This look at the Braves' stats in 2021 isn't the prettiest picture you'll ever see. There are a few bright spots, sure...but not as many as we're used to seeing.
Code:
PLAYERS AB AVG HR RBI SB
C Edward Shaw 565 .239 18 81 19
1B Andre Bryant 490 .284 34 99 0
2B Angel Vazquez 449 .236 17 67 9
3B Mat Gamel 567 .233 28 80 1
SS Everth Cabrera 352 .290 2 34 31
OF Jeff Collins 504 .224 11 66 15
OF Ralph Hughes 336 .265 4 31 15
OF Joe Hooper 482 .274 4 50 63
IF Nick Noonan 465 .273 8 61 5
OF Jason Heyward 208 .346 15 47 6
IF Joe Agreste 436 .261 12 69 1
IF Myron Webster 156 .186 3 14 3
OF Jeffrey Craig 129 .279 3 21 3
The only starting players who managed to stay off the DL all year long were Shaw and Gamel, and neither of them were as productive as usual.
Cabrera had a very good year, and having Bryant around for a full year solved the problem the Braves had at 1B.
Heyward, as usual, was Heyward, but the Braves got only 208 AB from him. Multiply those HR and RBI totals by 2.5 and imagine having that kind of production in your lineup.
Noonan, who lost his job at SS to Cabrera, ended up playing more than Cabrera did because he filled in at 2B and SS so often. Agreste got a lot of playing time too, because he can also play first and the OF corners. They contribued about 40 points of VORP between them.
The Braves scored 809 runs, seventh in the National League. Their .748 team OPS placed them tenth.
Code:
PITCHERS W-L ERA SV
SP Brian Nolan 11-12 4.51 0
SP Michael Pineda 10-15 3.79 0
SP Trevor Cahill 7-8 5.54 0
SP Scott Elbert 6-11 6.35 0
SP Arodys Vizcaino 4-5 5.51 0
SP Tony Moore 4-5 6.47 0
SP Curtis Petersen 3-7 7.26 0
RP Roy Boyd 6-4 4.04 2
RP Steven Butler 6-2 2.09 2
RP Tom Haley 6-3 2.31 31
RP Tyler Clippard 3-1 1.44 1
RP Arthur Cumberbat 2-2 2.94 2
RP Denny Patterson 2-0 3.38 0
RP Kyle Morris 1-2 4.09 0
With the exception of Pineda, the starting pitching was terrible.
Nolan was merely average, and a two-time Best Pitcher winner shouldn't be average.
Vizcaino got hurt, but he wasn't good when he was healthy.
Cahill and Elbert pitched like guys you'd pick up on waivers in April; Moore and Petersen are young guys who weren't ready for the big leagues yet.
The bullpen, on the other hand, was rock-solid. Boyd was worked very hard--he made 91 appearances and worked 120! innings.
Butler could close for a lot of teams. Those teams don't have Haley, however; he's the best in the business, according to the BNN position rankings.
Clippard was fantastic, and Cumberbat was poison to lefties.
Patterson, 21, reminds me of a young Tom Haley, except that he doesn't throw 100 MPH.
The Braves' staff finished 13th in team ERA at 4.45.
Scoring 809 runs and allowing 799, the Braves should have finished 82-80. They actually won five fewer games than that.