Atlanta Braves 2009 Season Preview

The 2008 baseball season was a cruel one for the Atlanta Braves. After years of dominating the National League East, the Braves finished a dismal 72-90 (their worst record since the 1990 season when the finished 65-97). The Braves have now finished third or worse in the N.L. East in the last three seasons.

Changes are on the horizon though and I’ll detail it in this article. First, let’s look at the additions and subtractions.

KEY LOSSES:

Clearly the big losses are pitchers John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Mike Hampton. You could also count Mark Texiera and Mark Kotsay, as both players were traded last year.

KEY ADDITIONS:

The Braves pitching staff had a renovation this off-season. Javier Vazquez was acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a six-player trade. There was also talk of bringing in Padre’s star Jake Peavy and former Brave Rafael Furcal, but both of those trade talks eventually stopped.

The Braves were able to salvage a somewhat disappointing off-season by solidifying their rotation with the signings of pitchers Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami.

INFIELD:

There will be only one change from last year’s starting infield, as the Braves traded All Star Mark Texiera to the Angels and received Casey Kotchman in his place.  Kotchman looks promising, as he hit 14 HRs and 74 RBI last year with both the Braves and Angels.

Brian McCann will be behind the plate with Kotchman at first, Kelly Johnson at second, Yunel Escobar playing shortstop, and Chipper Jones occupying his traditional third base position.

OUTFIELD:

The Braves outfield will be a toss up at this point. Atlanta is currently looking into acquiring free agent outfielder Bobby Abreu, which could factor into how this whole outfield line up pans out.

As for now, it looks like Matt Diaz will be in left field, Josh Anderson in center field, and Jeff Francoeur playing in right field.

Anderson will be in competition with Gregor Blanco, who held the center field position last year.

In the fold could be a newcomer in Brandon Jones, who is 22 and played in AAA last year. Jones is highly touted and could be playing left or center depending on the play of Diaz and Anderson.

STARTING ROTATION:

The starting rotation is pretty much solidified.

With Javier Vazquez coming over via trade and the Braves signing Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami, those three should be in the rotation. Jair Jurrjens is expected back as well, along with Jorge Campillo. Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton, and James Parr could step in if any of the five starters are injured this season.

Tim Hudson, who had Tommy Johns surgery in August of last year, is not expected back until August of this year.

There is a chance that Tom Glavine could return for the Braves if he can get his health issues straightened out and a new contract signed with Atlanta.

BULLPEN:

The go-to-guy in the bullpen will be closer Mike Gonzalez, but there will be some doubts. Gonzalez has still been struggling with throwing after having Tommy Johns surgery a few years ago.

Rafael Soriano has also been struggling with injuries, but is said to be healing well and be ready for Spring Training.

Other pitchers in the bullpen will include Manny Acosta, Blaine Boyer, Buddy Carlyle, Jeff Bennett, and Jeff Ridgway.

PREDICTED BATTING ORDER:

1)      Josh Anderson, CF

2)      Yunel Escobar, SS

3)      Chipper Jones, 3B

4)      Brian McCann, C

5)      Kelly Johnson, 2B

6)      Casey Kotchman, 1B

7)      Jeff Francoeur, RF

8)      Matt Diaz, LF

9)      Starting Pitcher

WEAKNESSES:

The Braves have been decimated by injuries in the last few years. They lost Tim Hudson, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, and Rafael Soriano all to injury at some point last season.

Their bullpen especially has not had a great track record for staying healthy. Both Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano are just recently coming off of pitching surgeries.

The outfield will be interesting and could be both a weakness and a strength.

Jeff Francoeur struggled last year, but has shown he can play and be a factor in the Braves' offense. Josh Anderson is a upstart player that has high expectations, but hasn't proven himself. Matt Diaz had an off season last year and only batted .244. Those three players could "make or break" this team's season.

STRENGTHS:

If Chipper Jones can play as well as he did last year, the Braves offense can keep going. He has to stay healthy though and has had problems with doing that the last couple of seasons.

The Braves have built a solid foundation in their starting lineup and that consistency could help them offensively.

One key addition, Casey Kotchman, is a young player that could potentially step out of the light and into the spotlight, while helping the Braves offense.

As far as the rotation goes, Derek Lowe is a model of consistency the last few years. He has had 7 straight seasons of double digit victories. Kenshin Kawakami is a wild card, but has shown in the Japanese leagues that he can play well. Javier Vazquez is a veteran pitcher and has played well in his 11-year MLB career.

A lot of faith has been placed into the hands of Jair Jurrjens and his play may decide whether or not the Braves can reach a division crown, wild card berth, or just loom in their familiar bottom feeding position in the division.

SEASON PREDICTION:

It’s going to be hard to compete in a division with the defending champion Phillies and the Mets. It’s also hard against a team like the Marlins who produce great talent year-in and year-out. However, I think the Braves will finish the season at least third with a chance to finish second if the Mets or Phillies blunder.

I do think they will break the .500 mark for the season and improve from their record, but the playoffs will be a toss up. I think this will be an improving season and a rebuilding season with the hope that things can continue to get better in Atlanta.