MLB
A Brave Decade
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The calendar turns over in just a couple of days, as December becomes January and one year becomes the next. This coming New Year’s Day also shifts the passage of time from one decade into another. The 2010s will become the 2020s and children born in the next few years will actually have memories of the decade in which they joined the world; something I, being born in 1988, can’t claim.
The next decade will define itself and be remembered for things we probably can’t even fathom, the way the 1920s is remembered for being the “Roaring Twenties” and the 1960s is remembered for counterculture.
But as the decade ends and we all look to the future, let’s take a moment to look back at the decade that was for the Atlanta Braves.
Looking back on it now, this decade seems clearly divided into 3 distinct periods: endings, rebuilding, and beginnings.
2010 launched with the announcement of Bobby Cox’s retirement after one last season. The stalwart skipper had coached the team for 21 years, (plus another four during the late 80s/early 70s) with 14 straight division championships, 5 National League pennants, and a World Series to his name.
He was legend and the team celebrated his legacy with one final playoff appearance; a Wild Card berth earned after a wild season full of scrappy play and incredible come backs (note: the 2010 squad still holds in my heart the spot of favorite ever team).
Two years later Chipper Jones announced he would be retiring after one final season. The 2012 campaign was another rousing one as the Braves snatched another Wild Card spot, playing in the first-ever Wild Card game, which ended Chipper’s playing career on a sour note with the infamous “Infield Fly” call.
These two retirements, the last two members of the legendary 90s teams, closed the book on an entire era for Atlanta.
The following season saw the Braves take an all or nothing approach, exciting the fan base with the acquisitions of the Upton brothers to go along with Jason Heyward, Dan Uggla, and eventual breakout star Evan Gattis. It was a lineup full of hitters who loved swinging for the fences. It paid off in 2013 with a NL East crown, but diminishing returns the next season jumpstarted the next major era for Atlanta in the 2010s: the rebuilding years.
The next few seasons were lean years, with the Braves finishing dead last in 2016 and seeing Brian Snitker ascend to the position of manager. First, as a mid-season replacement for outgoing skipper Fredi Gonzalez, then getting the full time job the next year.
Snit was followed shortly thereafter by many of the young prospects that Atlanta had been collecting during the rebuild, such as Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies.
Ironically, John Coppolella, the General Manager who had done much of the legwork in stocking the farm system, (Albies was a Frank Wren signing, mind you) would see none of his work bear fruit after baseball handed him a lifetime ban for cheating the international free agent system.
The setbacks wouldn’t stop the march of progress, as the next major era, beginnings started in Atlanta.
Along with Swanson and Albies came Mike Foltynewicz, Mike Soroka, and of course Ronald Acuna, Jr., who helped lead the Braves to consecutive division titles to close out the decade. Those stars give Atlanta a bright future on the horizon for the next ten years.
The start of the 2020s is shaping up to be the opposite of what the start of the 2010s was: the dawning of an era.
And, just because I inexplicably haven’t mentioned him yet, let’s not forget the constant and consistent contributions of the one player who has played for the Braves in every single year of this waning decade: Freddie Freeman.
Freeman has been through a lot with this team over the past ten years, and with the team that surrounds him now, it’s nearly time to cash in.
Braving Change
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The month of December was an enormous one for Major League Baseball; or maybe it would be more accurate to say that it was an enormous month for Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon, and a few others.
Maybe it would be even more accurate to say that it was an enormous month for that most famous of sports agents, Scott Boras. Boras represents all three of the now very wealthy superstars I name dropped earlier.
Cole, Strasburg, and Rendon all signed huge deals with the New York Yankees, the Washington Nationals, and the Anaheim Angels, respectively. In the blink of an eye, three of the biggest free agents of the offseason are off the board.
Other recent signings have further put last season’s offseason turmoil in the rearview mirror; like Didi Gregorious and Zack Wheeler signing with the Philadelphia Phillies. Also, Yasmandi Grandal, the most highly sought-after catcher on the market, signing with the Milwaukee Brewers.
In Braves Country, these have seemed like disappointing signings. The Braves need pitching. Two of the best pitchers on the market are going elsewhere (technically, Strasburg is merely staying put, but you get what I mean).
The dreams of these superstars coming to play their home games at SunTrust Park (or whatever it’s going to be called) have been dashed.
Except, here’s the thing. The Braves were never going to sign any of those players. Certainly not the Boras clients.
I wanted Gerrit Cole, too. I really did. But even before he signed, I knew how unlikely it would be that the Braves were going to open their checkbook wide enough for him.
After his completely insane deal with the Yankees, I know there was no chance in hell he was ever coming here. Atlanta would never have been able to go anywhere near the NINE-year, $324 million contract that he inked with New York.
The Braves signed Cole Hamels to a one-year deal prior to the nearly billion dollars that was given away to Boras’ boys that week. Is that a thrilling, franchise-changing signing? It is not.
But it’s not nothing. It’s enough. Coupled with the massive and awesome bullpen reinvention the Braves have instituted, the Braves aren’t falling behind with the lack of a massive signings. Instead, they’re working with what they have and keeping option open.
For example, while Rendon was never a reasonable option, the Braves kept third base open for a Josh Donaldson return.
Regardless of whether or not the Bringer of Rain returns to Atlanta in 2020, the Braves has shown that they are not remaining passive in the offseason.
Whoever else joins the Braves next season will be joining a strong core of players, a core that was written off before 2019 for not making any big splashes in the offseason that year as well.
This team was already good.
The NL East Beast
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Climbing the mountain to attain a division championship in Major League Baseball is tough. Maintaining superiority and defending a division title is even tougher.
But doing so while still trying to figure out a way to get to – and win – a World Series is as challenging as it gets.
That’s the problem facing the Atlanta Braves this winter.
The Braves surprised all of baseball by taking the NL East in 2018. Last season, Atlanta was a known power and excelled despite many more expectations placed on it to defend its division crown.
However, the postseason result remained the same as the Braves were bounced in the divisional series for a second straight year.
Heading into 2020, there is no doubt that the Braves will be a contender once again. The young guys who have emerged over the last couple of seasons are now entering their primes, while others like Freddie Freeman, Mike Foltynewicz and Nick Markakis are grizzled and reliable veterans playing at a high level.
Everything suggests that the Braves will be as good as ever and recent signings of Cole Hamels and Will Smith can only help. However, they might also find themselves in the day-to-day fire of competing in the best division in baseball.
Obviously, the elephant in the room is the Washington Nationals. The Nats couldn’t top the Braves in the regular season, but got the last laugh in winning the World Series.
The Nationals re-signing of Stephen Strasburg meant they would let All-Star third-baseman, Anthony Rendon walk, but Washington is more concerned with how healthy they can be.
The main reason for their second-place finish in the NL East last season was that it took two months for the team to get healthy. Once everyone was in place, the Nationals had the best record in all of baseball.
The New York Mets are in a similar spot. It seems as if the Mets have been terminally bitten by the injury bug as they have been underachieving and often short-handed for most of the last three seasons.
That said, New York still has an imposing starting rotation and could easily get into a division race if its bats can stay in the lineup all season.
Then there are the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phils won the 2018 offseason by signing Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen, while trading for J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura.
However, injuries plagued McCutchen and Segura, while nearly the entire bullpen was lost due to various ailments.
Philadelphia continues to dole out money as it has already signed pitcher Zack Wheeler and shortstop Didi Gregorious.
Aside from the still-rebuilding Marlins, there is no reason for any of the other four teams in the division to expect anything less than a winning record and a serious run at the postseason.
If the division proves to be as competitive on the field as it appears on paper, the Braves figure to have a bit of an advantage in that their roster is stocked with guys who have thrived down the stretch in division races the last two seasons.
Then again, the Braves were also the healthiest of the top four division finishers last season and could face a very different situation if they are forced to battle through constant lineup changes.
With winter approaching, baseball may seem a long way off, but a big part of every championship season occurs in November and December when pieces are shifted around by squads in hopes of solving the World Series puzzle.
It’s been a long time since the Braves’ ridiculous run of 14 consecutive division championships and the ways of baseball have changed to where even truly great teams might only have a window of a few years in which they can compete for a World Series.
This is that moment for Atlanta and the front office is clearly going for it. Now it’s just a matter of seeing how things play out.
Lump Of Cole?
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Braves continued with a dazzling array of off-season moves with the addition of LHP Cole Hamels.
Hamels signed a one year $18 million dollar deal this week. Hamels, who will be 36 years old on opening day, has been in the major leagues since 2006.
Cole Hamels will try to help the Braves get over the hump. The Braves won the past two division crowns, but haven’t yet managed to translate that success into the postseason.
Hamels will step in for Dallas Keuchel as a durable veteran, who has ‘been there and done that’ plenty of times over a long and prosperous career. Keuchel let the Braves down in the 2019 Postseason.
Following a long and successful run in Philadelphia from 2006-15, he was traded at the deadline to the Texas Rangers in a blockbuster that involved eight players, mostly prospects.
He was a summer trade target again, three years later, when the Cubs acquired him from Texas for three more players in July 2018.
He’s been a reliable member of Chicago’s rotation ever since, making 27 starts for the organization in 2019 and holding a 3.81 ERA and 4.09 FIP in 141.2 innings.
It was the 12th season of his career in which he was worth at least 2.5 WAR. Hamels was the 2008 World Series MVP for the Phillies, leading them to their first World Title since 1980. Hamels has a career record of 163-121 with a 3.42 ERA and a 7-6 postseason record with a 3.41 ERA.
This is the latest addition for the Braves, who have already added some nice pieces before the Winter Meetings even launch.
Hamels isn’t the top-of-the-rotation arm he once was, but his addition doesn’t rule out other moves. At this stage in his career look for Hamels to be a solid #2 or #3 starter in the Braves rotation in 2020. Now the focus moves to resigning Comeback Player of the Year Josh Donaldson at third base.
Is a 36-year-old Hamels going to be reliable for the Braves in 2020? With Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole on the market you would think the Braves, who are set up for a World Series run, would have gone after one of these two studs to anchor the rotation.
The knock on Hamels is he possibly is wearing down. During the month of September last season Hamels never made it past the 5th inning in any of his starts. Does that sound familiar Braves fans; starting pitchers not making it through 5 innings?
Have the Braves gotten better by swapping Keuchel for Hamels?
Back to Donaldson, with the Braves using $18 million on Hamels will the Braves still try and sign Donaldson? Does this now mean that the Braves are finished dealing during this offseason?
The bullpen is now the best ‘on paper’ in baseball, and you bring in Hamels to help anchor a shaky rotation, but without re-signing Donaldson has this team really improved this offseason?
I for one hope the Braves are not done this offseason. This team is close to contending for a World Series title, but even with signing Hamels, I think the Braves need to get another top line starter to go with the awesome everyday line-up.
We know of all the young arms in the system, but will they be ready in 2020 to make a contribution?
Come on Braves finish the winter strong. Keep your eye on the prize.
Hall Of Fame Steal
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame is always a fascinating thing to unpack and dissect as we examine the bona fides of the newly eligible and reevaluate the careers of those who have remained on the ballot from the previous year’s attempt.
Several former Atlanta Braves populate the several dozen potential Hall of Famers eligible for induction in the summer of 2020, including the first (and, sadly, probably last) appearance of popular shortstop Rafael Furcal.
With Furcal, we have the spark that started off games for the last six years of Atlanta’s legendary 14-straight NL East Division wins.
‘Fookie,’ as Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox called him (would ‘Raffy’ have probably been better? …yes.), exploded onto the scene in 2000, making the leap straight from Single A to the Major League ballclub thanks to an offseason injury to then shortstop (now bench coach) Walt Weiss.
Furcal hit .295 with 40 stolen bases that season en route to a Rookie of the Year award.
He was a consistent presence at the top of the lineup after that, never hitting below .275 and never swiping fewer than 22 bases. Other highlights during his time with the Braves include hitting three triples in a game (tying an MLB record) and recording the 12th-ever unassisted triple play in 2003.
When he left Atlanta, Furcal put in five and a half solid years (one of which – 2005 – was pretty spectacular) with the Los Angeles Dodgers, before being traded to St. Louis in 2011, where he won the World Series.
His career did not end with the same pop with which it began – a 9-game stint with Miami in 2014 – but he hung his cleats up with a .281 batting average, a .748 OPS, and 314 stolen bases. Is it enough to make the Hall?
It isn’t. This will undoubtedly be Furcal’s only season on the ballot – it’s too overcrowded with better candidates for him to get the necessary 5% of the vote to stick around another year.
It’s a shame, too, because while Furcal didn’t have the kind of eye-popping numbers that merit induction, he was an indispensable piece of winning teams for his entire career (almost every winning team has a player like this – essential to the team and overshadowed by his teammates).
There were plenty of factors that led to the end of the Braves’ 14-season winning streak, but the fact that Furcal leaving coincided with that end is no coincidence.
The fact that Furcal’s teams made the playoffs in 10 of 14 seasons is no coincidence either (10 out of 13 if you discount that week and a half he played for the Marlins). Fookie was a winning player, and that’s not nothing.
Unfortunately, it also isn’t going to be enough. Furcal’s biggest skillset was his speed – both bat speed and baserunning speed – and that’s a skill that conveniently doesn’t slump (hence his consistency) but inconveniently doesn’t age well (hence his numbers beginning to dwindle at age 33 and his retirement at age 36).
Maybe if Furcal’s seasons of peak production had stretched out a little longer, he’d have a better case; but alas, it isn’t so.
It also can’t help that headlining this year’s new Hall of Fame candidates is one of the best shortstops of all time, Derek Jeter.
Furcal pales in comparison, though, to be fair, so do most players at any position. Jeter is likely to be the second unanimous election come January (now that we’re done with that no-unanimous-elections nonsense – what a joke that was for decades).
Despite the fact that he won’t be immortalized in the Hall, Furcal should be able to rest easy knowing that he was a crucial and cherished part of winning teams for his whole career. It’s not a plaque in Cooperstown, but it’s enough to be proud of.
The Closing Act
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
While the first two moves of the Atlanta Braves’ offseason failed to impress (the re-signing of Tyler Flowers and Nick Markakis), Alex Anthopoulos and company made a bigger splash by signing the best free agent relief pitcher on the market.
Atlanta inked All-Star closer Will Smith to a 3-year, $39 million contract (with a 4th year club option for another $13 million), shoring up what was their most glaring weakness going into the 2019 season and checking off one of the bigger offseason boxes on their list (though far from their only need).
This is a signing that looks good and should pay dividends, even if Brian Snitker keeps Smith’s former teammate from the San Francisco Giants Mark Melancon in the closer role.
Smith’s numbers against lefties are ridiculous. He has allowed a .157 batting average against and an OPS of a meager .395 from southpaws, not to mention an insane 42-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio against lefties. That’s 42 strikeouts for every 1 walk that he surrenders.
Really bonkers stuff from Smith. His numbers against righties (.212 average, .709 OPS) are strong as well. He gets strikeouts, with 37% of his outs coming from a K, and he’s managed to keep walks low and balls in the ballpark for his whole career.
The indication that Melancon will retain his role as the team’s closer isn’t much of a surprise, given that Melancon converted all 11 save opportunities after Atlanta acquired him midseason.
He’ll back the guy who’s played for him; but it may not stay that way for long. Smith seems like the more natural choice, given his stuff and his strikeouts, plus the fact that Melancon has one year left on his contract and Smith just signed for three (maybe four). That means the job will be Smith’s eventually anyway. Time will tell how things shake out.
Perhaps, the more interesting (and immediate) consequence to consider of Smith’s signing is what it means for the rest of the Braves’ offseason. $13 is nothing to scoff at, which could mean one of two things: 1) Liberty Media has decided to open their checkbook and Atlanta is ready to spend on talent, or 2) this was the big signing of the offseason for the Braves.
Knowing Liberty Media, the latter does seem likely.
Josh Donaldson is still out there, having predictably rejected the Braves’ qualifying offer of nearly $18 million to play third base for them in 2020.
The market for him will be one to watch. I still feel that everything being relatively equal, Donaldson will return to Atlanta, umbrella in tow.
I don’t foresee him signing with the team sight unseen, but even with a salary discrepancy of, say $10 million (another team offers him 3 years, $80 million vs. a Braves offer of 3 years, $70 million), he’ll be back at the hot corner in Suntrust Park this April.
I also think that Madison Bumgarner is still on the table after the Smith signing. I do wonder, however, if both would be.
Certainly, signing Donaldson to somewhere around $25 million eliminates even the vaguest possibility of a Gerrit Cole joining the Braves. (A long shot regardless – the Braves can’t win a bidding war.)
Madison Bumgarner might be looking at something more akin to $10-15 million per year for 2 or 3 seasons. That’s not unreasonable for the Braves to afford.
The issue then becomes finding a catcher and deciding what to do in the outfield (start the season with Inciarte, Acuna, and a farm hand?).
Questions are infinite, but at the end of the day the Braves took care of a need, and that’s a good start.
Splashless
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
During the last offseason, Braves Country waited for what seemed like forever for the Atlanta front office to make a splash.
It seemed like for a long while that Atlanta’s fans would be disappointed, but finally the day came when Alex Anthopoulos and company pulled the trigger on two signings that would figure into the Braves’ plans to improve upon their surprising win of the NL East in 2018.
Both Josh Donaldson and Brian McCann were announced to have inked to 1-year deals on the same day.
McCann, in what would be his final season as a big-league catcher, thrived in his return home.
Donaldson merely returned to his heyday form, hitting 37 home runs alongside a .900 OPS and providing the necessary protection behind Freddie Freeman to allow the first baseman to put up his career-best season. Not to mention, being a positive force in the clubhouse who became beloved by the fanbase and provided clutch hits throughout the season (but was he worth the $23 million price tag? Asking for a friend/editor).
It was the kind of banner news day that the Braves were craving.
This year the Braves made moves earlier in the offseason and yet again made news involving two different players on the same day. Though this time they were re-signing two of the pieces from their two-time division-winning team, instead of bringing in new blood.
Nick Markakis and Tyler Flowers actually both had their options declined by the Braves (as did Julio Teheran) but were then each signed to a new, 1-year, $4 million contract.
Essentially, they make the same amount of money after the buyouts are added in, but the Braves save some money on payroll because those buyouts are considered 2019 money.
The Braves still have time to make a big splash (Donaldson negotiations are, one imagines, ongoing), but this two-fer day certainly lacked the excitement of last year’s.
For one, neither of these players are likely to be everyday guys anymore or at least, they shouldn’t be.
Markakis has fallen off in a big way each of the past two years during the second half. He’s well-respected and a good hand to have, but his days of being able to spend a season in the middle of the order are behind him. Hopefully the Braves are looking at him as a backup or at most a platoon player going into 2020.
Flowers has been splitting time at catcher for a few years now to great success. First with Kurt Suzuki and then with McCann. It’s time for him to fall into a true backup role, even though that’s an imperfect solution for his presence on the roster as well.
Flowers’ primary skill is pitch framing. He’s one of the best in the league at stealing strikes for his pitchers; but he also led the majors in passed balls in 2019 as a part-time player.
Plus, he’s consistently been the lesser hitter of his platoon. So, he’s good at framing, which would be helpful five times a week, but bad at catching the ball, which should prevent him from playing five times a week. And he’s a poor hitter, so coming off the bench doesn’t serve anyone well.
The key to Flowers coming back not being a bad decision will be acquiring a front-line backstop. The Braves should be in on the likes of Yasmani Grandal, but they’ll have competition and without a Suzuki or a McCann, Flowers is going to get exposed. This is a big need.
The 2019 offseason has already had some movement, but not coupled with the excitement that 2018’s did around this time.
Luckily, there’s still a lot of road ahead for the Braves to make moves that will take Atlanta to the next level.
Chopped
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let’s get this out of the way: “Redskins” is a racial slur, and the fact that the NFL has allowed a team to continue using that term as a mascot is both abhorrent and, apropos of the team being in our nation’s capital, disappointingly unsurprising.
The reason I start this piece off with such a disclaimer is because the recently-ousted-from-the-playoffs Atlanta Braves had a few headlines during their NLDS appearance owing to the comments of a St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher.
If you weren’t following or haven’t heard, it boils down to this: Cards’ pitcher Ryan Helsley, a member of the Cherokee tribe, expressed to the media that he was disappointed that Atlanta still hands out their famous foam tomahawks and encourages the Tomahawk Chop.
In Helsley’s estimation, the Tomahawk Chop is a misrepresentation of the Cherokee people and Native Americans in general, and is disrespectful.
In response, prior to the 13-1 drumming Atlanta took at the hands of St. Louis in Game 5, the Braves decided not to hand out the foam axes and reduced the usage of the Tomahawk Chop music over the loudspeakers during the game.
There was some chatter about this during and following the game (including some foolish notion being spread that the removal of the tomahawks was the reason for the embarrassment…I can’t even start with that nonsense), with varying opinions.
Being a die-hard Braves fan, I’ve been asked several times about this. Should the Tomahawk Chop be cast into exile?
I have a two-part answer. Stick with me.
The first part of my answer is this: to me, the Braves nickname and the Tomahawk Chop is so very tenuously associated with Native Americans that I don’t really consider that a part of Atlanta’s brand.
At worst, the nickname “Braves” is akin to “Warriors” – a group of the strongest fighters that, if anything, is celebratory. But I don’t see the letters across the chest and think about “Indian Braves.” I don’t do the Tomahawk Chop and think about a Native American war cry – they’re specifically, for me, associated with Atlanta’s baseball team, and that’s all.
That is, in part, because the Braves have done a relatively good job of doing away with Native American iconography as a part of their brand. The screaming Indian is gone (despite a brief attempt at a comeback in 2013 that was mercifully rejected), Chief Noc-A-Homa has been retired and there are very few feathers adorning the uniform outside of the 1970s throwback.
All that adds to me – this is one man’s opinion – not feeling like I’m appropriating a culture. There’s just not any association in my mind.
However. Here’s the second part, and it’s much more important: I don’t care one little bit about the name of the team. I genuinely don’t. I don’t care about foam tomahawks and the Chop and all of that. To paraphrase Shakespeare: the team by any other name would still be my team.
So, here’s the thing: if the Native American community thinks that the name and the Chop and the tomahawk are offensive or in any way inappropriate, then let’s change the damn name of the team.
I’m a white man. I can’t reasonably tell you what is or isn’t offensive to Native Americans. So, if changing some inconsequential things about the team that I love will make a group of people who have been disenfranchised by this country a little happier, then by god let’s go ahead a do it.
Look, I’m not out campaigning for change. If this dies down and nothing comes of it, then I’ll be back next season doing the Chop with a tomahawk on my chest, because I see those as a baseball thing, not a Native American thing.
But that’s just me, and if a change needs to be made, then that’s fine with me too. I’ll still be back next season, cheering on my team.
And if you’re sitting at home, reading this, grumbling about how people shouldn’t get upset over something like the Chop, then maybe try to assess who’s got a more sensible reason to be upset, and check your privilege at the Right Field Gate next April.
Chop or not, I’ll see you next season.
The Peach Curse
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Ten run top of the first inning, blown 25 point Super Bowl lead with 17 minutes left in the game, 2nd and 26 in the National Title game, 4 game sweeps after having the best record in the NBA Eastern Conference, back up QB playing like a Heisman winner in 2018 SEC Title game, Loss after loss to Florida in Jacksonville in 2002, 2003, 2005, when UGA has clearly better teams, 3-2 sliders drilled over the left field fence to change the balance of a World Series, being beat into submission by a FSU home run barrage in the 2019 Athens Baseball Regional.
You get my drift? The list goes on and on. The curse of Georgia sports is real and right now there does not seem to be a cure at this moment in time.
The latest debacle was masterfully created by the 2019 Atlanta Braves.
We should have seen this one coming from a distance. The Braves went 97-65 in the NL East, clinched a division and slumped into the playoffs against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Braves were drilled 13-1 in a deciding game 5 in the NLDS. BTW, Atlanta has not won a post-season baseball series since 2001.
Yeah, we should have seen this one coming, but the 2019 Braves provided something the Georgia sports scene longs for and that is hope. All of that hope faded in about 20 minutes during the 5PM hour on October 9th, 2019.
The debacle started before the series even began when Mike Soroka was slated to only get one start in the series. How does your two most consistent starters during the regular season Mike Soroka and Max Fried only get one combined start in the NLDS?
Fried, a 17 game winner, was relegated to the bullpen in the series where he struggled at times. Maybe his manager could have given this 25 year old kid a confidence boost by giving him something he earned during the regular season, which was a start in the NLDS.
Why didn’t Mike Soroka get two starts in this series? Seven strong innings in game three, but yet he was slotted as a game three starter after a meaningless start in New York on September 29th, which he was coming off 10 days rest after beating the Phillies on 9/19.
If the rotation was Soroka, Keuchel, Fried, Foltynewicz, and Soroka do the Braves win this series? Then you have Keuchel ready for game one of the NLCS.
We know Dallas Keuchel did not pull his weight in the series; or maybe he would have if he was not pulled in the 4th inning of a 1-1 game in game 1 with 2 outs.
Atlanta signs him for $13 million in June for a playoff run and you don’t let a Cy Young winner pitch out of a little jam in the 4th inning?
Why not let Josh Tomlin stay in the game in game 4 when he was mowing down the Cardinals at the time?
We know Freeman, Donaldson, and Markakis struggled at the plate in the series batting .200, .158, and .143, respectively. Freddie, just one fly ball in game 4 and you are hosting the Nats with a World Series on the line.
Why do managers feel like they have to manage differently in the playoffs? I get the all hands on deck mentality in elimination games, but Fried in the bullpen with 17 wins during the regular season raises a lot of questions. Baseball is a funny game maybe our most unpredictable game.
Position players have to produce runs, pitchers have to get outs, and managers have to make the right moves.
As a team the Braves failed in all three areas. The team is young and will continue to grow. Brian Snitker got badly out-managed in this series and I just did not see that coming.
This was a bitter defeat for the Atlanta Braves, and it appears the Curse of Georgia Sports is alive and well.
UGA is undefeated in football, but you have this sick feeling in your stomach don’t you Georgia sports fans that you cannot explain?
The Washington Nationals in the NLCS really stings.
Home Fried Cooking
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After a travesty of a NLDS Game 1, the Atlanta Braves, behind a stellar outing from a flame-throwing Mike Foltynewicz, evened up the series with a 3-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Now the Braves travel to enemy territory. They will need to win at least one of the two games to be played at Busch Stadium in order to keep their hopes alive of winning their first postseason series since 2002 and advancing to the National League Championship Series.
The Braves will be sending their ace and master of the road game Mike Soroka to the mound on Sunday to face off against the Cards’ veteran Adam Wainwright. That should make for a compelling match up, and one worth watching.
The hopes of Braves Country, however, rely less on Soroka’s pitching ability, that is likely to be on point, and more on whether or not he can pitch deep into the game.
The blowing of the 3-1 lead during Thursday’s Game 1 could arguably be attributed to Chris Martin or to Chris Martin’s oblique, which got hurt during his warm up pitches and forced him from the game in the 8th inning.
With that, the reliable Shane Greene/Martin/Mark Melancon triad was disrupted, and instead Brian Snitker brought in Luke Jackson, who promptly gave up a moonshot to Cards’ first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Then Jackson allowed two more baserunners before Melancon came in and allowed one to score, tying the game up.
It isn’t really Chris Martin’s fault. Jackson was going to be the scapegoat no matter what happened, because he’s Luke Jackson; but Melancon hasn’t been a treat to watch either. He also allowed the tying run to the plate on Friday’s Game 2 before recording the save.
It’s a small sample size, but in the postseason when it’s life or death, a small sample size is enough. It might be time to rethink the way the bullpen is being used going forward.
Martin, unfortunately, isn’t coming back. Even if he heals quickly, taking him off the NLDS roster because of an injury makes him ineligible to return for the rest of the series and for the NLCS as well.
Taking his place on the roster is Julio Teheran. Teheran carried the team on his back for much of the year and also stumbled so mightily in September that his lack of inclusion on the DS roster was a shame but not a shock.
Unfortunately, that gives Snitker two guys, Julio and Jackson, who didn’t enter October on a high note as option from the bullpen.
Melancon hasn’t looked like the kind of shutdown closer that World Series winners tend to employ.
Max Fried has, though. Fried has now made two scoreless one-inning appearances in two games, with two strikeouts to boot.
At this point it’s unlikely that he’ll start Game 4 (it might be Julio, it might be Keuchel on short rest), and instead he’ll continue being a weapon in relief. Even though it’s not the role he thrived in all season, I think it’s time to go all-in on this notion.
Even if he doesn’t necessarily close games out, Fried should be the guy, along with Greene, to get the high-leverage situations.
He’s got a power arm and a sharp curve that can strike batters out with ease, as he’s already shown.
He’s not one of the mercenary relievers that the Braves picked up at the trade deadline, but in these desperate times he’s looking like the guy who can save – no pun intended – the Braves postseason hopes.
