Atlanta Braves In Need of Fresh Start

      I have never been a fan of teams blowing up their roster and starting from scratch. That is, until now. It has been a very frustrating year in Atlanta for the Braves. What started as a optimistic outlook for the Braves has turned into a disaster. Injuries and inconsistency has ruined this team. It is time for the Braves to start over again.

      John Smoltz and Tom Glavine have been great for the city of Atlanta for many years. They are future Hall of Famers. However, it is time to say goodbye. It is painful for me to watch Smoltz get injured year after year. Tom Glavine is still a decent pitcher, but I think a younger pitcher would be a better option at this point.

      Jeff Francouer has been absolutely awful this year. It is really to hard to explain. If he can't work out his problems in the off-season and in spring training, the Braves might have to forget him for the future.

      Jair Jurjens and Jorge Campillo have been the bright spots on an otherwise down year for the rotation. If they can continue to improve, the Braves will have two solid pitchers in the middle of their rotation. The key will be adding an ace at the head of the rotation since Tim Hudson will be out for at least a year.

      Bobby Cox needs to retire. This may be an unpopular opinion, but the game seems to be passing him by. He overworks his bullpen. Blane Boyer and Jeff Bennett were having decent seasons until Cox started using them practically every game. You can tell fatigue is starting to set in. If Cox retires now, he will be remembered as the legendary manager of the 14 time division champs.

      Chipper Jones is not getting any younger. Although he is still a very productive player, the Braves need a couple of consistent power hitters to complement him. I understand why they let Texeira go, but they need someone with similar production to take his place. At this point, I don't think Casey Kotchman is the answer.

     It will be an interesting offseason for the Braves. I hope it will be an offseason of much needed change. Maybe this will give the Braves a fresh start.