March 30, 2008
Game one is in the books, and it was a storybook ending for the Nats in the first game in their new park. Late inning magic by Ryan Zimmerman spoiled a little late inning magic of the Braves.
Huddy was shaky early, but settled down nicely. It took him 29 pitched to finish the first, but it only took him 49 for the next six. We’ll just call it opening day jitters. I think we’ll we a lot more of the “good” Huddy from here on out. Plus, were it not for some shoddy defense in the first, we’d be celebrating the Braves first win right now. Huddy went 7 innings, threw only 78 pitches, 55 for strikes, three hits, 2 runs, both earned. After Huddy, Ohman retired the only batter he faced. Moylan was brilliant for the first three batters he faces, but then gave up the solo shot that ended the game.
The bats were awfully quiet today, but they won’t stay that way. Not a single Brave managed more than one hit. Tex, a double, and Chipper with a home run accounted for the only extra base hits of the night.
Tomorrow’s game, 7:10 PM, vs Pitt. Not nationally televised.
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March 29, 2008
After a decade and a half of owning the NL East, spending two years watching playoff baseball on TV has seemed like an eternity for Braves fans. While the most current edition is no lock to return to past glory, it does appear to be Atlanta’s best team since the 2005 squad that last reached the postseason. Returning a phenomenal offense and vastly underrated defense, Atlanta is hoping that through free agency and some rehabilitation, the pitching staff will be improved enough to once again be considered a strength.
Atlanta has conventional stars, like most teams, but it is production from the players at the non-traditional offensive positions that makes this offense so special. That all begins with catcher Brian McCann. After an outstanding 2006, McCann came back to earth in 2007 but still was quite helpful in the offense. Expect a slight rebound in 2008, and there’s no reason McCann can’t hit near or higher than .300 this year. Moving around the infield, 2007 mid-season acquisition Mark Teixeira is primed for his first full season in Atlanta. Last year Teixeira hit roughly .800/.933/1.350 for two months in Atlanta – I kid, but doesn’t that seem strangely accurate? Given that Teixeira, who besides being an ideal #3 or #4 hitter is also a Gold Glove candidate, is only guaranteed to be a Brave through the end of this season, the pressure is on the organization to take advantage of this great window of opportunity. Across the diamond, team leader Chipper Jones returns for his 14th full season in Atlanta after leading the majors in EqA in 2007. With Chipper, it’s never a question of whether he will produce, but whether he’ll be on the field enough to produce. While Chipper has announced quite a lofty goal of 150 games, Braves fans will be happy with 130, a total he’s reached only twice in the 4 years since he returned to 3B. Lost somewhere in Jones’ chase for the NL batting title last season was Chipper’s sudden and surprising improvement on defense. Never a favorite among defensive analysts, Chipper upgraded his game last year, which was a huge help to Atlanta. According to Revised Zone Rating, Chipper was among the league leaders in Out of Zone plays. Up the middle, Atlanta will rely on 2B Kelly Johnson, an on-base machine who could approach 20 HR and who should be much improved defensively in his 2nd season at the position. In 2007, coming off Tommy John surgery, Johnson played plus defense and was a quiet offensive force. If he gets any better, he arguably becomes Atlanta’s most valuable player. His double play mate will be SS Yunel Escobar, a solid defender whose best offensive attribute is his ability to make consistent contact. While unlikely to match last season’s impressive stats, Yunel should still be reliable .
Anchoring the outfield will be RF Jeff Francoeur, who spent 2007 working on his biggest problem – plate discipline. It’s rare to see players try to reinvent their hitting approaches and much rarer to see them have such success in doing so. Granted, a cursory glance at Francoeur’s ’07 season might indicate a loss of power, given that his HR count dipped from 29 to 19. However, Francoeur cut his strikeout rate, doubled his walk rate, and got more loft in his swing, increasing his fly ball and line drive rates. In 2008, Francoeur should finally put it all together, and I’m calling for a .300/.350/.500 season with 30 HR. Given that he has added 17 pounds of muscle this offseason and considering the natural progression of offensive growth, that could be quite a realistic forecast and possibly even a modest one. In CF is newcomer Mark Kotsay, who hasn’t been healthy since Mike Hampton was simply an overpaid pitcher rather than an overpaid injured pitcher. Kotsay’s back problems are unlikely to go away for good, but if he can rediscover his youth just a bit in Atlanta, he should be at least league-average offensively. His defense won’t remind anyone of his predecessor, Andruw Jones, but it won’t be as big a drop-off as might have been expected when Atlanta announced Jones’ departure. Since Kotsay comes extraordinarily cheap, Atlanta is hoping he can be on the field for 125 or so games, and contribute a line somewhere in the vicinity of .275/.325/.400. In left field, Atlanta returns Matt Diaz, who will continue to be the quietest .300 hitter in the game. Despite Bobby Cox’ natural instinct to platoon Diaz, he has the ability to hit right-handers at a .300+ clip and his defense was ranked 5th among Major League LF according to fielding guru John Dewan’s +/- ratings.
While the offensive optimism is unbridled, a look at the pitching staff encourages more optimism, but with a dose of caution. Leading the way is John Smoltz, who returns for another season as Atlanta’s ace. While his increasing age is of course a red flag for injury concerns (which we’re already seeing with his shoulder), Smoltz is one of the 5 most reliable pitchers in the game in terms of predictable performance. He’s probably not going to go 1996 on us anymore, but we can trust that he’ll pitch like the ace he’s counted on to be. Atlanta also returns #2 starter Tim Hudson, who in 2007 finally put an end to his National League struggles. The groundball pitcher should be due for an even better 2008 considering he’ll have a full year of Mark Teixeira and Yunel Escobar in the field, both of whom are vast improvements over last year’s combo of Scott Thorman and Edgar Renteria, and Huddy will also benefit from Kelly Johnson’s defensive progression. Sliding into the third slot is the familiar face of Tom Glavine. Let’s not get too nostalgic about this signing – Glavine isn’t the pitcher he used to be, we don’t need him to be the pitcher he used to be, and we’re not paying him to be the pitcher he used to be. That’s important to remember when we take a look in June and see an ERA closer to 4.50 than what we’re used to from him, which is about half that. 42 year olds without strikeout capabilities don’t tend to age as gracefully as the John Smoltzes of the world, so let’s not expect too much. With that being said, what Glavine will lose by moving from pitcher-friendly Shea to neutral Turner Field, I think he’ll make up for in happiness. Glavine will be more at home in Atlanta, and that will play a part, even if it’s a small one. Next is the young Jair Jurrjens, acquired in the Edgar Renteria trade. His impressive spring made it impossible to leave him in Richmond to begin the season, and to be quite honest, I think he might be the 3rd best pitcher on the team. Jurrjens won’t blow you away with ability, but his pitch selection and pitch location are his biggest strengths, and that’s something we’ve been missing in Atlanta. The fifth starter will be - and I can’t believe I’m actually typing this sentence in late March - Mike Hampton. The last time Mike Hampton threw a major league pitch, Darren McFadden was entering college and hoping for some playing time as a freshman. As McFadden prepares for the NFL draft, one can’t help but think that even if Hampton is truly healthy, and I really hope he is – won’t there be some rust after so long? His spring has looked decent enough to make me think he might actually be able to help. If Hampton can defy critics, Father Time, and Mother Nature, he’ll be a great boost for this team, possibly enough to push them well past the Mets. If he can’t, don’t worry – Atlanta will still be in the race. If the old guys get hurt, Jurrjens struggles, or Hampton remembers his true identity, Atlanta has several other options for the rotation, and it’s that sort of flexibility that I do love about this year’s pitching staff. In the mix is Jo-Jo Reyes, off a disappointing rookie year, Jeff Bennett, winner of this year’s “I Pitched 5 Dominant Innings In A Spot Start So I Automatically Get To Be Mentioned In The Rotation Battle Like Oscar Villarreal Award”, Buddy Carlyle, and Cox favorite Charlie Morton. Being a Cox favorite doesn’t mean much, though - I guess Morton can start a bowling team with Trey Hodges, Anthony Lerew, Chris Brock, and Travis Smith. In all seriousness, though, at least Cox has finally targeted a real prospect with his affection. Morton seems like a real future asset.
The 2008 bullpen will be unheralded but solid. Closing is Rafael Soriano, who has dominant stuff and should be very solid in the role, as long as he can put last summer’s home run struggles behind him. Considering that despite those struggles, he still ranked as one of the NL East’s best relief pitchers last year, he should be very valuable, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Soriano become the NL’s best closer in 2008. Setting him up will be Peter Moylan who, according to the Win Probability Added stat available at FanGraphs (a wonderful tool/toy), was the most valuable reliever in the division in 2007. Moylan sets batters up with a mid 90’s sinker and devastates them with a slow, sweeping slider. Due to his side-arm delivery, it creates an unfavorable effect from the hitter’s perspective. It’s no surprise that right handed hitters were helpless against Moylan, batting .183/.244/.290. Atlanta is looking forward to a mid-season bullpen boost when Mike Gonzalez is slated to return in June. Until then, the lefty duties will go to either Will Ohman, a talented youngster who posted a 4.95 ERA in limited duty with the Cubs last year, or Royce Ring, acquired at the trading deadline last year. Also available is Jeff Ridgway, picked up from Tampa Bay this offseason. All three are adept at getting out lefties, and it’s likely that’s all they’ll be asked to do. The final spots will be duked out in spring training and most likely will be some combination of Chris Resop, Manny Acosta, Jeff Bennett, and Blaine Boyer. There is great uncertainty with such an unproven pen, but also great potential. The bullpen most certainly holds the key to Atlanta’s season, because the unknown is such a major factor here.
All in all, Atlanta should be improved from 2007’s 84-78 record, but the roster adjustments were slight, so don’t expect a huge improvement. Still, there’s some room for optimism. Last year’s team probably underachieved a little bit, and was good enough to have won close to 88 games. If Atlanta improves by a few wins thanks to upgrades here and there, 90 wins isn’t out of the question. I’m a loyal fan, but I’m also a realistic fan, and I know the Mets are improved and hungry. Guess what? That’s fine. Atlanta is my favorite to take home the NL Wild Card in 2008, and that’ll make this Braves fan very happy. After all, the last 6 World Series have all featured at least one Wild Card team, and to me, that goal is much, much bigger than simply beating the Mets.
March 28, 2008
As the season nears, the NL East is shaping up to be one the best races in baseball with a three-team bottleneck between the Braves, Phillies, and Mets. Early prognosticators picked the Phillies to repeat their performance from last year, but after the Johan Santana trade, everyone has seemingly switched to back the Mets. However, lost in all this are the Braves, which may not be a bad thing. Staying under the radar may help the Braves sneak into the playoffs much like Phillies last year after their horrid start.
Offensively, the Braves look loaded. Yunel Escobar may not repeat his .326 BA / .385 OBP, but he shouldn’t drop off too much as reports indicate he looks good and has actually gained some muscle which may help his power numbers. Remember, he hit 25 doubles in 94 games (which is around 43 for a season if my math is correct). Also battling for the leadoff spot is Kelly Johnson. He may improve his .276 / .375 numbers as he will not be spending so much time working on extra fielding, keeping him fresher for the end of the season. Honestly, he may be the better choice for leadoff as he has a better track record of getting on base (Bobby loves match-ups so look for Escobar to leadoff vs. LH and Johnson vs. RH).
Next up is the venerable Chipper Jones. His fantastic season in ’07 was nothing short of remarkable. However, he has had some injury problems, but the past two seasons have been marred by freak accidents (slipping in SF and attempting to jump over Bautista in Pittsburgh) which might indicate he may stay healthy. I see some slippage in numbers, but he has been nothing but consistent in his career. Therefore, don’t expect a big drop-off.
The middle of the order has a lot of upside and youth (a dangerous combination). Batting clean-up will be Mark Teixeira, and while he may not get 56 RBI every 54 games, he will probably top 40 HR and 120 RBI (giving him MVP credit and about $5 million more per year on his next contract). The next two spots will be occupied by the most known of the Baby Braves. Jeff Francoeur will likely hit fifth. Expect more HR but not more RBI as Tex might take a few away, but Jeff’s BA should stay put and hopefully his OBP will rise a little more. McCann will take the next spot, and with a healthy year, one can expect a season similar to ’06. He added bulk and flexibility in the offseason, which will hopefully keep him healthier, but remember, he wears the “Tools of Ignorance” so little injuries will always plague him.
At the bottom of the order, a platoon of Matt Diaz / Brandon Jones will likely hit in the seven spot with Mark Kotsay hitting eighth. Diaz has continued to hit, and with a bad spring by Jones, he may get the everyday nod. Expect the .338 BA to drop about 10-15 points, but the HR should rise by about 5. At .282 / .337 for his career, Mark Kotsay has the average and relatively low strike-out numbers to be effective, but the best thing may be to pray hard for a healthy season (2004 was the last time he played in 148 games). Overall this lineup will be difficult to handle with a great mixture of youth and experience. I estimate around 900 runs for a team that finished ’07 with 810.
The bench has been upgraded for this season. Corky Miller seems to be the front-runner to get the backup catcher spot due to his experience and defensive prowess. Scott Thorman will be at first / outfield, and one can only hope he finds the same power swing he had in winter ball. Omar Infante brings some experience and offense (.271 BA) to the bench. Martin Prado might get the nod as the other infielder, and his improved offense (.316 / .374) should help considerably. In the outfield, don’t forget Josh Anderson and Gregor Blanco whose speed and versatility may ultimately make them a good choice either way Bobby decides.
In the rotation, there are a few concerns, but plenty of upside. Expect Tim Hudson to keep up the 16 wins and low 3 ERA, and he should be the ace of the staff. John Smoltz will follow with around 15 wins as well, but expect his ERA to creep up by .1 - .3 as age begins to take its toll. Following Smoltzie and Huddy are the big question marks. Tom Glavine is old and doesn’t throw very hard, but he still finds a way to win. His 4.45 ERA seems a bit scary, but not having to feel the pressure of being the ace and pitch 200 innings may help him out a bit more. Mike Hampton hasn’t pitched since Noah’s flood, but all things in Spring Training point to his stuff being perfectly fine. Expecting 30 starts may be tough to swallow, but 25 seems reasonable (knock on wood … no not you Hampton … uh oh he’s hurt again) from a man determined to get back. In the fifth spot, I think Bennett should get the job with his superb starts at the end of the 2007 season, but he will most likely end up as the long reliever. Jair Jurrjens seems to have nailed this job down with his solid Spring, and I expect to him to be the next coming of John Smoltz (a Tiger traded to Atlanta who has a Hall of Fame career).
The bullpen could be the bright spot for the Braves. Bennett should be very good as a long reliever / spot starter as his late-season performance and losing 50 pounds are good indicators. Will Ohman appears to be the left-hander heading to Atlanta, and fans need to hope his 8.66 ERA in Wrigley is not an indication of what he will do in Atlanta. Manny Acosta and Peter Moylan will be the set-up men, and they should be excellent as they will be the most underrated set-up tandem in baseball. As closer, Rafael Soriano should prove much more effective than Bob Wickman as long as he doesn’t endure the same mid-summer struggles that he had in ’07. I expect him to the dominant guy from early and late ’07. The final spots are left to Blaine Boyer, Chris Resop, and Royce Ring (at least until Smoltz comes off the DL) who have had solid if not spectacular Springs.
As the Braves’ main adversaries, the Mets and Phillies will be tough with which to contend. The Mets have a powerful lineup once again. Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran will lead a very talented core, but without a resurgence from Carlos Delgado, they will not be any better than the Braves. However, the starting rotation could be formidable. Santana will be the ace, and his numbers should be amazing in a pitcher’s park with a much better offense. Pedro may get hurt, but the end of ’07 showed he can still deal (2.57 ERA). Oliver Perez and John Maine will need to prove their standout seasons were not flukes. Perez has seemingly regained his confidence from his early days in Pittsburgh, and John Maine proved very effective. El Duque seems to be the biggest question mark, but the wily veteran still had a 3.72 ERA (yet he still needs to stay healthy … maybe he and Hampton can share some stories and scars). The bullpen may be the big hole. Billy Wagner needs to stay effective and defy age, and Duaner Sanchez needs to return healthy. Otherwise, this bullpen might blow some leads.
The Phillies look almost as good … almost. Their offense may be (okay will be) the best of the NL as they have 3 MVP candidates in Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. However, their pitching has some definite question marks. Cole Hamels and Brett Myers should be a good 1-2 punch, but Myers’ ERA has never been below 3.72 (not good for a no.2) while he started. Kendrick can be effective, but Moyer is bound to finally bow down to old age. There are no indications that Adam Eaton will rebound, so his spot should be up for grabs when Kris Benson becomes healthy. The bullpen is as big of a question mark. Will Lidge be able to pitch in a band box (he has pitched well in CBP)? Will Tom Gordon’s arm finally disintegrate? Is J.C. Romero going to be the guy who got released by the Red Sox or the guy who earned his multi-million dollar contract? These are important questions.
As I look at the finished products, I give the Mets the edge with the Braves second (and the Wild Card team) and the Phillies third. It is hard to ignore the Phillies’ offense, but I don’t expect the pitching staff to surprisingly hold things together like they did last year. The Mets seem to have the best upside in the rotation as they have the best pitcher anywhere alongside three other potential 15-game winners. Their offense should be as good as the Braves’. The deciding factor may come down to the bullpen. If Wagner, Sanchez, and / or Aaron Heilman have issues, this Mets team could become the Braves of ’06 (good offense that gets killed by a lack of bullpen).
Update: Ruben Gotay will get the last infield spot with Lillibridge getting sent down to Richmond. Brayan Peña for backup first base / catcher?
March 27, 2008
The 2008 championship season figures to be a bright one for the Atlanta Braves as they look to reclaim their rightful place on top of the National League East. This version of the Braves will feature a formidable offense to go along with a very deep pitching staff. Under the tutelage of Bobby Cox, the Braves begin their epic journey to the top on March 30th against the Washington Nationals.
The off-season brought about some changes in Atlanta. For the first time since 1991, the general manager’s office will not be occupied by John Schuerholz, who became the President of the Braves in October. He is being replaced by Frank Wren. For the first time in eleven seasons, Andruw Jones will not be patrolling centerfield. But at least one very familiar face will be making his return home to the Braves. Tom Glavine signed a one year deal with the Braves after spending the past 5 years with the much hated New York Mets.
The Braves have one of the best offenses in baseball. The Braves have arguably the best 3rd and 4th combo in the game with a pair of switch hitting sluggers in Chipper Jones and Mark Teixeira. Chipper must remain healthy and get at least 500 at-bats for the Braves to have a shot at the division. Teixeira will be in his first and maybe his last full year in Atlanta. His power will off-set the power the Braves lost when Andruw decided to sign with the Dodgers. Do not be surprised if Teixeira starts off slow, historically he has improved each month as the season progresses.
All-Star catcher Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson, and Yunel Escobar (The World’s Greatest Cuban, I dare you to name a better one.) Escobar played extremely well last year after he was called up. His outstanding play allowed the Braves to trade away short-stop Edgar Renteria to the Tigers. Johnson is emerging as one of the National League’s premier second baseman. While McCann is already one of the best catchers in baseball.
Perhaps the biggest question mark on the Braves, is the centerfield spot. The Braves got Josh Anderson back in December to take over but would acquire Mark Kotsay in January as the front-runner for the centerfield. While Kotsay did not set the world on fire hitting just .218 in the Grape Fruit League, he won the job. Jeff Francoeur will return to right field. Many believe that this is the year that he puts it together. Matt Diaz, the hitting machine, started the spring looking like he was going to platoon with Brandon Jones, but Jones has since been sent back down to Triple A Richmond and Diaz will start in left field full time.
The starting rotation will be John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Tom Glavine, Jair Jurrjens, and Mike Hampton. If one of them goes down then Chuck James, Jo-Jo Reyes, and or Jeff Bennett will be able to step in as a major league starter. Smoltz will start the season on the DL but will come off of it on April 6th against the rival Mets. He will be the ace of the team. Hudson will prove to be a very good number 2, he would be a number 1 on the more than one team. Glavine returns from a 5 year stint with the much hated Mets. He will not be the same pitcher he was when he left after the 2002 season. He will eat the innings up while providing league average stats. Mike Hampton is penciled in for a rotation spot. The big question with him is his health. He has not pitched in the Majors in August 19th, 2005. Jair Jurrjens will be the number 5 starter to begin the season. He was acquired along with Gorky Hernadez in exchange for Edgar Renteria.
The Braves will rely on Rafael Soriano as their closer to begin the season. His performance in that role will be vital to the Braves success this year. Peter Moylan will be the team’s set-up man. He had a great season last year with an ERA of 1.80. Will Ohman will the lefty specialist to begin the year and will remain their until Mike Gonzalez returns in June. Manny Acosta will serve as a middle reliever. In 22 and 2/3rds innings of work in Atlanta last year he had an ERA of 2.28. This leaves Jeff Bennett, Blaine Boyer, Chris Resop, and Royce Ring to battle out for the 3 final bullpen spots. Bennett is the only one with options left. For that reason alone I expect him to get optioned down to Richmond to begin the year.
The bench is where there are spots to be won. Who will be the back-up catcher? It is between Bryan Pena and Clint Sammons. I am going to say Pena gets the job because Sammons has options and Pena does not. I think both Martin Prado and Scott Thorman have spots on the team for them. And the battle for the final spot and reserve outfielder comes down to Gregor Blanco and Josh Anderson. Blanco has played extremely well this spring and in my mind has earned the final roster spot.
The Braves have one of the best all-around teams in the National League. They have pitching depth. A scary good offense. I do not see one glaring weakness like the Braves had with the 4 and 5 starters last year. Unfortunately the Braves are in a very tough division. This race will go down to the wire. It should make for an exciting season. I expect nothing less than the Braves reclaiming their crown as the National League East Champions.
The pitchers have reported. The catchers have reported. The position players have reported. Yes, it’s that time again folks. The time when the sun is shining bright, when the players are oiling up their rust spots, and when the pale, moon-like figures known as fans emerge out of their holes. Baseball is back, and it’s about time!
One of the teams that’s not been mentioned, or even on somebody’s far distant radar, is the team from Atlanta. Sure, they didn’t make too many big splashes during the off-season, but I think they may have found the few missing pieces to the puzzle that can lead them back to the playoffs, and to the World Series. Most people will dismiss my opinion of the 2008 Braves, but I have a message for them, “We are the team to beat.”
The Braves pitching staff is the most dominant or at least deep in the NL East. Smoltz, Glavine, and Hudson alone are one of the most promising top 3 in baseball. Old age or not, these guys can still pitch. The age is just an excuse made up by those who sit in denial. The back end is nothing to laugh at either. Returning for his third year, the crafty lefty Chuck James fills the 4th spot, and Mike Hampton, who after missing the last 2 years consecutive, may finally be ready to take the hill once again in the back end of the rotation. Now, these two are probably the most injury-prone in the rotation, so I wouldn’t expect them to pitch all season unharmed. It’s a good thing we’ve got at least three youngsters waiting in the wing for their chance to shine. First up is Jeff Bennett who pitched last year, and did quite well. He’ll probably get the nod first if either pitcher is to go down. Next is a toss-up being Jo-Jo Reyes, and the newly acquired Jair Jurrgens. Jo-Jo did quite badly in his time last year, but towards the end, managed to get his first major league win ending the season with two. As for Jair, at the young age of 22, has already claimed victory to 3 big-league wins, and impressive 4.70 ERA. Let’s not forget that he was an AL pitcher after all. Any one of these three guys would make for an excellent candidate if a spot opened up.
Starting rotation isn’t the only shining beacon for the Braves on the pitching side of things. No, the Braves, even after the Devine trade, have a solid looking pen out in right-center. Closing this year will be the dominant Dominican, Rafael Soriano. Last year, Soriano finished with a 3.00 ERA and 70 strikeouts, keeping up his reputation for sending batters back to the dugout empty handed. Setting up for him this year will be the “side-winda” from “down unda” Peter Moylan. Moylan was, without a doubt, the Braves biggest surprise player of the year, and one of their best. Moylan finished the season 5-3 with a barely-visible 1.70 ERA. The Braves also have Tyler Yates in the pen, who can be shaky, but brilliant as well. There’s also the newly attained Will Ohmen (who has an unbelievable record away from Wrigley), and returning Blaine Boyer. And last, but most certainly not least, the return of Mike Gonzalez sometime in late June or early July. This will provide an outstanding boost to the Braves pen, and if they’re already on a roll, who knows where this will lead them.
Now, onto those pesky position players, who are shaping up be just that for other teams. Around the horn, they’re as impressive as any team around. At third, do I even need to mention him? We’ve got Yunel Escobar at SS who lit up the league in his short four-month stint with the team before the close of the season. He went on to record a .326 batting average with 28 RBI’s, and 5 home runs, not to mention some very impressive work with the glove. Over at 2nd is the “most asked for player” Kelly Johnson. Kelly started the season on fire, but quickly tired. If he can work on his stamina, and last the whole marathon season, one can only guess at his numbers. Then there’s first base. First base is a bit bitter sweet. We’ve gave up so much to obtain him, and now he may be gone after just under a year and a half. That won’t let us not enjoy him this season though. Of course, I’m talking about the powerhouse that is Mark Teixeira. In just 54 games with the Braves, Tex hit .317 with 56 RBI’s and 17 home runs. Behind the plate is the catcher who I am convinced is the best catcher in all of baseball, Brian McCann. Coming off another solid season with the Braves where he hit .270 with 18 home runs, I think the Braves can expect only good things from him. In the outfield, from left to right are Matt Diaz, Mark Kotsay, and Jeff Francoeur. Diaz who has proved two seasons in a row that he is no fluke is out there once again to shut his critics up. Francoeur need not prove anything to anyone. With his killer arm, and crazy bat, his opposer’s lips were sealed from day one. The Braves with the most to prove though, is Mark Kotsay. Obtained from Oakland in exchange for Joey Devine, Kotsay has a very tough uphill battle for him. Coming off back surgery that side-lined for most of the season last year where he only hit .214, he needs to do a complete 180 if he is to be taken seriously. Even with a few bumps here and there, I think this Braves team is one of the most solid and well-rounded teams to ever take the field.
Now, what kind of aspiring blogger would I be if I didn’t cover all aspects of the team that will be playing on the diamond this season? Not a very good one, I will tell you that much. The Braves bench is something one should not look over either. For the first time in years, we have a possible solid backup catcher in former Brave great Javy Lopez. There’s also Omar Infante, a new addition to the team who is an excellent utility player. Backing up Tex is Scott Thorman, who can be very good when he’s used in small increments. Filling out the rest of the bench will be Prado, Anderson and/or Brandon Jones. So all in all, our bench is looking very stable too.
This year, I’m very confident in the Braves, and that’s quite a shocker to those who know me as a pessimist doubter who never believes. Even with the acquisition of Johan Santana, I still don’t see the Mets, or the Phillies for that matter, running away with the division, or pennant, as some over-zealous Met fans have declared. No, I think if the Braves stay healthy, and work together, they can make some serious strides and surprise a lot of people. But, for those of us without tunnel vision, it will be no surprise; it will be all that hard work paying off at last.
