Creating Atlanta Braves' Ideal Postseason Batting Order

On April 1, 2013, the Atlanta Braves trotted out an Opening Day starting lineup that looked like this (via Baseball-Reference):

1. Andrelton Simmons, SS

2. Jason Heyward, RF

3. Justin Upton, LF

4. Freddie Freeman, 1B

5. B.J. Upton, CF

6. Dan Uggla, 2B

7. Chris Johnson, 3B

8. Gerald Laird, C

9. Tim Hudson, P

And with catcher Brian McCann still rehabbing from an injury, the lone objection I had was directly related to the fact that I preferred Juan Francisco to Chris Johnson at the hot corner. 

Five months later, Braves fans are looking at a very different lineup for the postseason. So here's an optimistic, yet very probable batting order for manager Fredi Gonzalez to employ in the National League Division Series. 

If you want to advocate for an alternate lineup, please post it in the comments below.

1. Jason Heyward, RF

Any great Braves lineup begins with Jason Heyward atop the order. 

According to USA Today, his recovery is going in the right direction, and since this is my lineup and these are my rules, I'm leading him and his chin guard off against whichever foe (hopefully not Clayton Kershaw) the Braves face in Game 1 of the NLDS. 

While Heyward is not your typical leadoff hitter, he's easily Atlanta's top option for the spot. Since permanently plugging Heyward into the top spot of the order on July 27, Atlanta has gone 17-4.

To prove that this was no coincidence, Heyward has posted a triple-slash line of .357/.432/.607 out of the leadoff spot since July 27, collecting 11 extra-base hits in 84 at-bats. 

A patient and imposing hitter with power and speed to boot, Heyward is the perfect option to lead the battle charge for the Braves.

Above statistics and win-loss record were calculated manually through data supplied by Baseball-Reference.

2. Justin Upton, LF

When Atlanta moved Jason Heyward to the leadoff spot, Justin Upton was also bumped to the 2-hole, giving opposing pitchers a hellish one-two punch to start a game against. 

And just like Heyward experienced a surge upon a switch in batting order, so too did the younger Upton, posting a triple-slash line of .295/.389/.547 in 162 plate appearances out of the 2-spot since July 27. 

With Justin Upton hitting second, the Braves have tallied 26 wins against only 11 losses. Atlanta has been its most successful with Heyward and Upton leading off games, and that's the order they should go with in October. 

Above stats and win-loss record calculated manually through data provided by Baseball-Reference.

3. Freddie Freeman, 1B

This spot was the easiest in the entire order to decide, bar none. 

Freddie Freeman has been so good this year that I don't even need to give statistics out of the 3-spot. 

Over his 576 plate appearances in 2013, Freeman has nearly posted a .300/.400/.500 line, hitting .318/.389/.495 with 21 home runs and an incredible 48 extra-base hits.

Since July 26, Freeman has played in 46 games and batted third in 45 of them. In that stretch, the Braves have gone 32-14, and the 24-year-old first baseman has hit .330/.400/.534, courtesy of Baseball-Reference. 

Freeman is Atlanta's best hitter right now, and the best hitter hits in the 3-hole. It's that simple. 

4. Brian McCann, C

Yes, Brian McCann has been mired in a slump lately.

Yes, the pattern for the first three hitters thus far has been lefty-righty-lefty, and McCann, a lefty, breaks that trend.

Yes, batting Chris Johnson fourth would be an intriguing and even logically defensible decision to make.

However, when the playoffs roll around, there is only one hitter I want to see hitting cleanup, and his name is Brian McCann.

Even with his recent slump, the 29-year-old catcher has posted an OPS of .810 this season—certainly nothing to sneeze at. He's also been able to tally 20 home runs and 12 doubles in only 334 at-bats in 2013—numbers that extrapolate to 30 home runs and 18 doubles over a 500-at-bat season. 

McCann is a gritty, grizzled, battle-tested veteran who won't be fazed by the bright lights of October or the pressures of hitting cleanup. So bat cleanup he will. 

5. Chris Johnson, 3B

Chris Johnson has been a revelation this season. 

With the retirement of Chipper Jones, you can count this writer among those who believed third base to be Atlanta's biggest area of need coming into 2013. 

As it turns out, Johnson resented that, as he's trumpeting a .330/.363/.462 line over his 498 plate appearances this season.

He strikes out a lot. He doesn't take too many walks. His defense at third is still below-average. 

However, he simply crushes the baseball, tearing the cover off the ball all season.

And because of that he'll be protecting Brian McCann, hitting fifth for the Braves in October. 

6. Andrelton Simmons, SS

Here's where things get dicey. 

With Atlanta's top five hitters all taken care of within the first five spots of the lineup, we still have to find places for Andrelton Simmons, the second baseman, and the center fielder (identities to be revealed shortly). 

6'2" and just 170 pounds, Simmons doesn't look the part of a 6-hole hitter. His season-long .296 OBP would even suggest that he hit lower in the order.

However, the defensive dynamo has hit for surprising power this season, collecting an impressive 15 home runs and 44 extra-base hits in 606 plate appearances. On top of that, he's hit .263/.330/.489 with 24 extra-base hits since July 14 according to Baseball-Reference—a sign that he's turned a corner offensively. 

He doesn't walk much, but he also doesn't strike out. And quite frankly, he's Atlanta's sixth-best hitter right now. He should be hitting sixth in October. 

7. Elliot Johnson, 2B

In a perfect world, Dan Uggla would be playing second base and hitting sixth. 

However, he's not yet played well enough to merit even a starting gig in the postseason.

The power is nice, the walks are great, and the intangibles he brings to the table (hustle, charisma, leadership) are undoubtedly invaluable, but in a vacuum, Elliot Johnson deserves this spot. 

A switch-hitter to break up the righty-righty trend of Chris Johnson and Andrelton Simmons, Elliot Johnson has hit .296/.345/.370 since taking over the starting second baseman gig in Atlanta, via Baseball-Reference. 

He won't get on base as much as Uggla would, and he certainly won't hit for as much power, but his defense opposite Simmons, his speed on the basepaths and his ability to consistently put the ball in play make him an excellent candidate to play second base for the Braves in October. 

Should something click and Uggla go on a tear in the final two weeks of the season, he would probably replace Johnson here. But until then, I'm starting Johnson.

8. B.J. Upton

I thought about starting Jordan Schafer here. 

Then I remembered what B.J. Upton did in the 2008 postseason.

I understand that Upton has had a miserable 2013 campaign. Believe me, I understand that as well as every other agonized Braves fan. .191/.276/.301 is a depressing line from your $75MM center fielder.

But to sit Upton now would be to forfeit any opportunity at all for him to catch fire and carry the Braves with his power.

To sit Upton now would rob the talented (albeit frustrating) 29-year-old of an invigorating postseason run—one that could very well light his fire. 

To sit Upton now would be to steal a valuable and experienced center fielder from the middle of the Braves outfield right when Atlanta needs one the most.

So start Schafer if you may. 

I'll take my chances with B.J. Upton.