Atlanta Braves in Need of a Renaissance

A renaissance is defined as a rebirth or revival.

I think that is what needs to happen in Atlanta.

Old philosophies have resulted in (soon to be) four consecutive postseason-less seasons for the Atlanta Braves, and I'm getting sick of it.

It may seem like a dead horse that I continue to mercilessly strike, but there are certain things looming around this organization as a whole that are keeping it from taking the next step towards being a World Series contender.

In this piece I will outline three things that will have to be either done away with or modified for the Atlanta National League Baseball Club to become one of the elite players for a championship.

The "Babying" of Young Arms

Okay, this is more of a baseball-wide phenomenon, but it's in Atlanta too (Texas is about the only franchise bold enough not to adhere to it).

When did 100 pitches become a mark where a pitcher's arm would burst into flames and fall off?

When did a 30 inning or more increase between two seasons mean career mortality?

I understand the thinking to a point. You don't want to trash a kid's arm when he's 21 or 22. But I really don't get why teams choose not to stretch out and condition their young arms when they're still developing.

I get that 150 pitches an outing for an 18-year-old in Rookie Ball isn't the best thing to do.

But why 80- 85- and 90-pitch limits when 22 and 23-year-olds are getting to the Bigs?

Isn't that what the Minor Leagues are for?

When a player reaches the Majors, they should be extremely close to "ready," and not be required to adhere to pansy-ish pitch counts.

Through my un-medically trained eyes, this is why we're seeing so many Tommy John Surgeries there days.

How can you expect your veteran pitchers from this kind of system to do what's expected of them when their arms, throughout their professional careers, have been conditioned to stop at 85-90 pitches?

Here's a thought: How about focusing on something called performance?

Passing through the 100-pitch threshold when a pitcher is still dealing isn't going to hurt the guy.

If a player's throwing 95, has retired 10 strait hitters, and is sitting at 108 pitches through eight innings, what do you do?

A lot of teams with a 33-year-old pitcher doing that leave that guy in to get the complete game.

But, if those same credentials are given to a 22 or 23 year old (see Tommy Hanson) doubt swirls around whether or not to let him finish the game for fear of ruining his arm.

The Staple that is Chipper Jones

Yeah, he's one of the greatest switch-hitters of all time.

Yeah, he's a living legend on the Braves.

But guess what?

He's 37.

T-H-I-R-T-Y-S-E-V-E-N.

As hard as it is for people to come to grips with it, Chipper Jones is not the player he was in the late '90's and first part of this century.

He's not capable of playing 140 games anymore, nor is he capable of hitting 25-30 homers nowadays.

Some of you may be looking at .364 in 2008 and calling me an idiot.

You guys are the same one's that are going to be commenting with reasoning like "IT'S CHIPPER!!!"

I know that you have already stopped reading and started your hate mail, so maybe it's useless for me to point this out.

But, for those of us who like logic, I have this tidbit: he did that in 128 games last season with several stints on the DL.

That means plenty of rest.

This year, he looks set to hit about 135 games (what he did in '07) and has seen limited time on the DL.

In other words, not a lot of rest.

Does anyone, by chance, have his batting average for 2009?

Oh yeah, it's .268.

He's still getting on base with frequency (.390 OBP), but it takes contact that finds the ground to bat third.

But, for some reason, Chipper gets a free pass when it comes to this because he is Chipper.

I mean, what would the Braves do without him in the three-hole?

I'll tell you what: a lot better.

Here's a thought: Use something other than names to make up your lineup.

The Braves have a prototypical No. 3 hitter batting further down right now in Yunel Escobar.

Escobar is batting .300, with a .375 OBP, 14 homers (two fewer than Jones), 22 doubles (two more than Chipper), and 134 total hits (21 more than Jones).

He's not the name that Jones is, but he's certainly playing better than the Legend.

The Cox Factor

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

Bobby Cox does not need to be fired.

He does, however, need to have his performance evaluated after this season.

When you consider his style and what the Braves are wanting to do, the two pieces don't mesh.

His style (do it until it doesn't work and then...hell, do it five more times), temperament (frustration that radiates throughout the rest of the dugout), and lack of aggressiveness (no running with weapons) are creating a toxic blend that is slowly breaking down the Atlanta Braves.

When you bring out relievers after pitching five days in a row, and bring out Greg Norton to pinch hit, you've got issues.

His undying loyalty is his greatest strength and flaw.

A lot of players have come to Atlanta because of that, but a lot will leave because it simply doesn't win games when your faith is in players who simply aren't performing.

I see a front office position in Bobby Cox's future, but waiting to give it to him another two years will mean more under-performing on the field and more profanity coming out of my mouth.

Here's a thought: Replace Bobby with someone who meshes with the organization's direction.

This is just me throwing a name out there, but Ned Yost managed Yovani Gallardo, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and J.J. Hardy pretty effectively in Milwaukee.

Do I see Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, and Yunel Escobar in those names?

Just saying...

As I said in the start, I've said a lot of this stuff before.

But it's stuff that I feel needs to be said.

It's all about the Braves for me, and I feel that each of these issues is holding the team back.

I know that I have absolutely no bearing in front office goings-on, but these are things that I really feel need looking at if this organization has any plans of contending in the next three or five years.

It's time for a renaissance for Atlanta baseball.