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Old 02-07-2009, 05:13 PM   #395
jamus23
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Season in review: Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves (72-90)


Runs scored rank: 7th
Runs allowed rank: 19th


Code:
Overall Batting: 
 
Name        POS   G  AB   H 2B 3B HR RBI   R BB   K  AVG  OBP  SLG SB CS
R. Attaway   SS 157 610 191 35  7 27 111 117 79 155 .313 .394 .526  8 10 
J. Campos    LF 158 609 170 34  3 38 132 113 69 113 .279 .351 .532  6  1
J. Ishmael   1B 156 594 141 18 10 45 121  96 59 145 .237 .306 .529  9 12
R. Stair     3B 152 552 151 46  3 22  82  90 54  84 .274 .338 .487  6  2
F. Trujillo  RF 149 542 155 21  0 20  90  86 89  63 .286 .392 .435  0  0
E. Claflin   CF 149 504 117 20  3 15  58  81 50 148 .232 .305 .373 26  4
B. Baker      C 131 482 158 27  1 16  72  83 56  61 .328 .408 .488  2  0
W. Koeller   2B 130 465 133 22  0  7  61  56 36  44 .286 .335 .378  2  1
A. Mcgarity  CF 110 407 122 17  2  4  43  63 29  79 .300 .349 .381 28 11
A. Francis   3B  90 273  66 22  4 13  44  41 24  63 .242 .299 .495  1  2
R. Turner    CF  87 239  71 14  3  6  33  57 19  30 .297 .346 .456  9  9
R. Butler     C  44 141  43 10  4  3  25  22  5  39 .305 .338 .496  6  2
B. Cano      2B  50  92  25  4  0  1  10  15  2   3 .272 .284 .348  1  1
T. Hill      LF  32  62  29  4  2  1  16  11  3   4 .468 .492 .645  0  0
S. Dediego   2B  25  53  12  3  0  1   7   9  5  13 .226 .288 .340  8  2
J. Kramer     C  10  36   9  1  0  0   4   5  2  11 .250 .289 .278  1  2
C. Gray      RF  21  33   7  3  0  1   5   3  2   2 .212 .257 .394  0  0
T. Toyotomi  SS  13  19   2  0  1  1   4   2  1   4 .105 .190 .368  0  0
S. Porter    3B  11  17   5  1  0  2   6   2  0   6 .294 .294 .706  0  0



Code:
Overall Pitching: 
 
Name          G GS  W  L SV  ERA    IP  HA   R  ER  BB   K CG SH 
T. Sanchez   36 36 14 13  0 4.64 252.0 276 145 130  88 191  5  0
A. Barnes    35 35 16 14  0 5.10 236.1 232 153 134  86 211 13  1
T. Testa     34 34 12 13  0 6.62 213.1 213 161 157 142 151  0  0
K. Morgan    20 20  4 11  0 6.75 113.1 159  90  85  44  54  5  1
A. Vivar     64  0  4  5 13 4.19  96.2  89  46  45  53  90  0  0
J. Patrick   21 16  4  6  0 6.20  94.1 102  67  65  68  69  1  1
J. Sebastian 58  0  4  5  1 7.91  85.1  91  80  75  79  74  0  0
P. Orr       55  0  3  3  3 5.42  84.2 101  59  51  36  58  0  0
D. Rank      60  0  5  3  1 6.82  67.1  95  54  51  47  52  0  0
R. Torre     50  0  2  6  7 4.34  66.1  78  39  32  30  64  0  0
A. Hall      12  8  1  3  0 7.52  46.2  62  40  39  43  15  0  0
J. Smith     11  8  2  5  0 9.95  44.1  77  51  49  16  21  0  0
M. Pierce    14  0  0  1  0 8.57  21.0  31  22  20  19  10  0  0
M. Morales    5  5  1  2  0 8.66  17.2  31  17  17  14  11  1  0




Thoughts:

Much like Nashville, the Braves had a capable offense hindered by a putrid pitching staff. For Atlanta, the 90 losses marked the fifth straight losing season, and the 15th straight non-playoff season.

The Good:

Roger Attaway enjoyed his fifth straight season with an OPS above .900, and the not-yet-30-year-old shortstop is only 6 homeruns away from 400. Catcher Bill Baker broke out in his second year as a starter, although he did suffer a broken wrist near the end of the season which may have an impact on his hitting. Joey Campos delivered his ninth straight season with at least 30 homeruns. Joseph Ishmael remained productive despite his low average and poor plate discipline. Flavio Trujillo and Raymond Stair both had fine seasons, as well.

Thomas Sanchez may never reach his full potential, but he has at least established himself as an above average starter who will throw plenty of innings. It's hard to call it a good performance, but 36 year old Andrew Barnes had his best season since 2080. He snapped a streak of 3 straight years with a 6+ ERA, set a career high in complete games, and had his lowest walk total in a full season as a starter. Abel Vivar and Roman Torre were competent, though nothing special, out of the bullpen.

The Bad:

Elmer Claflin is really not an every day player. His power is modest, his plate discipline mediocre(at best), and his fielding is only average. Atlanta would do well to find an upgrade. With over 2600 hits, 400 homeruns, 1500 RBI, 1500 runs scored, 1100 walks, a .319 average, a .934 OPS, 8 All Star appearances, and the 2073 NL Silver Slugger Award, Wayne Koeller is a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame. At 37 years of age, however, he is also washed up, and probably should not have been playing on a daily basis. Arnold McGarity is a talented late-bloomer, but he stills needs to refine some of his skills, especially his patience at the plate.

Tony Testa has a decent amount of talent, but in five years as a full time starter, he's had an ERA under 5.00 twice, and above 6.00 twice. The 6.00+ seasons have been the last two. Most concerning is that his already poor walk rate got worse this season, while his mediocre strikeout rate did, as well. Keith Morgan has no business being in a big league rotation. Once a pretty good pitcher, the 38 year old Jack Patrick has had a long and painful decline phase. His last good season came in 2079, yet Atlanta has continued to run him out there year after year. Outside of Vivar and Torre, the bullpen was simply dreadful. Jeremy Sebastien was particularly bad, given how many innings he tossed.

Outlook:

On the one hand, Atlanta seems like it might be only a few pieces away from contention. A good starting pitcher or two, plus a couple of decent relievers, and this team could be dangerous. On the other hand, both Thomas Sanchez and Joseph Ishmael may leave as free agents, and that could change the dynamics of this team considerably. Furthermore, Atlanta has traditionally been a high payroll team, but an apathetic fan base caused by years of losing has resulted in a severe drop in revenue. With a lot of money tied up in some mediocre players, the Braves may be in for some more tough years unless they can manage their resources better.
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