I've been an Atlanta Braves fan for as long as I can remember. Throughout the past several years, I've been quite impressed with how efficient the team has been in building playoff-contending teams while not having nearly as much money to spend as the teams in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, etc. They've often times done this through great scouting, drafting well, progressing players nicely through their farm system, getting the most out of them in the majors, and making just enough moves in the off-season to make for a National League East-contending team. While the actual jury is still out on their off-season moves this season, I can't say that I've been too happy with them.
Future Hall-of-Fame third basemen and hometown hero Chipper Jones retired. Do-everything utility man Martin Prado was traded to Arizona. Quality centerfielder and speedy lead-off hitter Michael Bourn won't be getting re-signed. While there was really nothing the team could do about Jones retiring, these were the three most steady offensive performers for the team a year ago. They were 1-2-3 in the lineup, with Bourn hitting lead-off, Prado at the #2 spot, and Jones at #3. All three guys hit for pretty quality averages last year and played solid defensively as well. With Jones retiring, Prado would have filled in very nicely at third base, where he's played previously. Bourn was the first quality lead-off hitter for the club since the Rafael Furcal days many years ago. Now, while they may have added some power, their likely line-up appears to me to be more hit-and-miss, which could lead to some streaky days ahead this season.
Fortunately for the Bravos, their pitching, barring injuries, looks to be very solid yet again. Veteran Tim Hudson has been very steady for the club since returning from injury. Paul Maholm threw well for the team down the stretch last season after acquiring him from Pittsburgh. Brandon Beachy was throwing like a Cy Young Award candidate until he went down with injury, but will be back this season. Kris Medlen blossomed into a quality starter for the club and could potentially be the team's ace for many years to come if he's able to build off his great season from a year ago. Lastly, there's Mike Minor, who appears to have good stuff, but hasn't been able to put a full good quality season together just yet. Their bullpen continues to be one of the best as well, led by closer Craig Kimbrel, who was so good, he may have ended up with more strikeouts last year than balls thrown.
As I always say, I'd rather have great pitching and mediocre hitting than the reverse, but even with that, the Braves' offense worries me some.
We'll start at catcher, with All-Star Brian McCann. The guy's average took a deep dive last year. He was still able to be productive with the power numbers, as he hit 20 home runs for the Braves, but he hit just .230 on the season. Even including last year's paltry performance, the guy is hitting .279 for his career. That just goes to show how drastic the dip was for McCann's batting average last year. Now, before last year, McCann was always a very reliable hitter, so it's possible last year was just an aberration for the All-Star. However, it's also possible that like many other catchers, McCann's offensive output last year was the start of a trend, and we'll continue to see his numbers dwindle. This will likely be a very telling year on which way he goes.
At first base will be Freddie Freeman. So long as he doesn't suffer any more eye problems, I think he's bound to break out this year. He has one of the prettiest swings in the game and at the young age of 23, I think the Braves have themselves a future All-Star in Freeman. He's also very good with the glove as well. As far as the Braves offense is concerned, I feel most confident about this guy right here - Freddie Freeman.
At second base there is Dan Uggla. I have to admit, it's hard not to like the guy. He plays like a football player. He's kind of short, stocky, gives it his all on every play, and swings for the moon on every swing. However, while the guy has put up pretty decent power numbers for the Braves, he hit just .220 last year, and struck out 168 times. Regardless of how much I want to root for a player, if hes only hitting .220 and striking out nearly 170 times, I'm going to wish there was another guy starting at second base for the team. Uggla started off well last year and was even picked to play in the All-Star game, but in a direct reversal from the previous season when he started the year so terribly and picked things up in the second half, he was awful in the second half of last season. The guy will need to be productive on a more consistent basis this year if he truly wants the city to warm up to him and if he truly wants to be a Brave long-term.
It appears that the newly-acquired Chris Johnson will start at third base for the Braves. Johnson appears to have potential and his numbers from a year ago are eerily similar to Chipper's. However, the guy needs to improve on his strikeouts and walks. Last year, while walking only 31 times, he struck out 132. Even with that, he batted .281 with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs.
The young and exciting Andrelton Simmons will start at shortstop for Atlanta. Since he only played in 49 games a year ago, it's difficult to know what to expect from this guy if he's given a full season. He did excite many coaches and fans alike though with his play from last year. In those 49 games, he hit .289, on 48 hits (8 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 19 RBIs). Chances are that he will hit lead-off in place of Michael Bourn this season.
The outfield will consist of Jason Heyward and also newly-acquired players B.J. Upton and Justin Upton. I'll start with Heyward. There was a great deal of hype surrounding the Atlanta rightfielder after his rookie season. But, as is often times the case, he went through what is known as the sophomore slump. The guy bounced back nicely last year though, hitting .269 with 27 homers and 82 RBIs. He also stole 21 bases. One thing he'll need to work on are his walks and strikeouts. The guy walked just 58 times while striking out 152. Hopefully he'll be able to build off last year's numbers and continue to improve into this season. B.J. Upton will be playing centerfield for the Braves. The guy is 28 and has a lot of raw talent and potential. He hit 28 home runs, knocked in 78 runs, and stole 31 bases, only getting caught 6 times. On the downside, the guy hit just .246, walked only 45 times, and struck out 169 times. His on-base percentage from a year ago was only .298. Justin Upton is a little younger (25 compared to 28) than B.J. He too has a great deal of potential, but like B.J., hasn't reached it yet. He hit .280 a year ago with 17 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. He walked 63 times and struck out 121 times.
Just based on last year's numbers, here's how the Braves' starters would look as far as averages go when rounding up or down: .230, .260, .220, .290, .280, .280, .270, .250. The high batting average there was provided by Andrelton Simmons - a guy who played less than 50 games last year. Six of the Braves eight offensive starters struck out more than 100 times last year (Freeman, Uggla, Johnson, Heyward, and both Uptons). The only two who didn't were catcher Brian McCann, who hit .230, and Andrelton Simmons, who played less than a third of the team's games. Like I said at the outset, while the Braves may have more pop in their bats this year than they've had in a while, they'll have less consistency, unless players like Dan Uggla or B.J. Upton can improve upon that. If not, expect some streaky times ahead for the Bravos this coming season.
Future Hall-of-Fame third basemen and hometown hero Chipper Jones retired. Do-everything utility man Martin Prado was traded to Arizona. Quality centerfielder and speedy lead-off hitter Michael Bourn won't be getting re-signed. While there was really nothing the team could do about Jones retiring, these were the three most steady offensive performers for the team a year ago. They were 1-2-3 in the lineup, with Bourn hitting lead-off, Prado at the #2 spot, and Jones at #3. All three guys hit for pretty quality averages last year and played solid defensively as well. With Jones retiring, Prado would have filled in very nicely at third base, where he's played previously. Bourn was the first quality lead-off hitter for the club since the Rafael Furcal days many years ago. Now, while they may have added some power, their likely line-up appears to me to be more hit-and-miss, which could lead to some streaky days ahead this season.
Fortunately for the Bravos, their pitching, barring injuries, looks to be very solid yet again. Veteran Tim Hudson has been very steady for the club since returning from injury. Paul Maholm threw well for the team down the stretch last season after acquiring him from Pittsburgh. Brandon Beachy was throwing like a Cy Young Award candidate until he went down with injury, but will be back this season. Kris Medlen blossomed into a quality starter for the club and could potentially be the team's ace for many years to come if he's able to build off his great season from a year ago. Lastly, there's Mike Minor, who appears to have good stuff, but hasn't been able to put a full good quality season together just yet. Their bullpen continues to be one of the best as well, led by closer Craig Kimbrel, who was so good, he may have ended up with more strikeouts last year than balls thrown.
As I always say, I'd rather have great pitching and mediocre hitting than the reverse, but even with that, the Braves' offense worries me some.
We'll start at catcher, with All-Star Brian McCann. The guy's average took a deep dive last year. He was still able to be productive with the power numbers, as he hit 20 home runs for the Braves, but he hit just .230 on the season. Even including last year's paltry performance, the guy is hitting .279 for his career. That just goes to show how drastic the dip was for McCann's batting average last year. Now, before last year, McCann was always a very reliable hitter, so it's possible last year was just an aberration for the All-Star. However, it's also possible that like many other catchers, McCann's offensive output last year was the start of a trend, and we'll continue to see his numbers dwindle. This will likely be a very telling year on which way he goes.
At first base will be Freddie Freeman. So long as he doesn't suffer any more eye problems, I think he's bound to break out this year. He has one of the prettiest swings in the game and at the young age of 23, I think the Braves have themselves a future All-Star in Freeman. He's also very good with the glove as well. As far as the Braves offense is concerned, I feel most confident about this guy right here - Freddie Freeman.
At second base there is Dan Uggla. I have to admit, it's hard not to like the guy. He plays like a football player. He's kind of short, stocky, gives it his all on every play, and swings for the moon on every swing. However, while the guy has put up pretty decent power numbers for the Braves, he hit just .220 last year, and struck out 168 times. Regardless of how much I want to root for a player, if hes only hitting .220 and striking out nearly 170 times, I'm going to wish there was another guy starting at second base for the team. Uggla started off well last year and was even picked to play in the All-Star game, but in a direct reversal from the previous season when he started the year so terribly and picked things up in the second half, he was awful in the second half of last season. The guy will need to be productive on a more consistent basis this year if he truly wants the city to warm up to him and if he truly wants to be a Brave long-term.
It appears that the newly-acquired Chris Johnson will start at third base for the Braves. Johnson appears to have potential and his numbers from a year ago are eerily similar to Chipper's. However, the guy needs to improve on his strikeouts and walks. Last year, while walking only 31 times, he struck out 132. Even with that, he batted .281 with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs.
The young and exciting Andrelton Simmons will start at shortstop for Atlanta. Since he only played in 49 games a year ago, it's difficult to know what to expect from this guy if he's given a full season. He did excite many coaches and fans alike though with his play from last year. In those 49 games, he hit .289, on 48 hits (8 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 19 RBIs). Chances are that he will hit lead-off in place of Michael Bourn this season.
The outfield will consist of Jason Heyward and also newly-acquired players B.J. Upton and Justin Upton. I'll start with Heyward. There was a great deal of hype surrounding the Atlanta rightfielder after his rookie season. But, as is often times the case, he went through what is known as the sophomore slump. The guy bounced back nicely last year though, hitting .269 with 27 homers and 82 RBIs. He also stole 21 bases. One thing he'll need to work on are his walks and strikeouts. The guy walked just 58 times while striking out 152. Hopefully he'll be able to build off last year's numbers and continue to improve into this season. B.J. Upton will be playing centerfield for the Braves. The guy is 28 and has a lot of raw talent and potential. He hit 28 home runs, knocked in 78 runs, and stole 31 bases, only getting caught 6 times. On the downside, the guy hit just .246, walked only 45 times, and struck out 169 times. His on-base percentage from a year ago was only .298. Justin Upton is a little younger (25 compared to 28) than B.J. He too has a great deal of potential, but like B.J., hasn't reached it yet. He hit .280 a year ago with 17 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. He walked 63 times and struck out 121 times.
Just based on last year's numbers, here's how the Braves' starters would look as far as averages go when rounding up or down: .230, .260, .220, .290, .280, .280, .270, .250. The high batting average there was provided by Andrelton Simmons - a guy who played less than 50 games last year. Six of the Braves eight offensive starters struck out more than 100 times last year (Freeman, Uggla, Johnson, Heyward, and both Uptons). The only two who didn't were catcher Brian McCann, who hit .230, and Andrelton Simmons, who played less than a third of the team's games. Like I said at the outset, while the Braves may have more pop in their bats this year than they've had in a while, they'll have less consistency, unless players like Dan Uggla or B.J. Upton can improve upon that. If not, expect some streaky times ahead for the Bravos this coming season.
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