The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies play a three-game series at Turner Field this weekend. Now, most people wouldn’t care about this matchup as other series feature teams that are battling for playoff contention or seeding, but this battle of the bottom has a major deciding factor on which team will endure the haunt of having the worst record in baseball, resulting in the 1st pick in the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Braves-Phillies: Battle for the Bottom, and Top of the MLB Draft
The Braves didn’t come into this season with major expectations, as a result of new President of Baseball Operations John Hart’s “reboot” of the franchise, after finishing a disappointing 2014 season 79-83, just one season removed from a division title. He stockpiled the farm system with young arms in deals for Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Evan Gattis and Craig Kimbrel, giving Atlanta a revamped crop of young talent to go along with MLB-ready players in slugger Freddie Freeman, defensive virtuoso Andrelton Simmons and starter Shelby Miller.
As low as expectations were this season, however, Atlanta has suffered one of the worst collapses in MLB history. The Braves entered the All-Star break 42-46, five games back of the Washington Nationals in the NL East. Since then, they have a record of 15-44, by far the worst in the majors. Miller, despite an ERA below 3.00 all season long, is 5-15, winless in his last 22 contests, dating back to May 17, when he was one out away from a no-hitter against the Miami Marlins. The team ranks among the bottom five in every possible category and are on pace to lose 100 games for the first time since 1990. Hart also used deals to acquire draft picks last offseason, enough for the Braves to have six of the first 80 selections in the 2015 draft. Being able to select 1st overall in next year’s draft would fit the scheme of Hart and company are trying to pull off in Atlanta.
On the other hand, the Phillies are on the right track towards ending their three-year drought of uncompetitive baseball. From 2007-2011, the Phillies were NL Eastern Division Champions, appearing in two World Series, winning in 2008 against the Tampa Bay Rays, the franchise’s second world championship (1980). However, from 2012 on, their star-studded lineup got old quick and the recent draft picks weren’t producing the numbers that were expected. From 2012-14, Philadelphia went 227-259, never competing for playoff contention, with every contributor on both sides of the ball over 30.
They finally added to the depth of their farm system at the trade deadline, dealing long-time ace Cole Hamels to the Texas Rangers, acquiring six prospects in return, three of them, RHP Jake Thomson, C Jorge Alfaro, and OF Nick Williams, ranked in the top 100 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Combine that with top shortstop prospect J.P. Crawford, 2015 1st round pick Cornelius Randolph, and MLB talent Odubal Herrera and Maikel Franco, the Phillies have rebuilt young and stockpiled depth for the future. The difference between having the first pick or second pick in the draft next year is bigger than most people would think, mostly in the case of money. You not only get the 1st pick, but also more allotted money to spend throughout the draft, as well as more options to allocate their money.
Both teams are trying to build new foundations towards a future championship. With acquiring the 1st pick, along with more money to use at their expense, both teams understand the undeniable advantage the pick presents. MLB never has had to worry about tanking the way that the NBA and NFL does, from the fact that one can’t-miss prospect doesn’t immediately affect the team at hand the way it does in football and basketball. However, both Atlanta and Philadelphia front offices can’t deny the advantage of selecting first instead of second. It would definitely explain Atlanta’s play since the All-Star break, and the Phillies have been below .500 all season.
Watch this weekend series in Atlanta, and whoever plays the WORST will have the edge of taking home the worst record of 2015, with 2016 providing much promise.
ATLANTA, GA – MAY 02: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after striking out in the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Turner Field on May 2, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
