- tadashi
- Feb 20, 2006
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Photos/gifs later if time allows.
The Cobb County Holding Patterns
2017 Record: 72-90, good for 3rd in last year's astonishingly bad NL East
Little was expected, and little delivered. This year: more of the same at a very, very slightly higher pitch.
Manager: Brian Snitker
Popular with the players, otherwise replacement-level. Not Bobby Cox (in the dugout anyway, no idea how he is on a bender) but also not Fredi Gonzalez, which goes a long way.
Losses from 2017:
Various bums.
New faces for 2018:
Additional bums. Oh, and Brandon McCarthy.
Should also probably count Alex Anthopoulos here too, after incessantly flirting with Dayton Moore the Braves managed to fall rear end-backwards into a much, much savvier GM.
Catchers: Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki
Bizarrely productive, Suzuki in particular has revitalized his career by affecting a moonshot launch-angle swing. Flowers is widely considered one of the best pitch framers in baseball. Both due for a serious regression.
First Base: Freddie Freeman
On track for a loving golden season till he took one off the wrist, lost two months, and had to settle for merely a very good season instead. It'd be nice for him not to lose a big chunk of this year; if he stays healthy and near his best he's a match for almost anyone.
Second Base: Ozzie Albies
Top of the lineup fixture for years to come.
Third Base:Johan Camargo
At least, once he works back to health, the spot should be his. Not a dynamo but any rights but unexpectedly decent. Ryan Flaherty will cover till then.
Shortstop: Dansby Swanson
Disastrous 2017 that saw him get benched repeatedly and even demoted. Recovered a little by the end but hard to argue there isn't a lot of luster lost, maybe has more to prove than any other single member of the team apart from maybe Teheran.
Left Fielder: Nick Markakis
Doubles machine, Veteran Presence™. Not much good at anything else, really just biding time for a trade. Right fielder until Ronald Acuña comes up, so LF will be some dumb platoon involving Lane Adams, Preston Tucker, Peter Bourjos, Danny Santana, or others till then.
Center Fielder: Ender Inciarte
Incredible in the field, not too shabby at bat. The real gem of the Shelby Miller trade.
Right Fielder: Ronald Acuña
New god, at least once he gets two indispensable weeks of seasoning in AAA. Until then, Markakis.
Likely bench players:
C Kurt Suzuki
C Chris Stewart
IF Charlie Culberson
UT Ryan Flaherty
OF Peter Bourjos
Extra catcher since whoever of Flowers/Suzuki isn't playing is easily the team's best PH.
Starting Pitchers:
Julio Teheran
Downright bad for long stretches of 2017, didn't seem to like pitching at the new home field. Likely trade bait if he can recapture his form.
Brandon McCarthy
The new old guy, albeit most younger than last year's models.
Mike Foltynewicz
Has all the stuff to be a top-line starter,
Sean Newcomb
Improving, might actually be the first of the
Anibal Sanchez?!
Awful but also extremely short term, keeping SP5 warm during Luiz Gohara's DL stint.
Relief Pitchers:
Arodys Vizcaino
Sam Freeman
Jose Ramirez
A.J. Minter
Peter Moylan
Dan Winkler
Shane Carle
Rex Brothers
After being one of the worst pens in the league last year, they might aspire to mediocre this year?
PREDICTION: The Braves will flirt with .500 for a while and then fade badly in early summer, triggering trades of veterans and opening up slots for the farm system kids. That's the hope and plan, anyway, but really the only thing that matters is moving from one game to the next and waiting for various of the prospects to come up.
If you give Swanson the benefit of the doubt, their only holes in the lineup going forward are at catcher and left field (because Flowers/Suzuki are getting older and they'll replace Markakis, eventually, even if it's just to bench him). That's not bad considering how loaded they are on the pitching prospect side.
I used to think the Phillies had the short term advantage (their floor seems higher right now) and the long term advantage because of the bigger payroll but I'm wondering if the Braves can challenge that.
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