Long Remember: The 2009 Atlanta Braves

Like some others, I will remember this year as a turning point.

I will remember how at this time last year the Braves were devoid of any semblance of a pitching rotation. Now at the terminal of this year, Atlanta has shown they are once again a dominant pitching force in the National League.

I watched with joy how this team, 34-40 after interleague play, crawled back to finish 86-76 with one of the best second half records.

With pure elation I watched a team 8.5 games back in the wild card with 21 to go come back and draw within two games with one week left.

I then viewed in my dismay the disintegration of whatever momentum was left and saw an unbeatable team unravel at the end by losing out six straight.

I was fascinated with the rise of Martin Prado, outplaying and outhitting Kelly Johnson to gain the starting position at second. I became enamored with Javier Vazquez and how he effectively surpassed Derek Lowe as the ace of the pitching staff.

But I also fell back with dismay in Chipper Jones' lackluster performance this year, and the unceremonious dismissal of Tom Glavine sent a chill up my spine. The old warriors of the '90s, the ones I idolized growing up as a kid, are now beginning to show their age.

I also absorbed the odd and bizarre moments, such as Greg Norton being marched to the plate in clutch situations, Yunel Escobar's indulgent behavior, Rafael Soriano blowing games when he had been lights out the first part of the year, and the odd behavior of some of the umpires during games.

The 2009 season was filled with everything a fan could want in a season. There was turmoil, stability, hope, despair, success, and failure.

Humble beginnings

At the end of last year, general manager Frank Wren's task before him was daunting. Wren needed to totally revamp and reconstruct an entire pitching rotation that had only one healthy arm in Jair Jurrjens.

He drew the ire of many fans when he allowed John Smoltz to pack his bags and leave for Boston. Wren, however, stayed stoic and undaunted, determined to rebuild the rotation with younger arms.

Wren landed a good, faithful arm in Javier Vazquez, who was known as a good pitcher but not your typical ace. The Braves GM also looked overseas and acquired a veteran arm in Japanese hurler Kenshin Kawakami. Though these were good pickups, the search for an ace continued.

The Braves first gunned for Padres ace Jake Peavy in the offseason, but his no trade clause complicated things. The Padres obviously never heard the mantra of beggars can't be choosers as they demanded a lot in the deal. Wren decided to look somewhere else, not wanting to risk breaking the bank.

Atlanta then showed interest in A.J. Burnett, a free agent from the Blue Jays. A deal seemed imminent, but at the last moment Burnett decided to go with more money and packed his bags for the Yankees.

Not accepting defeat, Wren turned to Derek Lowe, a proven ace from the Dodgers who also pitched as a closer for the Red Sox. This time a deal was made, and Lowe was definitely coming to Atlanta. The ace was found. 

To round out the rotation and to try to limit damage control with fans, Wren signed Tom Glavine to a one-year deal, hoping his arm would be ready by mid-April.

Deals would also be made, and fall through, with Rafael Furcal and Ken Griffey, Jr. both supposedly committing and then pulling out at the last second with Atlanta.

All of this turmoil, and the Braves weren't even in spring training yet.

During spring training the team picked up Garret Anderson and decided to go with rookie Jordan Schafer in center field. The Braves and their fans went into the first game with renewed hope, thinking with the rebuilt rotation and the promise of power within the lineup, the team just might be a dark horse for the playoffs.

Nobody was disappointed on opening night. The Braves rained on the Phillies' World Series parade. Lowe stifled Philadelphia's offense, while Jeff Francoeur and Schafer left the yard with homers. Atlanta won 4-1, and every sign pointed to the Braves being able to hang in there and get to the playoffs for the first time in four years.

Midseason woes

Not all is what it seems. The Braves finished the month of May at .500 going nowhere fast. They were struggling against teams like Washington, Florida, Pittsburgh, and Houston. Rookie Schafer wasn't proving what he was promised to be, hitting just above the Mendoza line, and Francoeur was slipping back into his old habits after "improving" his swing during the offseason.

Something needed to be done. Wren wasted no time in trying to plug the holes before the ship foundered. Wren cast away Glavine, since his arm wasn't coming around. He brought up prospect and pitching sensation Tommy Hanson to take his place.

On the same day, June 3, the Braves also acquired via trade Nate McLouth from the Pirates. McLouth took over duties in center field and made himself right at home with his first home run as a Brave coming off his former team.

Atlanta also added more power before the trade deadline by reacquiring first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Red Sox. Both McLouth and LaRoche would prove to be instrumental in the Braves' run down the stretch.

Another answer to the Braves' offensive woes came from their own bench. Kelly Johnson wasn't hitting well, so Cox gave him the night off against a series opener with Philadelphia and allowed utility player Martin Prado to start.

Prado lit up the night with his bat, going 4-for-5 and singlehandedly helping the Braves to victory (for story, go here). Prado would become the starting second baseman for the rest of the season, and he never let up. Because of his efforts, Prado would finish the year team leader in batting average at .307.

During this time the Braves decided to get rid of Francoeur. The Braves traded him to the New York Mets on July 10 for Ryan Church. They even gave the Mets cash to take him.

The situation with Francoeur had gotten progressively worse as the season prolonged. Francoeur wasn't coming around like the team wanted him to, and the Braves were getting desperate. Atlanta decided to part ways with Francoeur.

It was a sad ending for the hometown native and "The Natural," who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated four years before as the future of the Braves organization.

Down to the wire

With the pieces in play, the Braves made a dramatic run to the finish. While Chipper began to struggle and Brian McCann was having an off year by his standards, players such as Prado, Escobar, Anderson, and Matt Diaz stepped up their games and played great baseball. LaRoche began his usual second half tear and started crushing the ball with authority.

The pitching got better with every passing game. Vazquez began dominating hitters, Jurrjens put up better numbers than his first year, and newcomer Hanson was everything the scouts said he was, plus more. While Lowe struggled, Vazquez became a de facto ace of the team, taking Jurrjens under his wing.

In September Tim Hudson came back from Tommy John surgery and did well. His return prompted the move of Kawakami to the bullpen. The rotation was the deepest it had been since the early 2000s, giving the Braves a shot to win every game. Confidence filled the team as they reeled in the wild card-leading Rockies. 

Only three games behind both the Phillies and Rockies going into September, the Braves had every reason to believe they could make the playoffs. The Braves beat teams they shouldn't have, but to counter this, they also lost to teams they shouldn't have. The team hit one such skid in early September, where they dropped five straight to the Marlins and Reds.

The streak all but eliminated Atlanta from division contention, falling 8.5 games behind Philadelphia. The Braves also fell seven back to the Rockies. All seemed lost to the team and its fans.

With nothing to lose, the Braves began playing ball like there was no tomorrow. From Sept. 10 to Sept. 28, the Braves took 16 out of 18 games and closed an 8.5-game deficit behind the Rockies to just two games going into the final week. The run made fans believe.

The machine ran out of steam, however. Atlanta lost their final six games and now head into the offseason early for the fourth year in a row.

A step towards enlightenment

Once again, the Braves have failed to make the playoffs. Even though the offseason will be a bit longer because of it (26 weeks until opening week, to be exact), the Braves are in good shape for next year.

For once they have an abundant amount of pitching to the point they'll have to get rid of someone. The offense is finally firing on all cylinders. All the Braves need is one more big power bat, and Wren has made it a priority this offseason to acquire one.

In closing, the Braves have taken the steps toward enlightenment, a.k.a. returning to the playoffs. We fans have no reason to be disappointed about 2009. If someone were to tell you last February the Braves would go 86-76, improving 14 games from last year, you would've probably laughed in their face or at least had doubts.

The truth is this year the Braves laid the foundations for the future. Now they have the ability to take down the Phillies as division champions, more so then they have for the past three seasons.

The 2009 season also marks a transition never before seen with this team. This year the team finally figured out how to win without Chipper in the lineup.

I was born in 1990, so I don't know of an Atlanta Braves team without Bobby Cox at the helm. How strange it will be in 2011 not to see Bobby in the dugout. 

We have also seen transition in the pitching staff. For the first time since 1986, the Braves pitching staff did not have any of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, or John Smoltz within the rotation. 

We are now watching younger and newer players coming up from the farm system. Names such as Mark Lemke, Jeff Blauser, and Fred McGriff are being replaced with the names of Martin Prado, Yunel Escobar, and Adam LaRoche as the nucleus of the team. These men, along with Nate McLouth, Brian McCann, and top prospect Jason Heyward, will be the foundation of the Braves team for a long time to come.

Even though we are in this period of transition and now more than ever looking to the future instead of the hallowed past, we still have time to remember our heroes. This year Maddux got the honor of seeing his number put beside the others in the pantheon of Braves greatness. During the ceremony Mad Dog was at a loss for words.

Now the team and fans go forward, trying to gain glory just like the old days. The 2010 Atlanta Braves most certainly have a chance to win glory, and this year is the cause of it. Because of this year, the Braves have given us hope and a chance for us to believe.