You knew it was coming, or maybe you didn't. Opening Day is tomorrow, and more importantly, the Braves take the field against the Nationals around 1:00 pm.
Augusta is on day 3 of some sort of monsoon. Now, pair that with a long offseason, and I've had quite some time to think about what this post is going to be all about. Lucky you...
Pitching ain't a problem -- especially when Scott Proctor got kicked to the curb. I've question Derek Lowe from day 1, but he was arguably the best/2nd best pitcher in Sept. and his two starts in the playoffs. Tommy Hanson should get some more runs and have a very good year. It's hard to bet against Tim Hudson. I can't really make an argument for him being bad. That brings us to Jair Jurrjens and the new guy, Brandon Beachy. Beachy was better than Mike Minor this spring training, so he got the 5th spot. Jurrjens has been solid for Atlanta, but he's already hurt, and it will but hard to justify re-signing him to a big deal. But, it's hard for me to believe that both of these guys will be Braves come August. Atlanta's minor league system is loaded with young pitching -- Beachy being one of those guys, but maybe not even in the top 3 or 4. Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, and Mike Minor will all be fixtures in future Atlanta rotations, but they need just a little more time. Back to Beachy and Jurrjens...I'm not calling for Beachy to be traded. He's going to be a very very good pitcher, and I would love for the Braves to hold on to him. But, if they need offense come July or August, he gone.
Did someone say offense? That may not be a problem if things go according to plan... you know, if: Dan Uggla does anything besides a playoff-Brooks Conrad impression; Chipper and his knee are good; Nate McLouth is something other than terrible; Eric Hinske gets a chance to swing the bat; Prado does half of what he did last season. There's probably a few more factors to play in, maybe like the new manager, but whatever. So, if all of said things are a go, then it's full speed ahead. Easy, right? Ooooh yeah. And, if they need a spark plug, why just call on Matt Young -- the new roster spot winner and the 4th outfielder...all 5'2 of him.
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| He just a little guy. |
Of course you don't. We're on to the next "big thing" or things, I guess. Fredi Freeman has saved us from Troy Glaus, Derrick Lee, and whatever the next experiment may have been. Give him some time 'cause he's only 21 and that may be close to the amount of pitches he saw last year with the team. Damn, when you hit 8th in the order, you should not be expecting a lot of good hitting pitches anyway. Craig Kimbrel could be Atlanta's closer for the next 10 years, or he could be the next Bob Wickman, Dan Kolb, or Chris Reitsma. Who did I just say? Exactly. Kimbrel and Freeman should be fine. If not, trade them to the Mets for someone.
Prediction: 90 wins and a playoff series win or a few.
I hate to feel so good about this team and the season to be, but I do.
Braves win, Braves win.
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