The Braves are off today after falling short in their quest to return to .500 (and wasting an excellent outing from Chris Sale while they were at it).
You know who’s not off today? Our pal Ken Sugiura.
Quick links: Rockies 2, Braves 1 | Daniels wins Most Improved Player | Jeff Ulbrich’s apology
KEN ON THE HAWKS
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Every Thursday, Sports Daily invites AJC columnist Ken Sugiura to share some thoughts. This week he’s riffing on Alex Verdugo, Dyson Daniels and the Falcons.
Take it away, Mr. Sugiura!
Two things worth noting about Hawks guard Dyson Daniels being named the NBA’s most improved player Wednesday night:
While steals aren’t a definitive marker of a player’s defensive excellence (you can accumulate steals by gambling excessively), the following is worth considering of how superior a season Daniels had for the Hawks.
📈 Daniels’ 229 steals tie him for the 20th most in league history for a season.
📈 The 20th highest scoring total for a season belongs to Kevin Durant, 2,472 points in 2009-10. That’s a 30.1 points-per-game average, giving you a good sense of what being 20th all-time in any stat looks like.
📈 Further, the last time a player had as many steals in a season as Daniels was the 1995-96 season (Gary Payton).
That’s a lot of really good defenders who came and went without matching Daniels’ total.
And, to Daniels’ credit, he’s not a player who I would say was hunting for steals to the detriment of the team. So many of them were collected while in front of a player with the ball, using his reach and quickness to tip the ball away.
The other aspect of Daniels’ award is that it’s a commendation of the work that former Hawks general manager Landry Fields did to acquire him.
Daniels was the No. 8 pick of the 2022 draft by the New Orleans Pelicans but came to be so little valued that he barely played in the team’s first-round playoff loss last season.
When Fields made the trade that finally ended the Dejounte Murray era (it should be pointed out that the deal to acquire him in the first place was made as he was ascending to the GM role), Daniels was not considered a key part of the deal — the key pieces of the Hawks’ haul were seen as the two first-round draft picks and forward Larry Nance Jr.
But the Hawks were adamant that Daniels be included. It paid off far better than anyone could have imagined, and Fields deserves credit for seeing what others did not.
A GM’s value is determined by way, way more than one single move, although Fields’ selection of Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick was another excellent decision.
🤔 But whoever is hired will have a hard time following that up.
Credit: Ross D. Franklin/AP
Credit: Ross D. Franklin/AP
The impact that left fielder Alex Verdugo has made since joining the Braves roster April 18 is hard to miss. In the 10 games that he’s played since, all in the leadoff spot, he’s hitting .341 with an on-base percentage of .396.
And, most critically, the Braves are 8-2 with him in the lineup.
But a secondary benefit has been to the team’s lefthanded batters below Verdugo. I’ve heard center fielder Michael Harris II say on more than one occasion that having the lefty Verdugo in that spot has given him a better sense of how the opposing pitcher is throwing and what to expect.
The numbers would back it up.
📈 Before Verdugo’s first start, Harris was having a rough go of things. His average was .179 (12-for-67) with an OPS of .507.
- If you’re like me and have a hard time remembering what a “good” OPS is, the highest OPS last year by a player was 1.159.
- The 75th player was at .739. The lowest qualified player was at .613. So, .507 is not good.
📈 In the 12 games since, with Verdugo playing and batting leadoff in 10 of them, he is hitting .306 (15-for-49) with an OPS of .763.
Further, Harris struck out 19 times in 74 plate appearances before Verdugo. Since? Twice in 51 plate appearances.
Another lefty, Matt Olson, has seen a similar jump. He was hitting .203 (13-for-64) with an OPS of .681.
With Verdugo, he’s hitting .279 (12-for-43) with an .891 OPS.
Is it all Verdugo? Probably not.
Does he get some of the credit? You’d have to think.
KEN ON THE FALCONS
At least one name among the 11 undrafted free agents signed by the Falcons will be easy to remember, and it’s probably the right one to be aware of.
It’s former Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant. (If you’re wondering, he was indeed named after the basketball legend.)
The four-year starter was among a number of the Falcons’ undrafted signees for whom the team had a draftable grade. He was also projected as a sixth-round pick by NFL.com.
Bryant had 11 interceptions in his final three seasons for the Jayhawks. He was a three-time All-Big 12 selection and an All-American as a senior.
Pro Football Focus’ analysis of him offered an appraisal worthy of his namesake: “It’s hard to not want this kind of competitor on your team, even in a depth role.”
Bryant’s chances to make the team, or at least the practice squad, are helped by the fact that the team didn’t draft a cornerback.
That’s it for Ken this week. Y’all make sure to follow him on social media — and keep reading for more sports news!
ULBRICH APOLOGIZES
Tyler here. I’ll follow up that Falcons item with a quick check-in on the Jeff Ulbrich/Jax Ulbrich/Shedeur Sanders prank call situation.
The elder Ulbrich finally spoke to reporters on Wednesday. He offered an apology, plus a deep (and deeply relatable) sigh for his son’s “absolutely inexcusable” actions.
ALSO INTERESTING
💪 Atlanta native Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves ousted LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Lakers from the NBA playoffs.
🫣 The Bill Belichick weirdness continues, with the UNC football coach defending his granddau … I mean girlfriend’s involvement in a recent interview. And saying he’d only wanted to answer questions about his book.
🙏 A Pittsburgh Pirates fan fell about 20 feet from the stands and onto the field of play last night. He was reported to be in critical condition.
Credit: Paul Abell for the AJC
Credit: Paul Abell for the AJC
Florida State’s Mike Norvell and former coach Urban Meyer won the recent Peach Bowl Challenge, an annual charity golf tournament held at Reynolds Lake Oconee. Georgia Tech’s Brent Key (see above!) and Georgia’s Kirby Smart also participated.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTION
You get to play golf with three of your favorite sports figures of all-time. Who’s rounding out your foursome?
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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