Being an avid Atlanta Braves fan, I thought that I would do a small break down of what I see so far from the Atlanta Braves this year. This is going to be more about the issues that I think they need to address before the start of the season more than anything else. So, without any further ado, let’s get this party started.
PITCHING:
Starting Pitching:
They Braves have gone to great links to correct this issue from last year. Having added the likes of Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, and Kenshin Kawakami will strengthen the starting ranks for the Braves. Throw in the fact that Jair Jurrjens had a great year in 2008, and that just adds more power to this foursome. The fifth spot will be battled for by Jorge Campillo, Jeff Bennett, Charlie Morton, James Parr, and an outside shot by Tommy Hanson.
Relievers:
The Relievers for the Braves seem to be pumped up for this year. I think that we can expect to see Manny Acosta, Blaine Boyer, Rafael Soriano, Peter Moylan, and Jeff Ridgway as definites out of the gate. This will give the Braves 11 pitchers, so the question is going to be on how many that they will carry. Personally, I think that 12 is going to be the number, but that remains to be seen. If that is the number, then it means that one starting position and one reliever position is all that will be open. If Bobby choose to go with 12 bench players, then this would open one more spot and allow for him to carry 13 pitchers. However, with the edition of Lowe and Vazquez, these guys can and will eat up a lot of innings for the Braves.
Closers:
Going into 2009, the job of closer belongs to Mike Gonzalez. It is his to lose. Enough said.
Defense:
I think that every position is spoken for except for 3. That would be second base, left field, and center field. I think that the question with the 2 outfield positions will be answered by Frank Wren. If he goes outside the franchise, he might look at adding Bobby Abreu or Adam Dunn. If he does not, I think the battle of the outfield will be between Brandon Jones, Gregor Blanco, Josh Anderson and Matt Diaz. I do not think that anyone on the non roster invitees has a chance. But, here is a monkey wrench to throw in. If Kelly Johnson loses his starting position at second to Martin Prado, then you have to add him to the list of potential outfielders. If this is the case, then I can see him as the starting left fielder. Jordan Schafer has an outside chance to make it, but I really do not expect to see him until the minor league season is over. 2010 will more than likely be his time.
Offense:
The Braves are laking a true number 4 hitter. This will be key for them to find prior to the start of the season. Eventually, either Jason Heyward or Frederick Freeman will be able to fulfil this role, but not at this point. Neither of these 19 year old prospects are ready to take a swing at the big leagues. With that said, I do think that we have a chance to see Heyward in 2010 and an outside shot to see Freeman the same year. If the season goes off the deep end this year, it would not surprise me to see these guys in August.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I hope to see Diaz get more time in the field. He is a good offensive and defensive player.
Kelly Johnson should retain his position at second. He is a definite asset to the Braves infield.
As for the pitching, that has been the Achilles heel for the Braves for several seasons. If they could figure that out, they would have a much better shot at the pennant.
Rich Dansereaus last blog post..Pittsburgh Steelers set records in Super Bowl 43
Rich, personally, I would rather see the Braves bring in a hitter with some pop in their bat. The Braves are going to need it this year.