The playoffs start today, and that's the only mention they will get in this post. Atlanta had a head scratcher of a year -- they played really well for some significant stretches and really really bad for some stretches. Coming into the season, expectations were high and for pretty good reason. Top to bottom: the starting 5, starting lineup, bullpen, and bench all looked really solid. But based on the past couple of seasons, not being embarrassed was my biggest hope for the team.
Pitching:
Starting with the rotation...The Braves have some impressive arms in their rotation. Who knew Tim Hudson could win 17 games a year removed from elbow surgery? Outside of a horrible month of September (1-4, 5+ ERA, 7 HR against the Nats, Cards, Mets, and Pirates), Hudson was a top 3-5 pitcher in the NL. Derek Lowe upsets me. For the first 3 months of the season, he skated by with lots of run support and racked up 9 wins. In July and August, he gave up a lot of hits and runs to some bad teams (2-6). September rolls around and he's arguably the best pitcher in baseball, so going forward, who are we going to see? Tommy Hanson is young, and with youth comes inconsistency. His record doesn't show how well he pitched during the year. Not a lot of run support and several blow saves hurt him. Medlen was great, and I just hope he can come back at or near the same level of effectiveness. Minor/Beachy were surprisingly good. You can't really ask these guys to do a ton, but they took the ball and notched some good innings. It's not really fair to evaluate Jair Jurrjens because of all the injuries. I think it is fair to say that a healthy Jurrjens wins quite a few more ball games for the Braves this past season. It's funny to think that if anyone other than Kawakami makes his 18 starts (yes 18), the Braves may have won the East...well maybe it isn't that funny. All in all, I think the current rotation gives Atlanta a solid chance to win each night.
Grade: B
Batting:
The bats could do no wrong from May to mid/late August. Zero offense in September made for some tense moments done the stretch. Plain and simple, Prado, McCann, Heyward, and even Infante can hit. They can hit well. All hit for consistent average, well maybe with Heyward being the exception, but I blame that on a thumb that still isn't right. Those four always seemed to come up with the "timely" hit when needed. Troy Glaus was a monster for the month of May. His knees and plate approach have been on extended summer vacation since. Brookes Conrad and Eric Hinske hit and hit well when given the chance. Melky is an idiot (see defense comments below). But give him a 2-0 or 3-1 fastball and he's spinning caps -- no breaking balls por favor. Nate McLouth...not sure what to say here. Maybe he just needed a few more ABs. Chipper was starting to warm up just before the injury, so we'll see how this rehab thing goes. Overall, this was a typical Braves season in the batter's box... not a lot of HRs or big RBI guys, but timely hitting and good pinch hitting. Of course, a team on-base % of .340 helps your cause...
Grade: B+
Defense:
Piss poor all season long. This was supposed to be the one "sure thing". Far from it. McLouth forgot how to make the throw from center to home. All infielders, and I mean all of them, really had trouble with routine plays, and that cost Atlanta quite a few games. For God's sake, can we please position Melky guarding the line or in the gap? I know that's not really possible, but we've all seen what happens when a ball is hit right at him. Alex Gonzalez may have had a rough year defensively, but I think it's safe to say that Escobar would have done no worse. McCann is a great hitter, so that's good because I think he threw out about 2% of all base stealers...the rest of those throws ended up in right-center.
Grade: D-
Bullpen:
The strongest in the league, in my opinion. A bunch of great arms, and they did a great job of eating up innings when needed and closing out games. Venters, Moylan, O'Flaherty, and Kimbrel should be locked down for years. Billy Wagner says he won't be back, and I believe him. It's a shame, but I think Kimbrel can be the guy for a long time. Send Farnsworth packing.
Grade: A
I'm critical because I care.
Individual Awards:
Best Bullpen Pitcher - Venters/Wagner
Best Rookie - Heyward (with Venters a lot closer than you think)
Biggest Surprise - Infante
Biggest Disappointment - 6-9 against the Pirates and Nationals in 2nd half of the season
Best Starting Pitcher - Hudson
MVP - Prado
No comments:
Post a Comment