The Atlanta Braves appeared to make a great deal in acquiring Dan Uggla in the 2010 offseason. The Braves gave up serviceable players but received one of the best hitting second basemen in the MLB. While Uggla has played solid defense, walked at a high rate and been a good teammate, he has largely been [...]
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What Happened to Atlanta Braves’ Second Baseman Dan Uggla?
Posted on 09 March 2013.
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Uggla Takes a Break After Getting Beaned
Posted on 26 July 2012.
Second baseman Dan Uggla was hit by a pitch Tuesday in what he called the best spot: his head. The seventh-inning pitch clocked him on the ear flap of his batting helmet, and the red area behind his left ear was visible when he took the field in the bottom of the inning.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez wisely kept Uggla out of the starting lineup for Wednesday’s day game. Whether Uggla begins to experience concussion-like symptoms or not — and he hasn’t as yet — the incident gives Gonzalez an excellent reason to give Uggla and his .213 batting average time off.
Naturally, versatile Martin Prado started at second base in Uggla’s place. He was 0-for-4 in the 7-1 win over the Marlins, but Juan Francisco, who started at third base on Chipper Jones’ off day when Prado normally would have started there, went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
Despite having a bad two months to start the 2011 season — attributed to joining a new team and signing a huge contract — Uggla finished with the kind of numbers that were expected of him when general manager Frank Wren parted with another versatile player, Omar Infante. At least his home run numbers were as expected — Uggla had 36 of them.
But his RBI production was off from his usual totals: 82, down from 105 the previous year. This year, Uggla has only 12 home runs and 46 RBI.
The Braves are off on Thursday, which gives Uggla two days to recuperate and recharge. He has been hitting the ball hard lately, even when the results are an out. And he did have a 3-for-4 night Friday against the Nationals in Washington, scoring four runs. But that was his first multi-hit game since June 5.
That’s not the kind of production the Braves expect when they’re paying him 13 million.
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Uggla Set on Remaining in Braves’ Daily Lineup
Posted on 05 June 2012.
Fredi Gonzalez has made it clear.
Hes not going to be the one to tell Dan Uggla hes getting a day off. At least not to his face.
Maybe Gonzalez could text him, send a personal message on Facebook or even talk to him via the electronic wizardry of Skype. Do people still send telegrams?
Perhaps someone else can tell him. Any volunteers?
Or maybe Ill have one of you do it, he joked to a handful of reporters one day.
Anything other than being in the same room as Uggla, whose competitiveness and pure dislike for sitting on the bench has conveyed the message that he expects to be in the lineup.
Every inning. Every game.
I dont need a day off, Uggla said. If Im putting together quality ABs and playing quality D and running the bases like I know how to run them, theres no point. We have days off designated for us, and I consider those my days off.
Uggla has not played all 162 games in any of his six full seasons in the majors, but hes also never played in fewer than 146. His name was in the lineup a career-high 161 games last year–playing every day even through his remarkably deep first-half slump–and hes averaged 156 for his career.
Atlanta has completed one-third of its season, and Uggla is the only Brave who has played in every inning of every game.
Dont get him wrong. Hes not trying to be the next Ironman or Iron Horse or even iron headed about the issue. Uggla isnt trying to break any team or league records. Simply, he thinks that if hes healthy enough to help the Braves win, he wants to be in the lineup.
They pay me a lot of money for this game, and I dont like sitting out, Uggla said. My body is fine. I take care of my body. Even if dont feel 100 percent, Ill compete to fill as close to 100 percent as I can for that game.
Thats perfectly fine with Gonzalez.
Uggla was the last man standing for several games as the Braves endured injuries to the bulk of their top run producers. Freddie Freeman, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann have all missed games due to a variety of injuries, and Uggla was a steadying presence while all three were out at the same time.
Hes one of those–and we have a couple of those guys–theyre old breed type guys, and for a long time, this organization had them, Gonzalez said. Andruw Jones. Chipper Jones. Rafael Furcal. They never came out of the lineup. Danny is one of those guys. And Freeman is one of those guys. Last year, (Uggla) had (an injury) and you try to give him a day off, and hes like, No, I want to play, instead of the other way around, where you try to beg guys into the lineup.
Chipper Jones played in at least 153 games every year from 1996-2003 and Furcal played in 143 or more in his final four seasons as a Brave. Andruw Jones, former All-Star centerfielder for the Braves, averaged 157 games in his 11 full seasons with the club–he played in all 162 in 1999 and missed only one in each 2000 and 01.
Andruw Jones is just one of five Braves to play every game since the team moved to Atlanta in 1966, joining Felix Millan (1969), Dale Murphy (who did it from 1982-85) and Jeff Francoeur (2006 and 07).
This season, Michael Bourn is the only other Brave to play in all 54 games, but he was given the day off on May 16 and appeared later in that game as a pinch hitter.
Gonzalez is determined to rest his top players, even if theyre on a hot streak. He showed that with Bourn, who sat out against tough Miami lefty Mark Buehrle even though Bourn was on a 12-for-27 tear and had hit in 17 of 18 games.
Uggla, though, wants to be in there, no matter what. Like last year, when he struggled through a calf strain up until the point where he felt like he could make it worse by playing on it.
So he took a whole day off on July 21. The only one of the entire season.
The next day, Uggla hit a pinch-hit home run, and on July 23, Uggla was back in the lineup.
My intent, if Im healthy and capable of going out there and competing, then thats what Im going to do, Uggla said. If capable of doing that for the 162-game season, then thats what Im going to do. Im not trying to break Cal Ripkens record. That record will never be broken. Im not trying to do anything like that. I just take a lot of pride in being out there every day.
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Meet the Braves: Dan Uggla
Posted on 23 March 2012.
FOXSportsSouth.com invites you to meet the Braves as we continue a month-long look at our team, player-by-player. We’ll revisit 2011 and project what 2012 might look like.
Dan Uggla
Position: 2B
Height: 5-11
Weight: 205
BatThrow: RR
Hometown: Columbia, Tenn.
Experience: Seventh season
2011 in review: Uggla closed strong after his dismal start, setting an Atlanta Braves record by hitting in 33 consecutive games from July 5-Aug. 13. Even with the streak, Uggla finished the season at .233, but he led the Braves with 36 home runs and 82 RBIs.
Career highlight: He hit .370 with 15 home runs and 32 RBIs during his hitting streak, which was the longest in the majors in 2011 and the third longest in MLB history by a second baseman.
Outlook: Last years average was the lowest of his career, so expect that to improve unless Uggla has another poor start. He hit .293 in July and .340 in August last year. Uggla, who says he feels more comfortable this season, has averaged 31.7 home runs and 91.1 RBIs in his career, so expect more of the same.
You should know: Uggla earned his first Silver Slugger in 2010, hitting .287 with 33 home runs and 105 RBIs for the Marlins.
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Stay for a Nightcap – Dan Uggla Making History Edition
Posted on 23 August 2011.
Brewers 8, Pirates 1; Pirates 9, Brewers 2
- Chris Narveson (9-6) outdueled Jeff Karstens (9-7) in Game 1 of this doubleheader, the lefty going 5.1 shutout against Karstens’ two runs over seven frames. Some horrible Pittsburgh relief pitching turned it into a blowout.
- In Game 2, Zack Greinke (12-5) got rocked for seven runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings. He was cruising along through six, having allowed just two runs, but things came undone in what ended up being a seven-run bottom of the seventh. Two wild pitches and a hit batsman for Greinke in this one, so he’s been better.
- Brad Lincoln, spot starting, allowed just four baserunners and two runs over his six innings in the nightcap, but received no decision. As usual, he barely missed any bats, striking out just one. Daniel McCutchen (4-3) was the beneficiary of the seventh-inning offensive explosion.
- Ryan Braun went 1-for-9 over the two games, but the one hit was a two-run homer (25).
- Corey Hart went 3-for-6 w…
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2011 Fantasy Baseball Daily Fix: Whispers of Strasburg, Uggla at 31 Games & More!
Posted on 11 August 2011.
Stephen Strasburg (see credits below) Dan Uggla, you know your year is a bit of a disappointment when… you sign for 5 years and $ 62 million you are only batting .224 after a 31-game hitting streak. Actually, that is really a half-truth or a one-third truth as he is on pace for 33 home runs and 80 RBI’s. Great numbers for a second baseman. The Stephen Strasburg whispers are starting to gain momentum. He is available in A LOT of leagues, if he comes back in September, he could win a league for you. Justin Verlander, Yovani Gallardo, and Jonny Cueto headline the pitchers for Thursday. Verlander is trying to bounce back from a stretch where he has given up 3 or more runs in 3 of his last 5 starts (3, 0, 4, 1, 4). In a season where Verlander has a 2.30 ERA, this qualifies as an exceptionally frigid stretch. Albert Pujols on pace for .277 avg. 37 home runs and 97 RBI’s which equates to his lowest home run total since 2007; lowest number of RBI’s and lowest batting avera…
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Braves’ Uggla Sets Odd Statistical Record
Posted on 26 July 2011.
Dan Uggla laid claim to one of baseball’s oddest records Monday, hitting safely in his 15th consecutive game.Uggla is the first player in history to record a hitting streak of 15 games or more after batting lower than .200 through the first 100 games of the season. Uggla entered Monday hitting just .197 for the season.The streak appeared to be over after Cincinnati third baseman Miguel Cairo was originally given an error on Uggla’s at-bat in the sixth inning of Sunday’s 4-3 Reds win.Official scorers ruled Monday that the play should have been ruled a hit, extending the hitting streak.Julio Lugo was the previous record-holder, fashioning a 15-game hitting streak despite a .225 average in 2007.
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Braves’ Uggla Seeking More Dollars?
Posted on 13 December 2010.
The Atlanta Braves acquired Dan Uggla from the Florida Marlins in mid-November with the hopes of adding a home-run hitter it could count on for a few years.
Uggla’s contract is up at the end of next season but the two sides have been working on a contract extension that is rumored to be for five years and million, but the Boston Globe reports that "talks have slowed as [Uggla] sought a few more dollars."
The 30-year-old two-time All-Star, who earned his first Silver Slugger award last season, hit 154 homers in five seasons for the Marlins.
The Globe reports that even with the stalled talks, a deal should get done in the first week of January.
What are you waiting for? Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.
MLB – Scoop Du Jour – Yahoo! Sports
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