Greg Norton

I'm supposed to be writing about the things I like about the Braves. But I have to get this one off of my chest first.

Greg Norton is, to me, the worst thing about the 2008 Braves.

It's not that he's a useless player. As a corner utilityman, he's perfectly fine. The problem is this:

.251 .336 .423 93
.296 .374 .520 130

Those are his 162-game averages, and his career high (which was 2006).

And here's Brayan Pena's numbers in eight minor league seasons:

.314 .360 .404

To be fair, here's his major league numbers:

.228 .252 .315 47

That's only a 162-game average; he's never been given a chance to establish a career high.

Greg Norton turns 36 years old this weekend. He's not even likely to match his career averages. Brayan Pena is 26 years old. He might hit like he has through the minors. Norton is certainly no better in the field than Pena - and Pena can catch.

But the Braves decided to give Pena away, and still owe the Mariners something for Greg Norton. And he's played almost every day since the Braves acquired him - putting up this line:
.206 .306 .340 74