How Will the Braves Do Next Year?

[hotcorner33]

I say Wild Card based on how we look now. The Marlins will take the top spot in the NL East, I think.

[McCarroll21]

1st place. Our pitching will be the best in the NL and the offense won't be far from behind.

[hotcorner33]

1st place. Our pitching will be the best in the NL and the offense won't be far from behind.

Where do you think the Marlins will be? I was split between the Braves and Marlins for the top spot.... :confused:

[McCarroll21]

Where do you think the Marlins will be? I was split between the Braves and Marlins for the top spot.... :confused:
4th. Young pitching typically regresses in their second season. That's why Mike Hampton will help more than most want to think. It will give Chuck another year to not have to be "the guy," he'll be able to be the 4th pitcher all year long.

[hotcorner33]

4th. Young pitching typically regresses in their second season. That's why Mike Hampton will help more than most want to think. It will give Chuck another year to not have to be "the guy," he'll be able to be the 4th pitcher all year long.

Thats correct. I forgot. Can you change my vote? I guess it'll be:

1. ATL
2. NYM
3. FLA
4. WSH
5. PHI

[McCarroll21]

Philly won't be 5th. More like 2nd/3rd.

Garcia, Myers, Eaton, Moyer and Leiber isn't that bad of a rotation. There's also Cole Hamels who should be ready to help the rotation this year. Rollins and Howard leading the offense with Gordon and Madson in the pen.

[hotcorner33]

Philly won't be 5th. More like 2nd/3rd.

Garcia, Myers, Eaton, Moyer and Leiber isn't that bad of a rotation. There's also Cole Hamels who should be ready to help the rotation this year. Rollins and Howard leading the offense with Gordon and Madson in the pen.

I think that Garcia is inconsitstent, Myers has off the field problems, Eaton can't buy a good era, Moyer is too old, and Lieber is good but overpaid.

[FalconPride]

I voted third because I think either the Marlins or the Phillies will break down, keeping them from both finishing above the Braves. Mets run away with the division.

[hotcorner33]

I voted third because I think either the Marlins or the Phillies will break down, keeping them from both finishing above the Braves. Mets run away with the division.

Who gets second? I don't see how in the world the mets run away with it.

[FalconPride]

Who gets second? I don't see how in the world the mets run away with it.
Like I said...whichever team (Marlins/Phillies) that doesn't break down. Mets are simply the most talented team in the NL East and have the least question marks.

[McCarroll21]

1. Atlanta
2. Philadelphia
3. New York
4. Florida
5. Washington

Atlanta:
With Hampton returning from injury, he'll take a lot of pressure off of Tim Hudson and Chuck James. Let Davies be Davies and return from his injury before throwing him under the bus.

We've revamped the back half of bullpen with acquisition of Soriano, Wickman for a full season, and Boyer, Devine and Yates fully recovered from injury.

McBride is here to continue the work he did in the second half of last year.

Philadelphia:
Last year, their problem was much the same as ours. Pitching. They've went out and fixed that by bringing in Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton. I think Jon Leiber will be traded to open a spot for Cole Hamels.

Their closer is one of the best, but they have had problems getting to him. Ryan Madson has to have a good bounce back season for the Phillies to be successful.

Their offense will again be near the top of the league. It's not as deep as ours, but Howard makes up for a lot of deficiencies.

New York:
Everything went right for them last year. It was just their year. This year will be a little different in New York.

They've got some question marks in their rotation. With Pedro out until at least June, they're going to be playing half the year with Glavine and El Duque leading the way. Trachsel is their #3 and then go to the youngsters Maine and Pelfrey. Maine is surely talented, but their rotation is mostly made up of four number 3s and a rookie.

Their bullpen will be great again, they lose Darren Oliver but Dave Williams will fill his vacancy.

Their offense will be hurt by the fact Chavez, Valentin, LoDuca, and Delgado won't repeat their 2006 seasons. Beltran, Reyes and Wright are still there, and they added Alou, but it won't be as solid from top to bottom.

Florida:
Young team, new manager, no one in their area cares about their team. Sounds like last year.

The pitching will regress from where it was last year. Willis will have a good season, but will lack the win totals. The rest of their pitching will not be as good as they were last season which will lead to more losses and a firm fourth place finish.

Last year, they surprised a lot of people simply because they were predicted to do nothing. With that attitude, you have no pressure and can just play. This year, they'll be predicted to have a better season and will feel the pressure, as most young teams do.

Washington:
Same story as the Marlins, but at least their fans care.

Losing Soriano, Vidro and Guillen is going to put too much pressure on Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns to do anything offensively.

Jon Patterson and Chad Cordero are the only pitchers they have worth anything.

Kasten is rebuilding this team, they won't go anywhere this year, but watch out.


Well, there's my write up. Bookmark it and see if I'm any good.

[hotcorner33]

Seems like a good evaluation to me, except for the Phillies. Their pitching is really not that great, expect an underachieving year for the Phils.

[vnodnarb]

1. NYM 94 Wins
2. ATL 91 Wins - wild card
3. PHIL 89 Wins
4. FLA 84 Wins
5. WASH 70 Wins

[hotcorner33]

1. ATL- 96 wins
2. FLA- 93 wins- wild card
3. NYM- 82 wins
4. WAS- 74 wins
5. PHI- 72 wins

[Nasadega]

Same as Josh. We have the best mix between pitching and offense.
I think we'll win it, our starting 5 is really good if healthy. Our offense has proven it can give a big run support, so even if our starters carry a 4ish ERA we'll still win a lot of games. Smoltz will be an ace, Hudson will profit from the offseason and not having to be the ace, Hamtpon should do good, Chuck is Chuck and Davies if he pitches 3 hits gem like he did, he'll be good. Plus our bullpen can't be worse than last year and our offense should be slightly better.

Phills should be 2nd, they have a very good team but I think Howard, Garcia and others won't achieve their expectations.

Muts 3rd or close with phills. Their starting rotation is horrible, and Valentin/Green are gonna crash them

Marlins 4th and battling for .500%. They have good depth but with a full season of scouting, a lot of their youngsters won't have the same numbers as last year.

Natspos 5th. They suck and without Soriano they're not going anywhere.

[FalconPride]

The Mets have the resources to get big names if they so want to. They actually have young pitching talent, a major problem with the Braves, and oh, they have an explosive offense too. But still, no love from Braves fans because they are the Mets and thus, things should go wrong.

Seriously, McConnell, you say Delgado and LoDuca won't be able to continue their success to the same level of last season, but you make no mention of the possibility that James, LaRoche, Yates, nor Wickman will be able to do the same.

The Braves right now are a .500 team with a challenging future because this team lacks, and has make zero attempt outside of the draft to improve, its young pitching. It is relying on a pitcher who could retire with one bad pitch. It is relying on what Baseball Prospectus called one of the five luckiest pitchers in the game last year. It is relying on a third base incapable of staying healthy (or playing defense) and a right fielder incapable of reaching base at an effective level.

Sure, everything could go right.

Chances are, they won't.

[oyhstah crachah]

NYM -- 98 W
ATL -- 90 W
PHI -- 81 W
WAS -- 72 W
FLA -- 70 W

[McCarroll21]

Seriously, McConnell, you say Delgado and LoDuca won't be able to continue their success to the same level of last season, but you make no mention of the possibility that James, LaRoche, Yates, nor Wickman will be able to do the same.First, it's McCarroll, as it clearly says on my screen name and elsewhere on the site. And here's the deal. James will regress, I mentioned that previously in the thread, but his regression will be built in since he will slip from the #3 to the #4 starter. LaRoche, I don't think he will regress. He won't be like he was in the 2nd half, but he will post a year very similar to what his overall numbers were. Yates, he'll be nothing more than a 6th, 7th inning man. The guy has some serious talent and is healthy. Now that we have the back half of the bullpen solidified, I think he will get better since he has a defined role. Wickman, no he won't be as good as he was since coming over, but either way he gives us a true closer instead of just hoping a project works.

And to the rest of your post, I understand that you're trying to keep it real, but you're reaching too far to find the negativity to do that. There's a difference in realism and negativity, and you're moving into the negativity range. If keeping it real is your objective, you need to re-evaluate.

[LakelandBrave]

I just decided to go against my gut and say they'll take the East. I'm betting on some injury problems for the Mets...and they still have rotation questions. I don't see Trachsel having as solid a year as last. Just glad Zito didn't go there.

[FalconPride]

First, it's McCarroll, as it clearly says on my screen name and elsewhere on the site. And here's the deal. James will regress, I mentioned that previously in the thread, but his regression will be built in since he will slip from the #3 to the #4 starter. LaRoche, I don't think he will regress. He won't be like he was in the 2nd half, but he will post a year very similar to what his overall numbers were. Yates, he'll be nothing more than a 6th, 7th inning man. The guy has some serious talent and is healthy. Now that we have the back half of the bullpen solidified, I think he will get better since he has a defined role. Wickman, no he won't be as good as he was since coming over, but either way he gives us a true closer instead of just hoping a project works.
Sorry about the name mix up.

My point was...how can you say those Mets will regress...and then not add the very real possibility of the Braves players that can regress...and then put the Braves over the Mets when the Braves weren't close to being the Mets equal last year. Is it only because you feel everything went right for the Mets (which I would agree with to a degree, but career seasons are a necessity to get to where you want to go)?

I guess under that...I feel, and have seen it from any different places, that Braves fans, for the most part, refuse to give the Mets their just due. No doubt Mets fans do the same for the Braves, but don't lecture someone on their objectivity and then don't provide the same courtesy. If we disagree on how good the Mets are, that's fine. I think they are a pretty damn good team, especially considering the National League, where I see the Braves as being potentially just as good as they could be potentially bad. That makes me believe they will likely be a .500 team. The fact this team has provided marginal improvement this offseason with the possible regressions provides more credence to that theory.

[Jsh1284]

The Mets have more question marks in the pitching department than the Braves .. no question.

[FalconPride]

Jsh, that's true, but they also have more potential solutions. You look at the Braves and wonder what they will do if a pitcher goes down or Chuck James does regress...the drop off is steep. Not to mention what happens if Kyle Davies fails. Behind Glavine and Hernandez, the Mets have about five real options this season and that's without Pedro's probable return. Considering they will likely add a starter before spring training, I just don't think they will be that worrisome.

[Jsh1284]

Assuming our rotation stays healthy and affective, it won't matter what kind of emergency options that the Mets have. On paper, we've easily got the best rotation in the division.

If you cant agree with that (arguably the Marlins WILL be better eventually though) ... please tell me why I'm wrong.

[McCarroll21]

Falcon, when I project how I feel the Braves, and any other team, will do, I think about that with the team I project to be their 25-man roster.

I think last year everything fell into place for the Mets, and the year was a total loss for the Braves because of injury and an unsure bullpen situation. Now that I'm projecting what they're going to be like, I have to think about this in terms of the Braves being healthy.

I think the Mets are a good team, but they'll just have a regression from last year because they won't have all the pieces fall right again and question marks around the quality of their pitching. They will have the offense, but will their starting pitching leave them in a situation much like ours last year? Their lineup won't be as good as ours was last season, but that will be offset because their bullpen will be a lot better than ours from last year ... I just think their starting pitching will cause them to have a year much similar to our 2006.

I picked the Braves to win the division because I think the return of Hampton, Davies, Boyer and Devine will make a huge impact and the fact that we solidified the bullpen. Devine has a 0.00 ERA in the major leagues when he is healthy. I don't think Wickman will be as good as he was after he came over last season, but having him there gives us a real closer in the bullpen, something we haven't had in a LONG time. We have a real setup man to pair with him, again, something we didn't have in previous years. As far as offense, I don't think McCann or LaRoche will match last season, but I think Edgar will have a better year, we'll benefit from Andruw's walk season, and Francoeur will have a better season. So, while we have some fall back, I think it will be offset by the progression of others.

Got me?

[FalconPride]

Assuming our rotation stays healthy and affective, it won't matter what kind of emergency options that the Mets have. On paper, we've easily got the best rotation in the division.

If you cant agree with that (arguably the Marlins WILL be better eventually though) ... please tell me why I'm wrong.
I would argue that the Marlins are the best and the Braves, Phillies, and Mets are about even with the Nats far behind.

First the Marlins...now, regression is possible, but if the argument is "right now," when you look at their staff, there is not a weak arm. I don't even think Willis is one of their top two starters. With Johnson, Olsen, Willis, and Sanchez, there is plenty of talent and Ricky Nolasco ain't half bad. The difference maker is Gaby Hernandez. The fact the Mets were dumb enough to hand him over for LoDuca will go down with Kazmir as two of their dumbest moves over the past ten years. He could be ready by midseason if he gets hot.

Now, the grouped together teams are grouped together because they may have talent, but they also have a crapload of question marks.

The Braves have Hudson and Hampton, who could be good or pretty bad. Chuck James is going against baseball history with some of the things he did last year and over his minor league career. I have no idea what he can continue to do. Kyle Davies probably needs some time at Richmond and there really isn't options behind him. John Smoltz could be the best pitcher in the division, but his injury-risk and age limits expectations.

The Mets, as I've said, have plenty of potential. Right now, they are in the mix as far as best rotations go, but could leap behind the Marlins if they pick up a starter. Glavine and Hernandez have concerns. Both should be hitting social security soon, but both are also coming off solid years. Hernandez his his injury concerns to be sure. John Maine is a given right now as the third starter and Alay Soler, Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey, and Phillip Humber all have shots to contribute. Again, I think they will add a starter through a trade. Maybe not a big timer like Zito would have been, but someone who can match Hampton or something like that and give their young guys more time to mature.

The Phillies made a very Eric Miltonish pickup with Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton is a reach at his pricetag, but with Myers and Hammels, they may actually have the best one-two punch in the division. That said, I don't like the rest of their staff as anything more than inning eaters.

And the Nats...well, I don't need to go into that, do I?

[Jsh1284]

Some good points. I'm gonna have to say the Marlins are potentially the most talented, but their lack of experience behind Willis will make it hard to really compete.

The phils do have a strong 1-2. However I could make a case that If Hudson rebounds (which I think he will because of a more aggressive workout routine) and Smoltz stays healthy, we might have one of the top three 1-2's in baseball.

James and Davies will end up allowing more than a handfull of homers, but with Andruw out there they should win quite a few games playing half of them in a pitchers park. Not a bad 4-5. Maybe Hampton can even help Chucky make em' hit it on the ground a bit more often.

My whole point is that if we have luck on our sides, this staff could be right up there with the best of em.

(C'mon, if Ortiz, Hampton, Thompson, Wright & Byrd/Ramirez can lead the league in ERA, why can't these guys?)

[FalconPride]

Oh, luck can play a major role. On paper, right now, I just believe the Braves have a staff that isn't much to write home about. It could be good, but right now, you can say that for a great many teams. We will see where things go during the season cause somethings could be surprising.

In fact, you can argue that the Rockies last year may have had the best staff in the NL and Jennings for Buchholz shouldn't be that much of a problem for them.

[Jsh1284]

Even the royals would be good if they had a humiditor.

Well, maybe not but you can see what I'm getting at.

[DravenX]

Little late but oh well. I have faith that they will be able to finish 1st ahead of the Mets.

[CanadaBravesFan]

We will win the division.

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

LEGIT WS CONTENDERS!

[jschafer5]

LEGIT WS CONTENDERS!

Oh, Yeah!!