5 Atlanta Braves Who Need to Step Up After the All-Star Break

When the 2012 season started, what would you think if I were to tell you that as the Braves approached the All-Star break, the rookie SS would be leading the team with a .333 batting average, that Jason Heyward had bounced back and emerged as a true five-tool talent, that Chipper Jones was hitting near .300 and producing, that Michael Bourn had already eclipsed the 100-hit mark and was hitting .302, that Martin Prado was hitting a robust .321, Brandon Beachy was leading all MLB starters in ERA, that Craig Kimbrel has solidified himself as the game's most dominant closer, and that the Philadelphia Phillies were 11.5 games out of first and were in last place?

It would be easy to assume the Braves were playing dominant baseball atop the NL East standings. However, the Braves are playing anything but dominant baseball. Having just dropped another series to the Nationals, the Braves sit in third place, 4.5 games back.

Winning a division is a difficult task in its own right. Chasing a divisional opponent, such as the Nationals, that has such dominant pitching is even more arduous. It is almost ironic that the Braves find themselves behind a team that is headlined by three premium starters. Washington's Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann will do their best impressions of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Greg Maddux and keep all the other NL East teams at a distance.

Brandon Beachy's season-ending surgery, Jair Jurrjens fall from grace, Randall Delgado and Mike Minor's growing pains, the very hittable back end of the bullpen (aside from Kimbrel) and offensive shortcomings have all combined to lead the Braves to third place in the division, 1.5 games behind the Mets in second.

The Braves are still within striking distance of the division lead. However, if the Atlanta Braves want to stay in the thick of the playoff hunt, they will need the following players to step up after the All-Star break.

Brian McCann

The Braves' perennial All-Star representative since his first full season in 2006, Brian McCann has started this year, the same way last year ended: quietly.

Because of his poor performance so far, he will be skipping this year's All-Star Game to get some much-needed and deserved rest. Prior to the 2011 All-Star break, McCann was hitting .310 and had already hit 15 HR and already accumulated 50 RBIs. His second half was marred by injury and poor performance, batting just .203 with nine HR and 21 RBI.

Understanding that the position of catcher is the most demanding in the game, some degree of performance decline in that later half of the season is to be expected as the player's body just breaks down from wear and tear. What are Braves fans to expect out of Brian McCann if he is already putting up anemic offensive numbers before the All-Star break?

He is hitting just .226 with a .295 OBP and .385 SLG. McCann's .679 OPS is the lowest of any starter on the team. His backup, David Ross, has an OPS 115 points higher. While McCann has never been a 30-HR, 100-RBI guy, he has been a clutch and consistent offensive performer since he reached the major leagues.

The extra rest McCann will receive from missing the All-Star Game may be what he needs to get his game headed in the right direction again. A healthy and productive Brian McCann will be key to the Braves' success this season.   

Dan Uggla

It appears Dan Uggla's slow start last year wasn't a fluke. Uggla has struggled at the plate in the first half again this year, though admittedly not as dismally as his performance in 2011. Last year's .185 AVG prior to the All-Star break made many a Braves fan second-guess his acquisition. However, his phenomenal play in the second half carried the Braves to the cusp of winning the NL Wild Card.

While 2012 hasn't been as disappointing as 2011, Uggla still isn't producing as much as the Braves management expected when they traded for the powerful second baseman. Uggla is still second on the team in RBIs with 43 despite his .232 AVG. 

And Uggla has struck out 92 times in just 77 games so far—compare that to his 156 strike outs in 161 games in 2011. If he keeps up his current strikeout pace, he will break the 200-K barrier. However, on a positive note, he is walking much more, taking pitches and working his AB's into deeper counts. He has already earned 52 free passes this year, 21 more than second place on the team.

It is very unlikely Uggla will be able to produce a second half like he did in 2011. Even if he doesn't go on a 30-plus-game hit streak, he will need to pick up the slack in order to give the Braves the offensive push needed to succeed during the remainder of the season.  

Jair Jurrjens

Before injury derailed him, Jair Jurrjens was having a dominant 2011 season. Making his first All-Star team, sporting a 12-3 record with a 1.87 ERA, Jurrjens was the new up-and-coming ace of the Braves rotation. After the All-Star break, until he went on the DL, Jurrjens had a 5.88 ERA over his final seven starts in 2011. The end of his 2011 season was a foreshadowing of what was to come in 2012.

Jurrjens was sent down to AAA Gwinnett after his fourth start in the 2012 season with an outlandish 9.37 ERA. While with the Gwinnett Braves, he did not seem to find whatever magic he had prior to the 2011 All-Star Game. The minor-leaguers were still able to rough Jurrjens up in his 10 starts, and he was only recalled to the majors because of the need to replace Brandon Beachy in the rotation after his season-ending injury. In those starts before being recalled to the big club, Jurrjens was 3-4 with a 5.18 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in Gwinnett.  

However, since his call-up, Jurrjens has pitched impressively, giving up just three ER in 13.1 IP. If the Braves hope to still be in contention at season's end, Jurrjens will need to return to his 2011 pre-All-Star form.

Beachy's injury, Randall Delgado and Mike Minor's growing pains, and the Atlanta bullpen being much more human than it was in 2011 all means Jurrjens needs step up in a big way if the Braves hope to earn a spot in this year's postseason.

Jonny Venters

Jonny Venters' 2011 September collapse, where he gave up seven ER in 12.1 IP, happened at the worst time for the Atlanta Braves. Falling just short of the Wild Card spot in the playoffs, the Braves sat at home while their Wild Card replacement brought home a World Series title.

The back end of the Braves' bullpen had been the most productive aspect of their 2011 team. Eric O'Flaherty's and his insane 0.98 ERA held down the seventh inning, while Venters had the responsibility of locking down the eighth inning and setting up the Braves' electric closer, Craig Kimbrel.

The back half of the Braves bullpen was so dominant the Braves were practically playing a six-inning game. If the Braves' opponent didn't have the lead by the seventh inning, the game was practically over.

In 2012, Venters and the Braves have yet to find their consistency when getting to Kimbrel. Venters has been demoted to seventh-inning duty and has even made a couple appearances in the sixth.  

Even though he is posting a higher K/9 rate this year than last (12.2 K/9 vs 9.8 K/9), is walking about the same number of batters per nine innings (4.7 BB/9 vs 4.4 BB/9), and his velocity is still the same as it was last year, he is getting hit at a much higher rate (11.3 H/9 vs 5.4 H/9).

It seemed Venters was on the right path, as he has lowered his ERA from a season-high 4.50 down to 3.86 in his last eight appearances. However, his performance in the last game of the Nationals series, where he gave up another two ER in .1 IP, has sent it back over four again.

With his ERA now sitting at 4.40 and WHIP at 1.83, the Braves find themselves in a tough spot. Do they keep running out Venters in close games to help him work through whatever is keeping him from performing as he has in the past, or do they relegate him to mop-up duties, avoiding the damage his lack of execution has created?

The Braves need the Jonny Venters of old to help the team claw its way back to the top of the NL East standings. If Venters doesn't improve, the Braves are left depending on the likes of Chad Durbin.

Chipper Jones

At 40 years old and in his swansong season, Chipper Jones has performed surprisingly well, batting .292 with an .833 OPS, both good for fourth on the team.

The reason Atlanta's fabled son is on the list is not because of his performance, but because of his attendance. An Atlanta Braves lineup featuring Jones is much more formidable than one with Juan Francisco.

Chipper has only been able to start 39 games so far this season. He has made pinch hit appearances in five more. Francisco, his primary replacement, is hitting an anemic .223 with a dismal .248 OBP. In the 112 AB that Francisco has had so far, he has walked a total of three times and struck out 38 times. In Chipper's 154 AB, he has walked 21 times while striking out only 18 times. 

Despite his age, Chipper is a professional hitter that will significantly outproduce Juan Francisco and greatly enhance the Braves' lineup. If Jones wants his last season to be one that includes the playoffs, he will need to find a way to make it on the field.

Jones at 70 percent is still better than Francisco at 100 percent. It's a tough position to be in, as the more Chipper plays, the more time off he needs, but at what point do the Braves decide they have to risk injury versus playing a player that is much more of an offensive burden?

Chipper will go down as one of the top five Braves of all time and one of the best 3B of all time, and if he can stay healthy enough to play most of the games going forward, he can make this farewell tour a few weeks longer with a playoff run.