Atlanta Braves Summer Check Up


Atlanta Braves

45-31 (First in NL East)



Eye Popping Number

3.43

Coming into the season, the Atlanta Braves were expected to continue to trend up, as their rebuilding years seemed to be behind them. During those years, they stockpiled elite pitching prospects: Mike Foltynewicz, Sean Newcomb and Mike Soroka. Well those guys are at the Big Leagues now, and combined with the veteran presence of Brandon McCarthy, Anibal Sanchez and Julio Teheran, they are 4th in baseball with a 3.43 ERA (2nd in the NL). A great pitching staff has complimented a great line up as the team is definitely done with rebuilding.

Biggest Surprise

The whole team has been a surprise this year. FanGraphs originally projected the team to finish with 75 wins, while PECOTA projected 76 for the young Braves. They’re on pace to win 95 this season as both the pitching staff and offense has produced will above projections at the beginning of the season. Ozzie Albies and Nick Markakis have come out of nowhere to become some of the best hitters in the NL, the join who is probably the best hitter in the NL, Freddie Freeman. I touched on the starting pitching earlier, but the bullpen hasn’t slouched either as they’ve been able to close out the games when they’ve had the lead.

Player to Watch

Freddie Freeman is having the best season of his career. He has been the perfect cornerstone for this young lineup. He has the best batting average of his career at .322 (3rd in the NL), and on base percentage at .412 (2nd in the NL). Plus, at the pace he’s going, he’ll be close to breaking career highs in doubles, home runs, RBIs and walks. He’s also playing great defense at first base, which he’s steadily getting better at throughout his career. It’s weird to think about, because it feels like Freeman has been around for forever, but he’s only 28 and in the prime of his career, so we may just be seeing the tip of the ice burg for him, which is fun to think about.

What to Watch for at the Deadline

For the first time in years, the Braves are going to be buyers at the trade deadline. I don’t think that they’re going to go after the top guys on the market though, because they know their window to win is going to be open for a few years, and they don’t want to get rid of some of their top prospects in their stacked farm system. A veteran pitcher like JA Happ (Toronto) would be a steady force in case the young arms in the rotation start to hit the wall during the dog days of summer. Bullpen arms like Adam Cimber and Kirby Yates (San Diego) or Joakim Soria (Chicago White Sox) could help round out the team to make games shorter for the starters when it comes to the playoffs.


*All stats as of 6/26 via fangraphs.com and baseball-reference.com 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 2019 Houston Texans Offseason Blueprint

Image
Well, it’s that time of year again. Football season is over (the NFL season, I should say, as I just watched a game of the Alliance of American Football) and the Houston Texans didn’t win the Super Bowl, extending their streak to 16 years since their inception. While there were moments of hope this season, epitomized by a nine game winning streak and a division championship, there were also moments of doubt that the team was as good as their record. Now, owner, Cal McNair, general manager, Brian Gaine, and head coach, Bill O’Brien, have to figure out how to replicate the moments of hope while eliminating the doubt that surrounds the franchise. Luckily for them, I’m available for hire. Or they can just read this blog for free. However they decide to come to their decisions, this is what they need to do to get to Super Bowl LIV. There is good news and bad news going into the offseason. The good news is that the team has the seventh most cap space to work wit...
Read more

2015 World Series Preview

Image
Starting on Tuesday, the New York Mets will play the Kansas City Royals in the 2015 World Series. According to ESPN at the beginning of the season, none of these teams were predicted to reach the World Series, much less win it. But here they are, and both worthy of being here, and looking to win the last game of the season. Some history between the two teams: The last time the Royals were in the World Series was... well, last year. However the last time they won was back in 1985. Best known for one of the worst calls in MLB history, the Royals came back in game 6 to force game 7 against the St. Louis Cardinals and ended up winning it all. Until recently, they have been the doormat of baseball. Consistently getting top 5 overall draft picks. Lately, those top draft picks have come to fruition as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Alex Gordon lead not only a potent offense but arguably the best defense in the game. Last year, they were Cinderella but the clock struck midnight on th...
Read more

The Astros and the 2015 MLB Playoffs

Image
Can we all just take a second and think about the Houston Astros being in the playoffs? Yes, those Astros that lost 111 games and had only four players put up a WAR (wins above replacement) of 2.0 in 2013. Those Astros that lost 22 games more than they won last season, and considered that a huge success... those Astros. They are in the playoffs. It may seem like a shock that they almost didn't even make the playoffs thanks to an abysmal road record and late surges by the Rangers and Angels, but the fact of the matter is that no one pegged them to be contenders until maybe  next year. As a homer, and with a completely biased opinion, I imagined them playing somewhere around .500 ball with a shot at the wild card and absolutely no shot at the division with the Mariners having lofty expectations, the Angels having the best record in baseball last year, and the Rangers one of the top payrolls in all of baseball.  But no. These Astros wanted to compete this year. And her...
Read more