About The Islander. (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2019)
Riley addition possible tip of the Braves' iceberg By Dave Jordan in last week’s col- umn was a piece this ' week on “how to fix the Atlanta Braves.” Not that the Braves are hopeless or playing so poorly they need a mas sive overhaul. On the contrary, the Braves are a pretty good baseball team and are playing about as well as can be ex pected given their current roster. Part of the reason they are a .500 ball club, though, is just that: their current roster. Too many so-so players. Journey men, in the vernacular of baseball. And in this day and age of multi- million dollar contracts and guys changing teams like we do under wear, “so-so” just won’t cut it. One of the tweaks I was going to recommend was finding a replace ment - an upgrade, if you will - for Ender Inciarte. Gold Glover that he is, Ender hasn’t been productive enough this season to warrant an everyday role. In short, the boy can’t hit: he doesn’t get on base enough, doesn’t hit home runs, doesn’t drive in runs. There was a reason Ender was batting eighth in the order most days and sitting against certain left-hand ed pitchers. My suggestion was going to be to utilize Johan Camargo and Charlie Culberson more often at the expense of Ender, while quietly shopping Ender to other teams for some pitch ing help. The Braves beat me to it with an even better idea: calling up Austin Riley. Austin Riley, the top-rated non-pitcher in the Braves’ minor league system, a system that may very well be the best in all of baseball. Austin Riley, the hottest hitter in all of Triple-A through the first quar ter of the season, with 15 homers and 39 RBIs in just 37 games for the Gwinnett Stripers. Austin Riley, the Braves’ long term answer at third base who had nothing left to prove at the minor league level. And he arrived with a bang, swat ting a home run in his very first ma jor league game and going 4-for-7 with two runs batted in and three runs scored in his first two games. Suffice it to say, Riley looks very comfortable in his big league clothes. Riley’s ascension to the big club pushes Ronald Acuna - the Braves’ top-rated non-pitcher prospect enter ing the 2018 season - over to center field, which he is very capable of pa trolling with aplomb. In one fell swoop, the Braves up graded their offense without signifi cantly hurting their defense — all without having to tinker with the roster save for putting our boy Ender on the injured list. So what next? Time to address the pitching. Julio Teheran is probably a nice fellow, but he is not a guy you want to hang your hat on for a big win nor the stretch run. Same for Kevin Gausman. Same for Mike Foltynewicz. Entering the weekend, the Braves’ starting five consisted of two really, really good youngsters - Mike Soroka and Max Fried - two veterans most would call journeymen - Teheran St, Simons Island imuiLmNi \uip[p[Lam • St. Simons Island's Oldest Business - serving local builders, contractors, homeowners, DIYers and handymen since 1930 • Family owned Hardware Store for 4 generations • Full service - 150 years combined hardware knowledge • Complete on-site lumber yard • Competitive prices with the mainland • Free Delivery • Beach Supplies, Island T-shirts, tools & household items • Parking around back - We'll load you up! 221 Mallery St., St. Simons Island • (912) 638-8601 and Gausman - and Foltynewicz, whose maddening inconsistency is likely the straw that stirs the Braves’ brass into finding some help. And here are the guys who are going to help the Braves find that pitching help: Touki Toussaint, Kyle Wright, Bryce Wilson, Luiz Gohara, Ian Anderson, Kyle Muller, Joey Wentz, Kolby Allard, Patrick Weigel, Hayden Deal and Tucker Davidson - Braves’ pitching prospects highly coveted by every other major league team. Eleven guys who could turn the Braves into a perennial powerhouse, either by pitching for the team them selves - the long-term solution - or as part of trades to other teams to upgrade the current rotation - the short-term answer. The Braves could trade literally any two of those guys to a non-con- tender for just about any pitcher they wanted. They could probably deal Tous saint today for a bona fide stud on the final year of his contract. The Braves have more than enough pieces to greatly improve their 2019 roster and their fortunes going forward. Stay tuned for more moves. — Dave Jordan is a native of Ma- bleton, a University of Georgia gradu ate, and a diehard St. Louis Cardi nals fan. May 20, 2019, The Islander, Page 13 Hospice of the Golden Isles Named 2019 Hospice Honors Recipient For the seventh consecutive year, Hospice of the Golden Isles (HGI) has been named a Hospice Honors recipi ent by HEALTHCAREfirst, a leading provider of billing and coding services, CAHPS surveys and advanced analyt ics. Hospice Honors is a prestigious program that recognizes hospices pro viding the highest level of quality as measured from the caregiver’s point of view. ‘We are excited to recognize the 2019 Hospice Honors recipients for their hard work and dedication to pro viding exceptional care,” said Misty Skinner, Executive Vice President of Services at HEALTHCAREfirst. “I congratulate {insert company name here} on its success in achieving this highest of honors. 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