The tables may have turned a bit on the perception of this Braves club. Coming into the month, the Braves had one of the best offenses in the league, and a dismal bullpen, where it was thought anyone could pitch better than the relievers that were on the staff. After finishing the month of June with a subpar record at 11-16, many around the organization will start to lean in a different direction based on the pros and cons of the team, and on a bigger scale, lean in a different direction based on the short-term future. There are three takeaways I would take from the month of June in which will describe the makeup of the ball club.
1. Below Average Offense: As the month began, the Braves kept up to their juggernaut offensive ways, however in a different style, by manufacturing runs with singles rather than hitting balls over the fence. However, midway through the Boston series, the Braves All-Star and team MVP Freddie Freeman is shelved with a wrist contusion. After losing the first baseman, the offense took a left turn. The team counted on Jace Peterson and Cameron Maybin at the top of the order to provide an offensive spark during Freeman’s absence, and that certainly hasn’t been the case. As the Braves tried to find a solid run producer, manager Fredi Gonzalez had to try to put the best lineup on the field, shuffling Nick Markakis, AJ Pierzynski and Chris Johnson for the 3 and 4 holes in the lineup. However, it never seemed to help as they were still only able to tally 1-2 runs a game, based on the ability to make solid contact. Based on the offensive deficiency, the team’s record took a left turn as well, being swept by Washington and only salvaging one game in Pittsburgh. The offense without Freeman is simply what most experts around baseball expected it to be, simply below average. Freeman should be able to return around the All-Star Break, however, no one expects him to come in and have 5+ RBIs a game, which still leaves the rest of the offense to be sluggish.
2. Bullpen Vastly Improved: The Braves went into the season with a mediocre bullpen. The team dealt key relievers David Carpenter, Chasen Shreve and Craig Kimbrel, and the record started to show it through the months of April and May. The Braves ranked near the bottom in reliever ERA and near the top in blown leads by the relief staff. However, towards the middle of June, the bullpen roles were discovered and they began to show that they could get the job done. Jim Johnson has had a surprisingly pleasant bounce back from an ERA over 7.00 in 2014, now down under 3.00. Despite some sparatic struggles, Braves closer Jason Grilli has shown his return to 2013 All-Star form, posting an ERA just over 3.00. Veteran relievers such as Grilli, Johnson and Nick Masset have led the younger relievers to success to close down the door to win ball games. There still may be a revolving door throughout the organization for the relief core, as many of the relievers in AAA Gwinnett in which have posted ERAs in the range of 1.00-2.00 are certainly viable options.
3. Time to Sell Assets: The hopes of this Braves making a surprise playoff run may have began to diminish. After taking a sweep of the Nationals, and currently 7 GB of the NL East lead, the Braves may need to keep pushing toward their goal of legitimate success for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. As a result, many of the veteran Braves have certainly gained some trade value in order to further enhance the farm system and gain substantial prospects. A few names beginning to circulate to be sent to contenders are: Cameron Maybin, Julio Teheran, Chris Johnson, Jim Johnson, Kelly Johnson and Jason Grilli. The players listed have affordable contracts and seem to have abilities to help contenders in more than one way. Even though this may be a disappointing fact for many Braves fans, it is simply what was expected and a grueling part of a rebuild, in which I believe will put our organization back in the situation it was in during the numerous World Series runs in the mid-’90s.
brandonsudge 