The Atlanta Braves: A Mid-Season Review
The All-Star game and its festivities have come and gone, marking the mid-way point in the baseball season. Some teams have the playoffs in sight, while others are already looking to next year. Now is a great opportunity for those still in the hunt to reflect on the first half, while keeping the faith for October.
Standings
The Braves are currently 3.5 games back from the NL East leading Phillies, while the rest of the division struggles to keep up. The Mets are 11 games back, the Nationals are 11.5 games behind, and Marlins bring up the rear standing 13.5 games behind the lead. There’s still a lot of ball to be played, but the Braves and Phillies are definitely the two teams to beat.
The Positives
Pitching has by far been the best positive for the Braves this year. Atlanta has the 2nd best team ERA in the MLB at 3.11–right behind the Phillies with a 3.02, and the #2 overall opponent batting average of .233. Everyone expected the Phillies to be at the top with their juggernaut of a starting rotation, but thanks to tremendous first halves by Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson, Johnny Venters, and Craig Kimbrel, the Braves are keeping pace.
Jurrjens, coming off his first All-Star appearance, sits at the top of the NL with a 12-3 record, while Hanson, who got snubbed from the mid-summer classic, has a 10-4 record. Venters is controlling the setup slot and paving the way for the record-setting, live-armed rookie Kimbrel to close ‘em out. Atlanta’s bullpen, which is arguably the best in the majors so far, also leans heavily on Eric O’Flaherty, Scott Linebrink, George Sherrill, and Scott Proctor.
Defensively, the Braves are backing up their pitchers very well this year. The memories of untimely errors during last year’s playoffs luckily haven’t stuck with the team. Alex Gonzalez has been an absolute vacuum at short this year, and because of injuries, Jordan Schafer and Nate McLouth have been able use their speed in the outfield to make some awesome grabs.
While the Braves have definitely under-performed at the plate like many teams this year, the leadership and presence of catcher Brian McCann has been extremely important. McCann, who in my opinion has been the best catcher in the game for a number of years, continues to work deep into counts and step up in the clutch. His All-Star selection was not only deserved but an obvious and easy choice for fans. Freddie Freeman, the rookie first-basemen, has done nothing but impress me so far. His ability to drive the ball to the opposite field with power shows his maturity. Freeman is only going to get better, and that’s great news for a team that has gone through many changes at the position over the last 10 plus years.
The Negatives
The good examples of batting bring me to batting itself, which has been pretty poor for the Braves as well as around the rest of the league. No longer are we in the steroid era, but we have entered back into what most consider “normal” baseball. The obvious player to pick on is Dan Uggla, coming into today’s game batting a horrific .185; however, he has filled his role as the power bat when he does connect with the ball in his 15 home-runs. That’s roughly 30 homers by the end of the year, which definitely helps. While he’s definitely swinging the bat better recently, his major problems during the season have been concerned with his approach at the plate in my opinion. When players are in slumps like Uggla is, they often try to do too much. This results in a player trying to pull a ball that’s low and away, when it’s much easier to slap that ball the opposite way. His head was coming off the ball, and he was opening up way to soon. Jason Heyward also has been lackluster as compared to his start last year–which is understandably hard to reproduce. Heyward’s also been affected by injury, a theme that’s run through the club already. Chipper Jones and Martin Prado have missed noticeable time, as well as Peter Moylan and Kris Medlen in the bullpen. Prado makes his return tonight, filling in at 3rd base for Jones while McLouth handles the left field job.
What to Watch for in the 2nd Half
All eyes are on Uggla to get back on track. If he swings the bat well the rest of the season and everyone else holds on, there’s a playoff spot eminent–at least the Wild Card. When Moylan, Chipper, and Medlen return, barring everyone else stays healthy, this team could definitely give the Phillies a run for their money. Pitching has to stay on fire like it has been. After all, it’s been proven recently with the Giants, pitching and defense wins championships. Offense will eventually follow. Think of the lineup possibilities with a healthy team. It might mean making some moves before the trade deadline. Having McLouth and Prado available for left field might be a little unnecessary. I’d like to see the Braves keep Schafer for his speed on the base-paths, an area where Atlanta is currently last in the league. But then again, I wanted them to keep Jermaine Dye back in the day. We saw how he turned out didn’t we? World-Series MVP to be exact.
Since I’ve my word count is approaching 4 digits, I’ll cut it short here. Give me some feedback. Did I miss something you think is important? Tell me about it. Until next time folks.
