I've been meaning to compose this post for some time but for various reasons, I kept putting it off until now. I could claim personal reasons, but in reality, it may be due more to an inability to truly read the 2010 Braves. My initial excitement over the season was quickly shot when the Braves came out of the gate in April with a 9-14 record, including an ugly 9 game losing streak. But then they turned on the gas and gave fans a 20-8 May and 17-11 June. That puts them in 1st place in the NL East with the best record in the senior circuit as the break hits.
Quite a turn around. At the end of May, I mentioned to some I thought the talent level of the Braves likely sits somewhere in between the awful April and amazing May. June pretty much proved that thought, though they are still perhaps playing above their level given the down seasons we are seeing from some players and some significant slumps/injuries. Good thing the Phillies are playing well below their level as it allows that 1st place position (as usual, I do not trust the Mets given their terrible front office.)
So what to make of the team? Let's look at it position by position (sort of):
1st - Troy Glaus has made a huge impact on the success of the team. Many could point to his moment of turning it on that pushed the team forward in the standings. That is mostly true, to a point. His recent regression was to be expected, but I think he is a perfect poster child of this teams success.
2nd - Martin Prado has potentially been the team's MVP. Certainly his excellent hitting this year has given the team a great weapon. And his performance over his last 162 games proves he is not a flash in the pan. Once given the position mid year in 2009, Prado has been steady and dependable, if perhaps not the greatest of great 2nd basemen defensively.
SS - We must confront the elephant in the room and will look at this further below. Suffice to say, Yunel Escobar did not replicate his amazing 2009. I have no idea why. Injury? Communication barrier? Bad attitude? Could be anything. But it is somewhat amazing to consider we are in 1st while receiving very little from last year's team MVP.
3rd - Chipper Jones isn't the MVP he was in 1999. But he's still a proven ball player with a great eye at the plate. He ranks very highly in walks this year even with another down year at the plate. His leadership probably gives him an added bonus (and it wasn't something he's always been known for.) While we could use more from this position both offensively and on defense, I am content to watch Chipper Jones continue to man the hot corner for as long as he wants to play. Call me too nostalgic.
Catcher - McCann started slowly but has pulled his numbers back to where they should be for the most part. I don't think he should have been named to start in the All Star game this year as his numbers did not justify it, but he remains if not the best, one of the best catchers in the league. And he won the eventual NL champion home field advantage in the World Series with his big hit in last night's All Star game.
Outfield - I'll put them all together for now as there has been some good mixing and matching. Obviously, Heyward's great start did much to keep the team excited and hopeful. Once the injury began to effect his swing, the team was still able to trot out a reasonable outfield each night. Especially with McLouth's problems. Diaz is hitting now that he's back from the DL and while I don't think too much of Melky Cabrera, he has not been awful. Hinske has done a great job filling in here and elsewhere though his numbers to are starting to regress a bit.
Bench - Let's use this space to include Infante, newly named All Star. The Atlanta bench has been strong all year, especially with great back up catcher David Ross. In fact, it has been a great strength of this team that mixing and matching when needed due to injury or rest has resulted in very little tail off, if at all. Every man is playing their part well.
Starting pitchers - Starting pitching has seen some hurdles this year but all in all, they are doing well, especially given Kawakami's inability to win his first game (finally picked it up just before being moved to the bullpen.) Four other starters are on pace for double digit wins for the season and Jurrjens has looked good coming off the DL. I have little fear these guys will lose this in the second half.
Bullpen - Huge! In total, the pen may be the real team MVP. Wagner set the tone early in the spring and the coming out party for Venters has helped to offset some shaky moments from Saito and Moylen.
In the end, the two major areas in need of improvement are SS and the outfield (considering no one expects Chipper to retire tomorrow.) The first was dealt with today in the trade of Escobar to the Blue Jays for Alex Gonzalez. After a little reading, I don't see much downside considering even if Gonzalez regresses, he will still give us approximately what Escobar did in the first half, with perhaps a bit of tail off on defense as Yunel was very, very good when he concentrated. Obviously his ceiling is far greater than a 33 year old SS who has bumped around the leagues for the past few years. But Gonzalez has played for some winners and seems solid enough to trust him with Lowe and Hudson's ground balls.
Further, there may be some benefit to removing what was starting to seem a clubhouse problem. It was not even a month ago when I witnessed Chipper Jones getting into Yunel's face, pushing him to the bench to make sure he looked into his eyes. Don't know what was exactly said, but Chipper did not look like he was messing around. It was not but last week when we saw a poor play by Escobar lead to a potential injury for one of our cogs, Troy Glaus. If he hurts his wrist or hand, we have another big hole to fill. It is often called addition by subtraction and to a point, that applies here. No doubt Escobar is a huge talent. But when is enough when waiting for a player to mature? Perhaps a fresh start in Toronto will be good for him but if he was taking away from clubhouse chemistry in this year when we find ourselves in 1st at the break...I don't mind the trade.
As far as the outfield goes, we need either McLouth to turn it on in the second half or another every day center fielder (which would be our third in as many years.) I do not trust a full time Cabrera out there and the others are not suited. Perhaps Blanco but he's been given a chance before and did not do much with it. There are not a lot of great choices out there to fill this need, any more than there is a big RH bat to stick in left field. But with the above trade, I am not at all convinced that Frank Wren is done dealing. Wren has exceeded my expectations as GM for a while now. He has earned a bit of trust to make moves that may not seem great at first, but either he's been really lucky, or really smart. Maybe a little bit of both. Glaus, Wagner and the trade of Frenchie last year has earned my trust.
I look forward to the 2nd half of the season. So far, I'm not too badly off my preseason picks. And as far as the Braves are concerned in the division, I am glad to have been wrong. Of course, the season ain't over yet. Let's go Braves! That is all.
Comments