Spring Training is underway, and the Atlanta Braves will kick-off the season with their first exhibition game on February 25. Time will tell the story, but there is a wide range of expectations for this year’s Braves. The team is returning many top performers from last season, including Freddie Freeman, Matt Kemp, Julio Teheran, Ender Inciarte, and Nick Markakis. It is safe to assume that these players will produce in 2017, but there are some question marks regarding others.
Atlanta Braves 2017 Season Preview
Will the rotation be improved?
Many fans are expecting big things from a revamped starting rotation. After all, 2016 did not deliver a strong showing from a young staff. Of the nine pitchers to start more than five games, only Mike Foltynewicz avoided a losing record. Teheran had a fantastic season, with a 3.21 ERA in 188 innings pitched over 30 starts, but finished with a losing record at 7-10. Teheran was also the only pitcher with more than five starts to post an ERA under four. Simply put, the rotation was not good in 2016.
Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey, and Jaime Garcia were all acquired in the offseason to provide a veteran boost. Barring an injury, all three will likely begin the season as part of the five-man rotation. This will allow for many of Atlanta’s young studs to get more seasoning in the minors while also providing support for the big league staff when needed.
The 43-year-old Colon signed a one-year deal with Atlanta after three seasons with the New York Mets, during which Colon won 44 games in 95 starts with a 3.90 ERA. He does a good job of limiting walks and working deep into games, which will help what should be an improved bullpen.
Dickey joins Atlanta after four seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. With the help of the knuckleball, Dickey began to revive his career with the Mets at the age of 35. Dickey may not have lived up to what the Jays paid to acquire him, but he remains a solid, innings-eater type of pitcher. He is coming off his lowest innings output since 2010 (169.2 innings pitched in 2016). Still, there are few health concerns with most knuckleball pitchers. Tim Wakefield and Atlanta-legend Phil Niekro both pitched well into their 40s, and Dickey is poised to do the same.
Garcia is the wildcard of the three newcomers. The lefty does have a solid 3.57 ERA in 147 career starts, but he has a history of missed time. From 2012-2015, Garcia never pitched more than 130 innings in a season. He is coming off a season in which he started 30 games and pitched 170 innings. The problem is that Garcia issued more walks while allowing more hits and home runs. Atlanta was in desperate need of a lefty starter, and is hoping Garcia can put in a productive season.
Expect the five-man rotation to feature Teheran, Colon, Dickey, Foltynewicz, and Garcia to begin the season. Matt Wisler and Aaron Blair are holdovers from last season who will likely see time at some point. Sean Newcomb and Patrick Weigel are two of Atlanta’s top prospects and are also likely to debut this season.
Can Dansby Swanson build off of his strong debut?
Swanson made his big league debut in August. He appeared in 38 games last season with 129 official at-bats, which allowed him to retain his rookie status for 2017. Swanson’s numbers were impressive for someone getting their first taste of the majors. He posted a triple-slash line of .302/.361/.442 with an .803 OPS and 115 OPS+. Swanson also scored 20 runs with 39 hits, seven doubles, three home runs, and 17 RBI.
The unknown for this season is if can he build off of that success. Swanson must quickly grow into a complete player. A good indicator will be how he deals with his first real slump at the major league level. Fans are expecting big things from Swanson, and he has the makeup of a player who will exceed those expectations.
What will second base look like this season?
The Braves used Jace Peterson, Gordon Beckham, Chase d’Arnaud, Daniel Castro, and Kelly Johnson at the position in 2016, with Peterson receiving the bulk of the playing time. Peterson did a solid job, but the Braves will likely use him as a utility, bench bat moving forward. Top-prospect Ozzie Albies was tearing up the minors before a late-season elbow fracture. Free agent acquisition Sean Rodriguez was expected to see lots of time at second before injuring his shoulder in a car wreck. Rodriguez will now miss most of 2017 as he recovers from left shoulder surgery.
Brandon Phillips is now set to open the season as Atlanta’s second baseman following his acquisition on February 12. Last season, Phillips demonstrated that he can still perform at a decent level, with a .291 batting average, 11 home runs, and 74 runs scored in 141 games. That said, it is unlikely that Phillips will perform at an All-Star level moving forward. Even if he does, Atlanta’s second baseman of the future is already in place.
Albies is entering his age-20 season after setting the South Atlantic League ablaze in 2016. He captured the SAL batting title with an official batting average of .315. Albies is beginning Spring Training as a non-roster invite, but he is still ramping up his work as he continues to rehab. There does not appear to be any set timetable for when Albies will be game-ready. However, he will be on the verge of the big leagues once he is back in game form.
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