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The Braves won 95 Games in 2013, and the NL East was a runaway by 9 games over Washington.
This was done even though of paltry numbers posted by Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton, and a half year with Jason Heyward hitting underneath the Mendoza Line.
The game changer for the offense was a surprise performance by 3B Chris Johnson, who contended for the NL Batting Title for the better part of the whole year.
Evan Gattis and Brian McCann also hit near 20+ HRs each for just about a seasons worth of Plate Appearances out of the Catchers position.
Justin Upton charged out of the gates in April with 12 HRs, and then after going cold in the next 3 months. bounced back in August to take a run at it again.
The younger brother to B.J., had stretches were he carried the club.
His yearly totals look much like any other year, however it wasn’t a coincidence that the Braves were at the pinnacle of their record during both months he went crazy at the plate.
Jason Heyward resurrected his season, and potentially his career, when the squad inserted him into the leadoff position in the lineup.
The J-Hey Kid, went for a 3 Slash of .322/.401/.55 – with 6 HRs, 16 RBI and 31 Runs Scored in the 30 Games he hit 1st.
Unfortunately, Heyward broke his jaw, sidelining his progress. In 2014, his offense may go a long way to preserving this team as a contender.
I believe Heyward will go .290/.385/.490 – and could definitely score a 100 Runs and club 25 HRs. He is the key to setting the table.
Look for Andrelton Simmons to hit 2nd in this lineup. His 3 Slash was .325/.361/.429 hitting out of the 2 slot.
Fresh off his new extension that will see his presence in Atlanta for another 7 YRs, Simmons will look to add some more offensive flair to his dominant defensive presence.
The 24 Year Old had 50 Extra Base Hits in 2013, and I expect that he could hit 20 HRs, 10 – 3B’s and 30 Doubles this year.
He only walked 40 times in 2013, but the hope of placing him in front of Freddie Freeman should aid these efforts in 2014.
I am thinking: .280/.320/.415 – with about 80 runs and immaculate Gold Glove Winning Shortstop is nice production.
Freddie Freeman is worth every penny the franchise has invested in him (8 YRs/$135 MIL). He may have been the NL MVP had he not missed 15 Games in 2013.
2014 may be the year he challenges for the Award. The guy is opening up his 4th full year at 1B for the Braves.
The sky is the limit for this LHB. I am thinking he improves to even better numbers in 2014. My predictions include .310/.405/.495 – with 30 HRs, 115 RBI and 100 Runs Scored.
Whether he is in the running for the MVP Award or not – will depend on the team’s success.
Justin Upton clubbed 20 of his 27 HRs in just 2 months (Apr and Aug). I am sure the team would love more consistency from the guy.
If I can quote Billy Bob Thornton from Bad News Bears: “swing it like Hellen Keller at a pinata party”.
I take the 2 months of carrying from Upton, let him walk when he is struggling still, and look for others in the lineup to pick him up when he is scuffling.
I can see Upton clubbing 25 HRs, hitting .265/.340/.450 in his walk year for 2014.
I would place Evan Gattis or Ryan Doumit in the 5th slot as the team’s Catcher’s position.
This may be a regression year for Gattis, but I expect him to post the kind of power numbers sufficient enough for the majority Catching position on any team.
I could see 25 – 28 HRs, but I see a .230/.290/.450 Slash coming for the man. He will be the backstopper for way more games than he sees the Outfield.
6th slot will be Chris Johnson. Coming off his season where he hit .321, you will see a definite decline, although this man is a career .289 hitter.
Johnson can look for double digit HRs and right around 60 RBI in 2014. He his not a huge OBP guy.
7th slot will be Dan Uggla. This 34 Year Old suffered many problems in the 2013 season, and batted a career low of .179 in 2013.
His eye problems have been eradicated, and he looks much better in Spring Training. He has never been confused for a big Batting Average Hitter.
Despite a horrendous year last campaign. he still managed to smack 22 HRs.
Uggla still brings forth Walks every year. He led the NL in Walks during 2012, and worked out 77 free passes last year.
2014 Projections: .225/.333/.410 – with 26 HRs and 63 RBI. His $13 MIL cap hit for this year will see some production.
8th slot will be B.J. Upton. The most forgettable year a $75 MIL Free Agent has had. It was downright awful.
9 HRs and 26 RBI – with a .184 BA will not be tolerated. That is why the club brought in Ryan Doumit.
As bad as 2013 was for Upton, given that he will be more comfortable in the NL this year, those numbers have to climb just a little.
I believe he will hit .220/.295/.380 – with 20 HRs and 20 SB. As a #8 hitter, his walks will rise. Was he worth the money ($15 MIL for 5 years) for the numbers…Hell no.
I think if Atlanta saw Upton post these, they would be ecstatic.
Strong Bench
With the addition of Ryan Doumit, and having Jordan Schafer, Gerald Laird and Ramiro Pena this team is stocked with some players who can accomplish things late in the game.
If B.J. Upton can’t turn it around, I would still rather have Doumit and Gattis rotate between RF while the other guy Catches.
Doumit brings forth a 3 slash of .268/.329/.438 in 2936 Career AB. Having this man come in for this year is a brilliant insurance move for Gattis.
Look for Doumit to receive about 400 AB in 2014. He should post about 10 HRs and rack up north of 50 RBI. He should also be a nice Left Handed Batter off of the bench as a Pinch Hitter.
Jordan Schafer is the 5th OF in the depth chart, and will be used as injury/defensive replacement. He will able to spell Doumit and Gattis in RF.
Heyward also seems to have a tough time with injuries year to year, so he would be the candidate to play CF should that happen.
Ramiro Pena can play SS/3B and 2B, and is the main Utility Infielder for the squad.
For the 1B backups, it goes Freeman, Doumit and Johnson.
The skinny of it is the club should have 7 – 20 HRs hitters out of the 9 players. This should help give the team enough offense to keep afloat.
The progression of Heyward and Simmons, without a huge regression from Gattis and Johnson, would go a long way to compete for the NL East in 2014.
The team is already near $110 MIL for team payroll, so don’t look for any trades to help supplant the offense.
Braves State Of The Union Part 1: The Pitchers Situation.
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