MLB
Not Going Back
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Braves are, unsurprisingly, leaning on youth to win ballgames during the first half of the season.
The young pitching that has been so highly touted for the past several years has shown up and produced, with Mike Soroka the undisputed ace of the team and Max Fried leading the squad in wins after nearly two months. That is to be expected, with the hype that surrounded those two and their fellow pitching prospects.
However, with all the focus and fanfare surround the young arms on the Braves and throughout their farm system, it’s easy to forget that there are some talented position players that have been waiting to get the call and make an impact in the big leagues.
After flat out decimating Triple A for more than a month, the Braves pulled the trigger and called up prospect Austin Riley to play left field, even though his natural position is third base.
That didn’t stop him from making an impact, homering in his debut and staying hot ever since, including a game tying bomb in the series finale against the Giants in San Francisco.
That home run was Riley’s FIFTH since his call up on May 15th. He’s also hitting for a high average and has played solid defense in left in addition to a few starts at third base to spell veteran Josh Donaldson.
It’s been less than two weeks, but even with a small sample size, there is no way the Braves are sending Riley back to the minor leagues when Ender Inciarte is ready to come off the Injured List.
More than simply hitting well, Riley’s call up has reinvigorated a Braves team that had been embarrassed by Los Angeles the week before and squashed by St. Louis the night before. Atlanta has been tearing it up since the 22-year-old joined the team. The energy is high, and there’s certainly a correlation with Riley’s arrival, if not a direct causation.
While Riley’s and team’s success is an absolute good, it doesn’t bode so well for the Gold Glove centerfielder, Ender Enciarte, whose trip to the IL prompted the call up.
Inciarte has never set the world on fire with his bat and in fact is notorious for having slow starts every season before heating up during the second half; but he’s unmatched on the squad in center field.
Ronald Acuna, Jr. has slid over to man center in Ender’s absence, and while he’s faster and younger, he still hasn’t developed the defensive instincts that make Ender such an asset.
An outfield with Acuna in left, Ender in center, and stalwart Nick Markakis in right is a superior defensive outfield, no one will argue that. However, the dividends that Riley’s bat pays out may make it impossible for Brian Snitker to give Ender starts once he gets healthy.
Aside from spelling Donaldson at the hot corner, Riley is almost certainly going to be the starting left fielder for the Braves going forward, which Ender coming in as a defensive replacement late in games as long as he remains untraded.
Speaking of, that’s another feather the Braves have been able to add to their cap with Riley’s instant success. Ender will make an appealing trade piece. He’s a young veteran with a cheap contract that ends on a team option. Riley has given Atlanta the flexibility to flip Ender as part of a package for that constantly needed bullpen help.
Whatever happens, Austin Riley is leading the charge for Atlanta, and he’s here to stay.
Bull-Pen
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Putting together a winning team in Major League Baseball is a tall order.
In a sport where each team needs to cover so many different and individually specialized positions, a shortcoming or a rash of injuries anywhere on the diamond can be the source of an entire season’s worth of frustration and the difference between an elated or frustrated fan base.
For fans of the Atlanta Braves, it doesn’t take more than a split second to identify the area on which the 2019 season hinges.
The defending National League East champions are in position to rule the division once again and possibly do much more as their talented core of youth comes into its own, but seemingly every game gets transformed into a three-ring circus every time the bullpen gates open and the Braves’ relief pitching comes into play.
The Atlanta bullpen was one of the only weaknesses in the 2018 squad and despite high hopes for another postseason run this season, fans were a bit on edge this spring when the team did almost nothing to improve its late-inning options in 2019.
If the front office’s hope was that another year of experience would bring improved performance, that plan ran off the tracks early as closer Arodys Vizcaino was shut down for the season just after opening day.
A.J. Minter was the next man up to fill the closer role, but was sent back to the minor leagues after posting a 9.82 ERA and walking 11 over nine innings of work.
The Braves seemed to find an answer at the end of the game in Luke Jackson, who converted four consecutive saves from May 10-17, but Jackson has looked shaky since.
Even for the best teams in baseball, solidifying a bullpen is never an easy task. After all, there aren’t many guys whose lone career track has been that of a reliever.
Just about every pitcher in every bullpen in the majors began as a starter, but was moved to relief due to a lack of effective number of pitches or an inability to hold opponents scoreless for more than an inning or two.
That said, the Braves have found themselves in that dreaded position where no lead feels safe and everyone in the ballpark is on pins and needles until the final out is in the books.
The bullpen issues need to be addressed, but that is easier said than done. Braves fans have been getting louder in their constant reminders that Craig Kimbrel is still a free agent.
But Kimbrel is still demanding a salary and contract length that the notoriously stingy Atlanta front office doesn’t seem to be interested in.
On top of that, any team wanting to sign Kimbrel would have to forfeit a first-round draft pick unless they wait until after next week’s draft to sign him.
If a return to Atlanta for Kimbrel isn’t in the cards, there are plenty of other options for the Braves to manage the late innings. Any scout in baseball will tout the Braves’ young pitchers – either still in the minor leagues or called up to the majors last season – and predict big things for them in the future.
They could provide immediate help, but that would raise the question of whether it’s prudent to derail the progression of a future starting pitcher in order to put him to work in the bullpen.
The shuffling and experimenting will continue so long as the shaky relief outings continue to mount. However, the good news is that solid starting pitching and a young lineup that is hitting the ball better with each passing week should give the bullpen plenty of leads to attempt to preserve as the season continues.
There’s a long way to go, and the Braves look to be in for another playoff push. And if those bullpen questions are answered, 2019 is looking very bright for Atlanta.
Fire Fighter
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There is such a thing as beating a dead horse – so head’s up: I am about to do it.
I am about to talk about relief pitching, and it will not be a positive column. You have been warned.
The Arizona Diamondbacks swept the Atlanta Braves, finishing up yet another series in which the Braves proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they desperately need help in their bullpen.
Reliever AJ Minter took a loss in the series, spoiling a great start by rookie, Max Fried. Both Minter and Chad Sobotka gave up 3 earned runs a piece in the loss.
That dumpster fire was followed up by an extra innings loss after Jesse Biddle couldn’t hold the tie game in the 10th inning.
Then Mike Soroka took a loss even though the young hurler gave up one run on six strikeouts and a walk in five innings, but Sobotka gave up another three (two earned) to let the game get away from the Braves.
I’m not sure this can be considered a silver lining, but in the first game of the doubleheader against the Indians, it was Julio Teheran who gave up the most runs in the Braves’ fourth straight loss (Wes Parsons did give up three as well; that bullpen will not be outdone!).
So back to that dead horse. Even though we haven’t brought him up in the SSE for a while: let’s talk about Craig Kimbrel.
Kimbrel is still sitting at home with a week and a half left until May. From what I’ve read, there’s an increasing chance that Kimbrel’s asking price has dropped from the reported six-year, $100 million-or-so to possibly even a much more palatable three-year contract.
Interesting note, Kimbrel’s agent is the same guy who represents Ozzie Albies, which is bonkers when you think about it: one guy is sitting at home because he’s asking for too much, the other guy took roughly 1/10th of his value for the next decade.
But let’s throw money out of the equation for now and pretend that the Braves and Kimbrel could reach a deal that would satisfy both the flame-throwing righty as well as Liberty Media.
Would Kimbrel really be the savior of the season if the Braves actually inked him to a return deal? Well, no. Despite being one of the greatest closers of all time even this early into his career, he’s still just one guy.
He can replace Arodys Vizcaino at the back end of the bullpen (Vizcaino, possibly the most reliable piece on the relief staff, is out for the season), but he can’t set up for himself, or do damage control for three innings in the middle of a game. He’s a great pitcher, but he’s not five great pitchers.
The starting rotation, which has been very good, isn’t going to provide eight innings every night, either.
Unfortunately, that’s the only situation in which signing Craig Kimbrel solves all of the Braves’ problems. That being said, it also would be a good start. The best bullpens are built from the 9th inning on down, and a reunion with Kimbrel would certainly be a step in the right direction.
Acuna Money-tata
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If we’ve learned anything from the 11th hour contract signings of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper and the fact that Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel are spending time with their families nearly a week into the new season, it’s that free agency is not the sure-fire promised land it once appeared to be.
In fact, players all across Major League Baseball seemed to have realized that in the past few weeks.
The Harper and Machado deals were followed by a slew of contract extensions, pushing back free agency for the likes of Alex Bregman, Jacob DeGrom, Blake Snell, Paul Goldschmidt, Xander Bogaerts, Justin Verlander and of course Mike Trout.
These are all players who would make a killing on the open market, with teams fighting over them to the tune of escalating contract offers, or at least that would have been the case a few years ago.
The cold stove of 2018-2019 seems to have put ballplayers off of free agency altogether, opting to agree to terms with their current teams instead.
For Braves fans, that trend reached its glorious zenith on Tuesday, as Atlanta inked Ronald Acuna, Jr. to an eight-year, $100 million-dollar extension, with team options for years 9 and 10.
The details of the contract, briefly, are this: it starts this year, when Acuna will earn $1 million, then bumps up to $5 million in 2021 before a nice raise to $15 million in 2022 and settling in at $17 million from 2023 to 2026. The team options are worth $17 million for 2027 and 2028 with a $10 million buyout before the ’27 season.
For a young kid who’s got only one year in the majors under his belt (a Rookie of the Year, mind you), that’s a lot of scratch. On the other hand, based on this kid’s potential ceiling, it might end up being a steal for the Braves.
I was reading MLB end-of-year award predictions last week, and one of them put their money on Acuna to win the National League MVP in his second season. His prediction didn’t begin with “now this seems crazy.” That’s because it’s not crazy. What Acuna showed in 111 games in 2018 is that he can be an elite player at the big-league level.
For the sake of comparison, here’s what some former MVPs are going to be making in 2019:
Mike Trout – $36 million
Clayton Kershaw – $31 million
Bryce Harper – $30 million
Miguel Cabrera – $30 million
Justin Verlander – $28 million
Albert Pujols – $28 million
Giancarlo Stanton – $28 million
Let’s also not overlook the fact that Acuna’s teammate Josh Donaldson, who is 33 and coming off an injury-plagued 2018, is making $23 million this season.
Now I have no idea if Acuna will win the NL MVP this year, but if he does, he’ll be making nearly $30 million less than the average of the eight guys I just mentioned.
If he wins an MVP award at any point during the next eight seasons, he’ll be making at most $13 million less than that average.
So, at best the Braves are getting a bargain on Acuna’s potential production. As much as baseball players get paid, this deal is a good one even if Acuna’s rookie campaign turns out to be his ceiling.
A good defensive outfielder who hits around .300 with 25+ dingers and a handful of stolen bases to boot is worth $17 million easy.
Andrew McCutchen (another former MVP) is making $17 million with the Phillies this year and he’s beyond the days where he can put up those kinds of numbers.
And let’s face it: Acuna has not come close to hitting his ceiling. Good deal.
Young Guns
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The starting rotation for a professional baseball team going into the start of the season can set the tone for a club early on.
Some rotations are intimidating and strike fear into the hearts of opponents from the get-go. Some showcase talent without experience – potential, defined.
Look at the Boston Red Sox, for example. They have two former Cy Young award winners in David Price and Rick Porcello slotting in a two and three in their rotation behind ace Chris Sale. You think the Seattle Mariners are excited to launch their season staring down the barrels of those guns?
Washington has the same feather in its cap: Max Scherzer leads the charge with Stephen Strasburg and new National, Patrick Corbin, at his back. These are scary arms to contend with, and teams have every right to be nervous.
The Atlanta Braves, however, are sort of in the latter category but the situation with the starters is fluid.
They have already announced their starting rotation to begin the year, starting with Julio Teheran opening the season in Philadelphia.
Atlanta will follow that up with Bryse Wilson in game two of the series and Kyle Wright making his first ever big league start during the third contest.
Following that trio is Sean Newcomb getting the nod for the Braves home opener, and then Max Fried taking a turn on the mound after Julio gets his second start of the year on normal rest.
No Mike Foltynewicz and no Kevin Gausman to start the season. Both of them will miss time due to injury, though mercifully it doesn’t seem like either will be out for the long haul.
Still, beginning the year with this rotation; an Opening Day starter who will likely never live up to expectations and four kids with barely a season’s worth of a starts under their belts combined is potential trouble as much as it is full of potential.
Setting aside Julio for now, there is very little experience in the rotation. That’s not a guarantee of failure, but four kids are probably not going to make the leap all at the same time.
Newcomb knows how hard a major league season can be; just look at his second-half struggles in 2018.
If nearly the whole rotation struggles for the first few weeks of the season before the “veterans” Folty and Gausman can come back and do their thing, the Braves will be looking up from a self-dug hole that they may not be able to climb out of. Especially given the huge improvements made by nearly the rest of the NL East.
Still, there is plenty to be excited about. The two rookies (Wilson and Wright) and the two not-quite-rookies (Newk and Fried) are highly touted prospects, and the more time they spend facing Major League hitters the better chance they’ll have at developing into winning pieces on the staff.
It’s frustrating to open the season with unknowns when the knowns are injured (or sitting at home as unsigned free agents), but the talent is undeniable, and Wilson, Wright, and Fried all had very strong springs.
Fake Ace
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Pay attention, because this one is going to have a twist ending.
Julio Teheran, the right-handed pitcher whom the Braves once thought could be their stud, is sadly kind of an afterthought in Atlanta these days.
Mike Foltynewicz is the young, flame throwing ace and he’s backed up by Kevin Gausman and a slew of homegrown prospects like Sean Newcomb, Mike Soroka, Touki Toussaint, and what feels like dozens of others.
There was a time when Julio was the next big thing and he’s got a pretty nice paycheck to prove it. He’s got two All Star appearances to his credit, and three out of his first four seasons he managed an ERA of 3.21 or less.
But something has just failed to click. He hasn’t been awful in the two seasons since that run, but he hasn’t been able to rack up wins. He went 7-10 in 2016, 11-13 in 2017, and dead-even 9-9 despite an ERA under 4.00 last season. For whatever reason, he just hasn’t been the guy that Braves Country wanted him to be.
Teheran has slipped from being a top-of-the-rotation piece to being the guy everyone was positive would get moved at the trade deadline. That did not happen but everyone knew he would get traded in the offseason. However, that didn’t happen either.
And now, instead of being traded, Julio Teheran is going to make his sixth consecutive Opening Day start next week.
Why not the ace of the staff? Where is Folty? Folty is hurt; maybe for all of April. Gausman has only made two appearances this Spring due to injury. Soroka has been sent down to the minors to begin the season. Newcomb’s second half struggles from last season seem to be following him into the new year.
So, Julio Teheran will make his sixth straight Opening Day start; not because he deserves it, but because he is the only option.
By hitting six in a row, Julio joins the illustrious ranks of legendary Braves pitchers like Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Except, here’s the thing: no, he doesn’t.
He’s already surpassed them. Maddux never made six in a row. Neither did Glavine. Nor John Smoltz or Phil Niekro or Johnny Sain.
In fact, the only other pitcher in Braves history to start six consecutive Opening Days is Hall of Famer Warren Spahn.
In fact, Julio will be fourth all-time in overall Opening Day starts by the end of the week, trailing only Spahn, Niekro, and Maddux.
I don’t mean to crap on Julio. He seems like a nice guy and I like him. He’s been remarkably healthy for a pitcher in the 21st century: he started 30 games his rookie year and has never started fewer in the five seasons since then.
He’s never had an ERA above 4.49, and his next highest is 4.04. That’s far from awful.
But the guy whose rookie season set Dixie on fire didn’t evolve into an ace. He didn’t become a guy who should be pitching the first game of the season for a sixth year in a row. And yet, here we go.
Brave Lineup
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The excitement of spring training always tends to waver as the weeks of March drag on.
Barring positional battles, the only things to latch on to are little joys like seeing the probable Major League lineup penciled in for their first spring game together.
It gives fans a chance to see what they might see come Opening Day and beyond. It is not generally meaningful in any way, but it is always fun and a reminder that real games are on the horizon.
Brian Snitker recently fielded all of his major starting players for a game and thus penciled in a batting order for a ravenous fanbase to consume while we wait for the front office to probably not make any moves, despite a need.
Instead, we made do with seeing a peak into Snitker’s plan and that plan seemingly includes toying around with moving Ronald Acuna, Jr. to the cleanup position in the lineup.
This is notable because the Braves really caught fire last season with Acuna leading off. So, what gives? Well there are two simple answers: the first one is, Snitker is just messing around to see how the lineup reacts to different ways of being put together. This isn’t a sign of things to come, just an experiment for exhibition games; the second answer is power.
Acuna is strong. He hit 26 home runs in 2018, which led the Braves. I might add, despite playing in just 111 games.
Traditionally, the bat with the biggest power (that isn’t your “best hitter,” mind you) bats fourth. For Atlanta, that power belongs to the young phenom. So, it makes traditional sense that he would bat fourth (26 homers in 111 games stretches out to 38 bombs over the course of a full season). So, there’s that.
There’s also the matter of “who else?” The Braves signed Josh Donaldson to bring some pop to the hot corner and he fits the bill of a cleanup hitter too, but he has made it clear that he’s adverse to cleaning up.
Snitker hit him second that first full-team day, and consensus seems to be that second is where he’ll slot in during the regular season.
As for Freddie Freeman; let’s just assume that it would take an act of god to pry him out of the three-hole and move on. He’s the face of the Braves and his numbers back him up being there.
Beyond that, there’s the Braves’ cleanup hitter from last season: Nick Markakis. Obviously, that worked out fine in 2018 but Markakis is likely to regress and was never really suited for the task to begin with.
Arguably he’d be a better fit for leadoff if Snit does hit Acuna fourth (Ender Inciarte led off the lineup in question).
So maybe Acuna is the way to go, just out of necessity.
On the other hand, the spark he brought to the lineup from the leadoff spot can’t be ignored. Plus, he’s on the record as wanting to hit first and shouldn’t we keep this kid happy?
Plus, traditional isn’t necessarily the same thing as “correct.” I definitely have an image of what a traditional lineup should look like, but that’s somewhat of a trap.
Modern thinking has begun leaning towards front-loading a lineup so that the best players get the most at bats. That would support the notion of keeping Acuna where he was at the end of last season.
Regardless of where he ends up (and my gut tells me he’ll be getting the Braves’ first at bat come March 28th), the Braves will have a very formidable top of the lineup with Acuna, Freeman, and a healthy Donaldson. If Ozzie Albies can have a whole season that looks like his first half from last year, then they’ll be sitting very pretty.
Though, a pitcher could help.
Un-Armed
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The baseball gods can be a cruel, unforgiving higher power.
When the hubris of a front office interferes with their will, they can strike down upon a team with great vengeance and furious anger that would make Samuel L. Jackson proud.
The baseball deities seem to have made their displeasure with the Atlanta Braves known, though mercifully not to Sam Jackson levels just yet.
Instead, they have handed out minor injuries to the Braves pitching staff, apparently in retaliation for the Braves’ front office avoiding spending any significant money or prospect capital this offseason. More specifically, not acquiring a stud pitcher to stand alongside Mike Foltynewicz and lead the staff in 2019.
Hyperbole aside, it really does seem like the injuries to Folty and Kevin Gausman (not to mention to relievers Darren O’Day and AJ Minter) are, at the very least, correlated to Alex Anthopoulos’ failure to pick up a starter since October.
That isn’t how real life works, I realize, but the lack of a new Brave and the slew of pitching injuries simply cannot be separated.
Imagine if the Braves had gone out and miraculously picked up Patrick Corbin, the biggest free agent pitcher available on the market. With Corbin reported to Spring Training in a Braves uniform, a couple of minor injuries to Folty and Gausman that, at worst, hold them out until the end of the April don’t seem like the end of the world.
But the reality is that injuries to the top two pitchers on the team, even minor injuries, are concerning developments with no one to pick up the slack.
It seems like Gausman is likely to be ready for Opening Day and that’s great.
But Folty missing two or three weeks at the beginning of the season has the potential to be truly damning for the Braves’ early season success.
It adds extra shine to the fact that the Mets, the Nationals, and the Phillies have all improved themselves (yes, the Nats lost Harper, but they picked up the aforementioned Corbin to solidify a terrifying rotation and also Harper is supremely overrated).
The Braves were falling behind even at full strength, but losing their ace for the first few weeks of the new campaign could put them in a deeper hole than necessary. Especially, since the Braves open the season in Philadelphia and host a four-game set against the Mets with the first two weeks.
Couple those tough series with tough draws like the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies in Denver, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Indians in Cleveland and not having someone to step into Folty’s shoes may cause the Braves to be looking up in the standings by a significant margin well before the close of April.
It was foolhardy for Anthopoulos and company to do nothing. Even signing a 3- or 4-type pitcher would have strengthened the Braves’ ability to weather this injury storm, but as it stands right now Julio Teheran is looking like the team’s number 2 to start the year (assuming Gausman’s health), and that is not a position Atlanta should be comfortable with if they intend to repeat or even compete for another division title.
Gausman may take the mound on Opening Day, or the Braves could turn to Sean Newcomb. Neither scrape the bottom of the barrel, but neither are who the Braves nor Braves Country want to see throwing the first pitch of the season.
There is still one avenue the Braves could take to remedy this situation and that is by calling Dallas Keuchel’s agent and paying him what he wants.
There is an ace-level pitcher sitting at home while Spring Training games are being played and the Braves are scrambling to fill their rotation.
Of course, even if the Braves do sign Keuchel, he won’t be ready for Opening Day on account of missing the start of Spring Training.
Never piss off the baseball gods.
Moneyball
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For nearly a week, the talk of the baseball world has been of Bryce Harper and his new 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Harper’s signing was the crescendo of an offseason hot stove market that everyone expected to produce plenty of fireworks – especially if you equate dump trucks full of cash to fireworks.
Just over a week before Harper’s signing, Manny Machado became the first jewel to be plucked from the free agent pool when he signed a 10-year $300 million contract with the San Diego Padres. And in between Harper and Machado came a monstrous eight-year extension for Nolan Arenado with the Rockies for $260 million.
Throughout Major League Baseball, teams are bringing in more revenue than ever before and the bidding wars for each huge free agent are soaring ever higher. Bigger television deals and a new generation of social media-savvy stars that are making the game more popular than in the last decade should have baseball in its best standing in recent history.
But that might not be the case.
For every huge contract that Harper, Machado and Arenado get there are other contracts that are taking a sharp downturn for other veterans, who don’t fit the bill as a superstar.
The old line of thinking was that players would work their way to the majors and play for peanuts before being rewarded with ever-increasing contracts if they developed into productive veterans.
Nowadays, front offices that are littered with sabermetric-minded analysts more in tune with hard drives than hardball are killing the market for aging players in the middle of the talent bell curve.
Proven top-of-the-rotation starters like Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez are still without a team nearing the middle of spring training and super utility man Marwin Gonzalez – at the peak of his supposed prime years at 29 – settled for just a two-year, $21 million deal when similar players were scoring contracts three and four times the length and value just a few years ago.
And it’s even worse for those who are stars in waiting.
It used to be that struggling teams with a budding star in the making couldn’t wait to pluck him from the minors. Even if the call-up was for publicity and exciting fans rather than winning more games, it was at least getting the ball rolling on a new career.
For potential superstars currently stuck in the same situation, the road to the show is much longer and more frustrating.
Instead of teams getting prospects big league experience, front offices seem more concerned with keeping that talent cheap for as long as possible. With three years of full control and three arbitration years once a player makes the big leagues, clubs are trying to pick their spots and thread the needle for the longest possible window of competitiveness – often at the expense of players.
So, while current superstars are now rich beyond the wildest dreams of most, the rest of the league is seeing their average contracts decline. And for stars of the 2020’s still in minor league camp, it could be a long time before they get to the big club – regardless of whether or not they’re ready – if the team decides that another year or two of tanking and stockpiling prospects is in order before making their run.
Moneyball and advanced metrics have been the name of the game for nearly 20 years now. It has certainly produced some good results, but it is also breaking the economics of the game.
And with some serious labor negotiations just around the corner, it’s time for baseball to take a serious look at how players are paid if all the newfound revenues are to continue.
Acuna Matata
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Ronald Acuna just turned 21 years of age this past December and is the current National League Rookie of the Year.
He is a five-tool player who looks to be the face of the Braves franchise and could be for the next decade or so.
Acuna missed all of April because of the business side of baseball and then a sprained knee that hampered him in June.
The young Venezuelan hit .293/.366/.552 over 111 games and 487 plate appearances, scoring 78 runs, driving in 64, and pounding out 26 doubles, 4 triples, and 26 home runs.
Did I already mention that Acuna missed roughly two months of the 2018 season? If not for that I believe this kid would have been named the National League MVP in 2018.
You probably can already tell by reading this article that I’m a huge Ronald Acuna fan. I think he is the most talented player to arrive in Atlanta since Andruw Jones. That is saying a lot.
The projected Braves lineup in 2018 looks like this:
LF: Ronald Acuna Jr. (R)
1B: Freddie Freeman (L)
3B: Josh Donaldson (R)
C: Brian McCann (L)
RF: Nick Markakis (L)
2B: Ozzie Albies (S)
CF: Ender Inciarte (L)
SS: Dansby Swanson (R)
Before the Braves brought back Brian McCann, it was looking like Acuna would move to the clean-up spot in the batting order, but now he is back at the leadoff spot where he can lead the 2019 Braves.
With Acuna, Freeman, Donaldson, McCann, and Albies this batting order has some pop in it. Then you have Tyler Flowers, Charlie Culberson, Pedro Florimon, and John Camargo providing depth that should keep Donaldson and McCann fresh throughout the season.
I think this can be a dangerous, run producing batting order that may allow some of the younger arms in the rotation to flourish.
Back to Ronald Acuna, this kid has superstar written all over him. Acuna moved to the leadoff spot on July 20th last year and he hit .322 with 19 homers and a 1.028 OPS over the last 68 games.
Without that line-up move the Braves do not win the NL East in 2018. Acuna was the Braves MVP in this writer’s opinion in 2018.
With Acuna, Donaldson and Freeman the Braves have three MVP caliber players in the everyday line-up. Acuna could possibly end up batting in the four-hole, but after the excitement you saw in 2018 why would you move him?
Right now, Ronald Acuna projects as the best player in the National League going into the 2019. If you don’t believe me look it up. Barring injury I’m predicting Ronald Acuna Jr. to be the 2019 National League MVP.
Excitement for Braves baseball is off the charts right now. If this rotation can hold up and a closer steps up this offense will lead the Braves back to the playoffs.
Who knows who the Braves can pick up at the trade deadline maybe a quality arm or two for a playoff run?
Ronald Acuna is the new face of the Atlanta Braves, and now the Braves must put the pieces together to ensure Acuna retires as a Brave in about 15-18 years.
Baseball is thriving again in Atlanta, Georgia. Ronald Acuna may be the face of Atlanta sports. The Falcons and Hawks are struggling at the moment.
