The Braves did play better during the second half of 2018, finishing at 85-77. They tied the Nationals for second in the NL East, but were nowhere close to the Amazin' Mets, who went 103-59.
The Braves can't really blame Tom Haley, however. Here's his stat line for 2018:
Code:
TEAM LEVEL G GS W L SV ERA IP H ER HR BB SO WHIP
Atlanta MLB 69 0 3 4 38 1.76 71.2 66 14 8 12 89 1.09
Tom's opponents had a little more success getting on base against him, but they weren't any more likely to score than they had been in 2017.
His saves total went down, as you might expect from the fact that the Braves won 12 fewer games than they had in '17. Tom placed 8th in the National League in saves, and converted 38 of 42 opportunities. He finished 60 games, 5th best in his league.
Arodys Vizcaino proved that he was, in fact, a bona fide major league pitcher (12-7, 3.32).
Brian Nolan, too, demonstrated his ability to hold his own in the Show; he led the Braves in innings pitched (203) and strikeouts (187), and went 12-10 with a 3.32 ERA.
Julio Teheran (12-9, 3.13, 184 K/190 IP) pitched well enough in his contract year that he ought to command top dollar on the free agent market. We'll see if the Braves want to stretch their payroll to the limit to keep Julio in Atlanta. The team paid its players about $135 million in 2018, down from last year, but still second highest in the NL.
Ty Williams' season was as unpredictable as his knuckleball. He finished with an 8-11 record and a 4.88 ERA in 25 starts.
The Braves got another great year from
Jason Heyward (.313-27-108) and a super one from
Mat Gamel (.330-28-86), but
Manny Contrera hit .193 with a .295 OBP, and
Brian McCann's production was missed all season long.
Journeyman
Dayan Viciedo , who was signed as a minor league free agent and made the team, hit .291-20-60 in 302 AB.
Chris Owings, the shortstop the Braves got in the trade that sent
Daniel Tuttle to Washington, was released at midseason, and the team reacquired speedy
Billy Hamilton to plug the gap at short.
In the NLCS, the wild card Chicago Cubs upset the mighty Mets. Led by off-season free agent signee
Bryce Harper (.359/.465/.664, 37 HR, 107 RBI, NL HOY), the Cubbies went on to defeat the Detroit Tigers in six games in the World Series. For the first time in 110 years, Cubs fans got to celebrate a World Championship.
