Braves 2009: Corner Outfielders and final analysis

Many pundits around the country say that the success of the Braves really comes down to Jeff Francouer. As many people know and have read about, and cried about, Francouer had a miserable season. He put up numbers that friends of mine here at UGA could rival if given the chance at the major league level (an exaggeration). Frenchy is supposed to be the "next one" instead, McCann has embraced that role and Jeff is stuck in 2nd gear trying to find his way back to prominence.

RF

With all that said. Francouer is critical to the success and balance of this offense. He will bat 6th or 7th in a left-handed heavy line-up. Having his right-handed power show up again would be an immense lift to the squads overall balance 1-8. While Frenchy struggled at the plate last year he rarely let it affect his gold glove caliber defense. Francouer still had 14 outfield assists and only made 4 errors all season. Braves fans just might start getting restless about Jeff if he gets off to another slow start. But he had a solid spring in which he batted .328, walked 7 times (tied for 2nd on the team during the spring) and only struck out 6 times in 67 at-bats. Those are hte kind of numbers that we have always expected from Jeff. I believe that he will jet right back into stardom this year. Don't expect absurd numbers, but a batting average at least over .270. 20 homers and close to 100 RBI

LF

Some may see LF as a wild card for the Braves, I see it as a source of solid production. Newcomer Garrett Anderson will try and continue hitting like he has for the past 15 years out in Anaheim. Last year he hit .293 which is better than anything the Braves got in Left Field all of last season. Granted he doesn't hit for much power anymore, but a 15-20 HR season is definitely not out of the question. Joining him in left in a possible platoon role is Matt Diaz. Diaz was poised for a breakout season last year when a knee injury kept him limited to just 135 at-bats last season. He's a career .309 hitter with gap power and will poke a few home runs. He's one of the most reliable hitters on the entire time. He's definitely one of the top 5 guys on the team I'd want up there in a pinch. Both play adequate defense, nothing special, but wont do anything stupid. There is a slight concer with Anderson because he played less than 90 games in the outfield last season. But that could be more attributed to the crowded outfield situation in Anaheim more than his age or inability to play the field every day.

2009 Season Outlook

The Braves struggled last season. A perfect storm of bad things happened that ruined any chance of success last year. With all the injuries to the Old pitchers we had, lack of power production in the outfield, and the wear down of the bullpen, the team jsut wasn't deep enough last season for a sustained run. This year things are far brighter. With a revamped rotation, the addition of Garrett Anderson, and the hopeful resurgence of Jeff Francouer, the Braves have every reason to believe that they are going to be legitimate contenders for the NL East crown.

These aren't the Braves that won 15 divisions in a row, it will take time for this team to round into shape. They have to learn how to win. With Chipper now the elder statesman in the lockers room, he is essentially passing the torch to our young core of players (McCann, Francouer, Johnson, Escobar, Schafer, Kotchman). Our team is deep and balanced from 1-5 and 1-9. If we play our game offensively, we will score enough runs. If our starting rotation stays healthy and throws their innings, our bullpen wont get taxed. There are definitely a lot of questions to be answered, but we are in far better shape than last year and the future beyond 2009 looks even brighter (Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Brandon Hicks).

This team should win somewhere between 85-90 games. They're going to contend for the NL East and wild card well into September. I wont be surprised if they make it to the playoff. A world series is not out of the question because if we make it through our division there is no other team in the NL East that is better than the winner of our division and I think the Sox Yankees and Rays are grossly overrated (along with the Phils and Mets). In the end I think a NL east crown is definitely achievable, but the best years for this club are not even back yet. 2010-2011 are the years to really look forward too.

2009 Braves: Up the Middle.

On the second to last installment I'm going to go in depth about middle infield (2nd base and SS), catcher, and CF. All four positions are critical to the Braves success. Well I guess it goes with out saying that any four positions are critical to success, but production from these 4 spots is essential either way.

Catcher:

We have our rock behind the plate. Brian McCann has really solidified himself as a bona fide leader on the Braves. In my mind he is the best player on hte team. Offensively and defensively he is head and shoulders above the rest of the Major League catchers out there. Pitchers love to pitch to him, and the Braves love to have him as a cog in the middle of the lineup. As long as him and Chipper stay healthy, we will get all the power and run producing this line up will need. McCann is such an advanced game-manager behind the plate that John Smoltz said he was the best he's ever had, definitely saying something. His game-management behind the plate will prevent him from having too much trouble catching up with our new pitchers. McCann is the de facto captain of this young Braves team and will be the face of the franchise for years to come (hopefully he's is joined by Jeff Francouer)

Middle infield:

This is a pretty dynamic place. Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson have established themselves as decent fielders and solid top or bottom of the lineup guys. Kelly Johnson ended last season on a tear hitting .398 with 9 doubles and 3 home runs in September. If he brings even a microcosm of that performance in to the season he might be an all-star this year considering how weak NL 2nd basemen are. Outside of Chase Utley in Philley, I really believe that Kelly Johnson is the best hitting 2nd baseman in the NL and I think people will finally notice this year. I wont be surprise if Kelly drives in 90 runs with 20+ home runs this season and gets some major all star/silver slugger considerations. Next is the Gold Glove, right guys?

Yunel Escobar, my cuban brethren. He's a hot-tempered, strong armed, with a sweet stroke at the plate. Yunel had a solid season last year, providing solid d with that rocket arm of his and hit .288 last year. His 10 home runs and 2 SB are rather dissappointing but the guy knows how to drive in runs. His 60 RBI from the leadoff or # 2 spot is killer production from a relatively "light" hitting SS. Another 10-15 homer performace with 65-70 RBI the Braves will be in good shape.

CF

There's a lot of talk about how the competition isn't over. But the truth is Jordan Schafer won it weeks ago. The trade of Josh Anderson only solidified that notion. Schafer is going to be an absolutely star in this league. He's a 4 and a half tool player (not the most powerful) who made a mistake with the whole HGH allegations. But less than a year after his suspension, Bobby Cox has already given him his blessing. Schafer is just too good not to start. He immediately advances the offense by his presence. He'll immediately improve upon Gregor Blancos .251 average and add a ton of stolen bases and stellar defense. People have already compared his d to Andruw Jones. High praise for such a brash young fellow. With all that said. I still love Gregor, but his lack of power and SB potential kill his chances to be any where near as affective as I believe Schafer will be.

Tomorrow I'm goign to finish up the preview with Corner outfielders and then just give a full, passionate, rundown of how I think the season is going to go. How we will finish in the NL east and what I think about the Mets.