Atlanta Braves: What Are the Best Lineup Options?

One would think that an offense as inept as the Atlanta Braves lineup was in 2011, and has been for the majority of spring training, would lack the flexibility to interchange so many parts.

With baseball players being such creatures of habit, a defining role on the team can sometimes be correlated to the success of certain players. The same can be said for where a player hits in the batting order.

Atlanta has two hurdles that must be overcome before manager Fredi Gonzalez is able to define roles in the everyday lineup and more importantly, be allowed to set the most ideal lineup for the Braves success.

Those obstacles include the inconsistent playing time of a future Hall of Famer and the uneven performance of a budding superstar.

Once the Atlanta front office decided to hold steady with the core of the 25-man roster this offseason, it was fairly obvious how the Opening Day scorecard would read.

Excluding the pitcher batting ninth, the only other properly defined roles will bookend the batting order.

Michael Bourn is one of the few true leadoff hitters in Major League Baseball, and therefore will occupy the top of the order all season.

Manning the eighth spot in the lineup will be the winner of the shortstop battle between rookies Tyler Pastornicky and Andrelton Simmons, neither of whom will bring much offensive upside to the plate this season.

Chipper Jones will start the season on the disabled list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair torn meniscus in his left knee.  The expected timeline for his return is the April 13 home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Until then, it’s probably safe to say that Sunday’s game was a glimpse of how Atlanta will start the season one through five in the lineup…1) Michael Bourn 2) Martin Prado 3) Brian McCann 4) Dan Uggla 5) Freddie Freeman

Concluding that order, the rest of the Opening Day scorecard should fill out as follows … 6) Jason Heyward 7) Matt Diaz vs. LHP or Eric Hinske vs. RHP 8) Pastornicky or Simmons 9) Hanson.

Now the question is, where does Chipper slot into the order upon his return?

Considering his declining production, replacing McCann in the third spot should not be an option. Neither should be replacing Prado as the two-hole hitter—the skill set of a 40 year old doesn’t fit that spot in the order.

The most likely move would be slotting him in the fifth spot, between Uggla and Freeman. That spot in the lineup allows him to stay in a run producing position and also allows his on-base skills to remain a factor.

Just as important, it means less juggling of the batting order at the top when Chipper misses time during the season. Even though Freeman and Heyward will have to move up in the order during Chipper’s absence, that is not as much of a factor than rearranging the top half of the lineup on a regular basis.

The key to unlock what would be the most productive batting order is the ability of Jason Heyward to start fulfilling his mass potential.

If by season’s end Heyward has proven he is in the midst of a breakout season, his capability to handle the third spot in the order would lengthen the entire lineup one spot deeper.

If Heyward is already in the lineup, how would moving him from sixth to third deepen the lineup? Because it would mean he is producing like a three-hole hitter and not a bottom-of-the-order bat.

There should be the expectation of some regression for a few players, as well as an uptick in production for others, but no player in the lineup has as many rungs available to climb towards an offensive ceiling as Heyward.

If he begins to show signs of climbing such a ladder, an Atlanta offense that was so exceptionally bad (22nd in MLB in runs scored) last season could challenge as one of the better lineups in the National League.

More runs would domino into less stress on the bullpen, which has been depleted by one since the loss of Arodys Vizcaino for the season. It’s hard to fault the manager for overuse of the late-inning relievers last season when Atlanta was constantly in close games due to the inability to score runs.

Also, commonly used National League strategy calls for a pinch-hitter to replace the pitcher in close games after the sixth inning. A more productive offense might permit that day’s starter to go deeper into the game if he has a larger lead. In many ways, the offense affects every aspect of a manager’s game-calling.

There’s not a team in MLB that doesn’t enter the season without question marks. Where the Braves have an advantage over most of them is they already have the answers in-house. Now it’s just a matter of if those players will perform to the standard anticipated by the Atlanta front office.

Braves Projected Lineups

Opening Day: 1) Bourn 2) Prado 3) McCann 4)Uggla 5) Freeman 6) Heyward 7) Matt Diaz vs. LHP or Eric Hinske vs. RHP 8) Pastornicky or Simmons

With Chipper Jones healthy: 1) Bourn 2) Prado 3) McCann 4)Uggla 5) Chipper 6) Freeman 7) Heyward 8) Pastornicky or Simmons

Lineup Needed to Win in the Playoffs: 1) Bourn 2) Prado 3) Heyward 4) McCann 5)Uggla 6) Chipper 7) Freeman 8) Pastornicky or Simmons

Jim Pratt is a Featured Columnist covering the Atlanta Braves for Bleacher Report, MLB contributor for MLBDepthCharts and BravesWire. Follow Jim on Twitter, @2OutSacBunt