The Atlanta Braves have been marking time until their young talent matures enough to compete in the Majors. They haven’t been competitive for a few seasons, but they should start to see their win total increase over the next few seasons.
Atlanta’s rebuild has been going well, but the wheels nearly came off when their former general manager John Coppolella was caught up in a international signing scandal. MLB made an example of him and banned him for life. Former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos stepped in this offseason.
Anthopoulos is known to have an itchy trading finger. Will this detail their long-term rebuilding plans?
Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves.
2017 Win/Loss Record: 72-90
Key Additions: SP Scott Kazmir, SP Brandon McCarthy, RP Peter Moylan, RP Chase Whitley, RP Josh Ravin, C Chris Stewart, 2B Charlie Culberson & OF Preston Tucker
Key Losses: SP R.A. Dickey, OF Matt Kemp, 1B Matt Adams, RP Jim Johnson, RP ian Krol, 2B Jace Peterson, RP Jason Motte & 3B Adonis Garcia,
Interleague Schedule: AL East
Projected Starters: Tyler Flowers, Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Johan Camargo, Dansby Swanson, Nick Markakis, Ender Inciarte & Ronald Acuna
Projected Starting Rotation: Julio Teheran, Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir, Mike Foltynewicz & Sean Newcomb
Closer: Arodys Vizcaino
Fantasy Sleeper: SP Luiz Gohara – The Braves have a lot of arms in the minors, but Gohara is probably the most MLB-ready stud. He’s a bit wild, but the upside is there. He made a few starts at the end of last season with ‘some’ success. He could still use some seasoning in the minors to start the year, but there’s an outside shot he could crack the rotation to start the year. Keep an eye on Gohara’s performance this Spring.
Prospect To Keep Your Eye On: SP Mike Soroka – Since I mentioned Gohara above, I’ll use this area to shine some light on their second-most MLB-ready starter in their farm system. Soroka is a lanky Canadian who made 26 starts in Double-A last season. He finished the year with a 2.75 ERA and a WHIP of 1.09. He has the control Gohara doesn’t possess, but doesn’t have the kind of strikeout stuff Gohara has in bushels. The Braves have a lot of arms and there will be at least five that float to the top. The Braves will either have a stacked rotation full of young studs or will use a couple as trade chips to fill out their squad.
Team Analysis: The Braves started out last year with some success as they added some veteran starters to lean on while their young pitchers develop. The team struggled down the stretch, but would have had a better win-loss record if former All-Star Freddie Freeman didn’t miss a few weeks last season.
Atlanta is going all-in and will be throwing some of their young talent to the wolves. Top prospect Ronald Acuna is expected to get a lot of attention to start the season. He had a lot of success in the minors and his mix of power and speed will be a nice addition to the lineup. I expect a lot more new faces will become everyday players for the Braves by the end of the year. Johan Camargo and Acuna are expected to make the Opening Day roster while the young pitchers I mentioned earlier (Gohara & Soroka) should get a call-up at some point.
The Braves know they are a few years away from contending, so they will just keep developing their young talent. They should know more about what they have by the end of the season. They could look to add some veterans next offseason to place around their young players in the next step of their rebuild.
2018 Wins Over/Under Betting Line: 75.5 (Prediction: UNDER)
2018 Projected Win/Loss Record: 73-89 (4th in NL East)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.