guy this year.

    oh, wait a minute, i guess it’s not cool to get excited and make conversation about our most exciting prospect in over a decade.

    and rob, isnt schafer a whole hell of a lot different than heyward?

    ya know, i really enjoy this site and the stimulating conversation about braves baseball cant be beat. however, one thing that is missing here is youthful enthusiasm. it gets shot down quite often by disgruntled realism.

  25. Acosta?! I gave up on him even before I gave up on JoJo…and I gave up on JoJo a long time ago.

  26. I went to the field yesterday, and after yelling for, like, a million minutes, Heyward finally signed my baseball card. I told him how cool he was and how I wanted to be juuuuuust like him when I’m alllll grown up. And then me and my friend argued for, like, 20 hours because I said that Heyward was the greatest ever and he could beat up David Wright. But then my dad said we had to go, and we got Dairy Queen on the way home. I felt so youthfully enthused.

    I’m sorry…

  29. It’s possible Heyward storms out of the gate like Ryanbert Braunjols and just smashes everything in sight. It’s also possible, I guess, that he stumbles out of the gate and goes 4-40 in his first couple of weeks in the big leagues. Hell, Willie Mays started out 0-22.

    But he’ll probably just hit .275/.360/.430 or something.

  30. Im as excited about Heyward as anyone here. Ryan C, feel free to be as optimistic as you please. I think we can stay optimistic until he doesnt perform at a certain lever. He hasnt done that yet either

  31. Optimism is fine. I’m excited too, but we’re making bold predictions based on his production in 6-7 meaningless games.

    27,

    Isn’t that just more speculation? Obviously the wrist injury affected his swing, but we can’t say if he would have done worlds better healthy. That’s one of the things I love (and hate) about baseball: it’s totally unpredictable. Plenty of can’t-miss-prospects fall flat on their face and some guys who you expect nothing from like Martin Prado seem to come out of nowhere and have breakout seasons.

  32. Rob,

    I think we are making predictions based on more than that, like two minor league seasons. But the 6-7 meaningless games do nothing but help. How’s 2K10? Worth buying?

  33. I found a cheap ticket to Jupiter, FL and I’m going to see Marlins-Braves on the 17th! I’m dragging my two married friends along who have zero interest. The Cardinals host the Braves the next day in the same stadium, but I’ll probably have to go alone if at all. Plus it sounds like tickets for that game will be harder to find (based on their website, which may not mean anything).

    Anyone else going to that game on the 18th by any chance?

  34. OK, how’s this for predictions? In an MLB.com contest, I picked the 8 playoff teams, 2 pennant winners & the WS champ.

    ALE: NYY
    ALC: Min
    ALW: Sea
    ALWC: LAA
    NLE: Pha
    NLC: StL
    NLW: LAD
    NLWC: ATL

    AL: NYY
    NL: ATL

    WS: ATL
    Wishful thinking, I know, but I like how it ends.

  35. 31,

    I don’t know why I’m the guy who’s pissing on everyone’s flowers today…maybe I’m just anxious about the season and don’t want to get too excited. The minor league numbers are really impressive, but he only has 13 PA above AA (not counting spring training) so I’m just trying to taper my expectations. Don’t look into it though, this is totally just me playing devil’s advocate. I can’t wait to see him play.

    2K10 is a huge improvement over 2K9. I honestly don’t know if I would have liked it this much if I hadn’t been so frustrated with the last one. That said, the pitching and batting controls are pretty solid and there’s a mode called “My Player” where you can create a player, install them into a real minor league lineup, and keep gaining skill points until you’re called up to play in the Majors. You only play your at bats and defensive opportunities, so each game lasts about 4 minutes. It’s been addicting.

    I hear “The Show” is better, but since that’s not an option for the 360, I recommend it.

  36. Schaefer playing well enough to take over CF would put the Braves in an enviable position. Schaefer, McClouth, Diaz, Heyward, would be inexpensive, very good defensively as a unit, and have a ton of flexibility, and net you Cabrera as a trade chip that someone would give you something good for.

    I am keeping my fingers crossed that he hits well enough in Gwinnett that he can’t be ignored by July.

  38. I have mixed feelings about Fielder getting plunked in that Spring Training game. Curious to hear some other thoughts on it. My roommate is a big Giants fan so he’s biased…

  39. 37,

    I’m sure Mac will send you an e-mail or something, but changing your handle multiple times trips up the spam filter apparently. I found that out last year when I logged in as “Ghost of Gadfly” to talk about how terrible the Francoeur trade was.

  40. Nah – it’s the multiple ip addresses that goof it up more than anything. Mac’s already got me sorted.

  41. I know MLEs are an imperfect metric at best, but Heyward’s AA performance would be expected to yield a .284/.362/.475 line in Atlanta, after adjusting for league and park factors. That sounds about right to me, if not a touch optimistic. And for what it’s worth, his high-A line comes out to .218/.268/.356.

    Also, the Coghlan comparison is imperfect, given that Coghlan was 24 last year and had 675 PA in AA/AAA; Heyward will spend most of this year at 20 and has accumulated only 208 PA at the same levels.

  42. Rob at 35,

    Nah, you’re fine. I just think everybody is just waiting for the season to begin, and can’t help being optimistic (I know I am!). I’ll pick up 2K10 if it goes on sale (which it should, and hopefully soon). How are the load times for the games in My Player mode? I played the Show (granted, last year’s version) over at a friend’s recently, and the load times were twice as long as the games themselves.

    Ububba at 34,

    I’ll take:

    ALE: Yankees
    ALC: Twins
    ALW: Rangers
    ALWC: Rays
    NLE: Phillies
    NLC: Cardinals
    NLW: Rockies
    NLWC: Braves
    AL: Twins
    NL: Phillies
    WS: Twins

    I just can’t see the AL wild card not coming out of the East…

  43. coghlan was a rookie…. i wasnt comparing the 2. i was just saying that chris coghlan had a .390 obp last year and its not that outlandish to think j-hey could beat him by 10 points. yes its wishful thinking, but who the f cares?

    and rob, noone is making bold predictions from 6-7 games. i simply asked a question .400obp over/under

  44. 42,

    If you have room, install it to your hard drive. Very little loading time at all after I did that.

  45. 38 — Seems silly to me to retaliate a season later in a spring game. But it was done relatively well — nobody got hurt and Zito gets to look like he’s sticking up for his team.

    Although I thought the antics last year were funny, I (in general) really don’t care for showing up others. Please, do show emotion and exuberance. You can do that without showing up your opponent. You should expect to wear one when you do.

    (I also think K-Rod should be forced to hit sometime. I can’t stand his demeanor on the mound. Maybe he’ll unwittingly step into the base path one of these days.)

    On a somewhat related note, I think a pitcher should be able to pitch inside without it being a personal insult to the hitter and his mother. If you stand on the plate, you should expect to get brushed back.

  46. While we’re doing this prediction thing:

    AL:
    East: Yankees
    Central: White Sox
    West: Rangers
    Wild Card: Red Sox
    NL:
    East: Phillies
    Central: Cardinals
    West: Dodgers
    Wild Card: Braves
    Division Series: Yankees, Red Sox, Braves, Phillies
    WS: Braves over Yankees in six

    And if you entered the same contest I did:
    AL MVP: A-Roid
    AL CYA: CC Sabathia
    NL WVP: Chipper
    NL CYA: Tommy Hanson
    HRs in 2010: 4801, down 4.8%

  47. Called my barber and we came up with this:

    ALE- Yanks
    ALC- Twins
    ALW- Angels
    ALWC- Red Sox

    NLE- Phills
    NLC- Cards
    NLW- Rockies
    NLWC- Braves

    NL- Braves
    AL- Twins

    WS- Braves

    AL Cy- Cliff Lee
    NL Cy- Holliday
    AL MVP- Jeter
    NL MVP- Puljos

  48. ALE – Yankees
    ALC – Twins
    ALW – Rangers
    ALWC – Red Sox
    NLE – Phillies
    NLC – Cardinals
    NLW – Rockies
    NLWC – Braves

    Rangers over Rockies in 7.

  49. Smitty,

    A Braves-Twins rematch would be a treat.

    Anyway, I was reading through the Braves’ history, and I noticed something interesting. I have a relatively small family (6 first cousins; no brothers or sisters). I was born in 1991, and each of my cousins were born in the following years: 1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000. It seems that every year the Braves have won the pennant (in recent history), I have had a cousin born. I need to lobby my aunts to get pregnant again…

  52. I didn’t mean that the Braves won a (NL, not world series) pennant every year I had a cousin born, I meant that that I had a cousin born every year the Braves won the pennant. If Braves win N.L. pennant, then I have a cousin born. Not if I have a cousin born, then the Braves win the pennant. Sorry for the unclarity.

  54. He thinks the Braves are going to win the pennant this year, so he’s excited about the constant schtupping his aunts are currently engaged in to uphold their familial obligation. What’s to be confused about? :roll:

  55. Smitty @ 47 – Does your barber think Pujols will win the MVP this year while playing for the Cardinals or Braves? :lol:

  57. http://tinyurl.com/y87ldkt

    based on results so far, i would bet brooks conrad breaks with the team sending brandon hicks and joe thruston to AAA to play the middle infield.

    matt young needs to see more time on the field. he could be a very good 5th outfielder type. can’t he also play some 2nde in a pinch? it’s early, but clevlen and mitch have flopped. does anyone know the contract these 2 signed? do we have to release them after spring or will they go to AAA? if they’re going to AAA, there’s going to be a monstrous logjam:

    OF- mitch jones, jordan schafer, brent clevlen, matt young, gregor blanco.
    there could be more i’m
    missing, but these 5 are the obvious ones. one of these guys is going to have to be on atlanta’s roster, right?

  59. Not necessarily, Ryan, especially if Heyward starts with Atlanta as he should. Four OFs (Cabrera, Diaz, Heyward, McLouth), seven IFs (starters, Hinske, Infante, Conrad), two Cs and 12 Ps wouldn’t leave room for a 5th OF.

  61. Bummer for Dimaster (just had to write his name)!

    “According to Braves broadcaster Jim Power, “[Dimasther] suffered serious injuries in an auto accident in the offseason including a broken femur. Should make full recovery by next year.”

    Like the higher ranked Randall Delgado, Dimasther is a young Panamanian pitcher who is ranked 12th in the Braves system by Baseball America, and 14th by Talking Chop.

    The Braves pitching depth at the lower minor league levels is so deep that it will easily tolerate a loss like this. Still, I hope that Delgado is able to return to pro baseball with the same success he’s had the last few years.”

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