To say that 2008 fell short of expectations for the Atlanta Braves would be an understatement. Several news outlets had the Braves playing in the World Series and a few noteworthy baseball writers had the Braves capturing the team’s first title since 1995. Injuries though wrecked this team’s chances at postseason play and sent the Braves to the franchise’s first 90 loss season since 1990, one year before the team started its record setting run of division titles. Will 2009 start another magical run? Before we can look to the future, we must learn from the past.
Entering this past season, the Braves figured a starting pitching rotation of John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Tom Glavine, Mike Hampton and Jair Jurrjens would be just the formula to punch a ticket to postseason play. Then the injuries started. Reliever Pete Moylan was lost for the year after Tommy John Surgery and Mike Hampton, ready to pitch for the first time in nearly three years, suffered yet another injury warming up in the bullpen. Rafael Soriano would be on and off the disabled list all season and John Smoltz couldn’t beat what ailed him either. The long-time Braves ace started the season as a starter but later switched to reliever due to shoulder soreness. His stint as reliever was a short one though as he was eventually lost for the year with shoulder surgery. Free agent acquisition Tom Glavine’s return to Atlanta was marred by injury in June and then later having to shut it down in August due to elbow troubles. The final was Tim Hudson; the new ace had to undergo Tommy John Surgery and will miss most of 2009. Hampton was finally able to return but rust took a while to shake and he was unable to rally the team back into the playoff race.
The bullpen for Atlanta was great to start the season, but with injuries to the starters taking its toll it soon got taxed to the point of extreme ineffectiveness. Blaine Boyer, Jeff Bennett and Will Ohman all appeared in more in 70 games and the innings wore the arms down. Mike Gonzalez was fantastic as the team’s closer once back from his own Tommy John rehab, but he rarely got save chances.
The lineup began the year as an experiment with Yunel Escobar tabbed as the leadoff man with Chipper Jones and Mark Teixeira penciled in the No.3 and 4 spots. Mark Kotsay was supposed to offer something from the No. 2 spot while big things were expected from Jeff Francoeur as he pushed for a big-time contract. After Kotsay went down with an injury, Gregor Blanco’s emergence allowed Escobar to drop to the number two spot. Jones flirted with .400 early in the summer, but the injury bug bit him several times during the season as well.
Teixeira was dealt before the trading deadline for young Casey Kotchman, but Kotchman seemed to have trouble adjusting to the new league. Teixeira wasn’t lighting the world on fire for the Braves before he left though as his average was below .300 despite leading the team in RBIs. His disappointing start to the season was matched by Francoeur’s struggles. At one point Frenchy was optioned to AA-Mississippi for a weekend to try and clear his head.
Not everything was bad about the 2008 Braves though. Catcher Brian McCann was named to yet another all-star team. Also Kelly Johnson popped off a 22 game hitting streak over the final month of the season. Outfielder Josh Anderson also looks like he could be a terror on the basepaths next season.
Next season. The 2009 campaign could go one of two ways. Either the Braves begin a rebuilding effort as the team is projected to have close to 45M coming off the books. The farm system looks like everyone is one year away, so the 2009 edition could be heavy with stopgaps like Gregor Blanco, Martin Prado and Matt Diaz. The rotation could be turned over to the kids like Jo-Jo Reyes, James Parr and Phil Stockman as Smoltz, Glavine and Hampton are all free agents. OR Braves GM Frank Wren can take one final whack at it in the final year of Bobby Cox’s contract. The team could bring Smoltz and Glavine back (assuming they could return from the injuries) and then maybe sign a free agent pitcher such as Jon Garland and/or John Lackey with some of that cash. The Braves could also take a crack at a name like Pat Burrell to man leftfield and anchor the No. 4 or 5 spot in the lineup. Signing Burrell would also weaken division rival Philadelphia, the two-time defending division champions.
2008 is done now and the future has a real chance to be bright for Atlanta. The question is, will it be 2009 or 2011?
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