IAM A DIE HARD BRAVES FAN OF 21 YEARS.. HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS OF WHAT I FEEL ABOUT THE ATLANTA BRAVES- PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
NL EAST RIVALS
Everyone is jumping on phillies bandwagon because the signing of Cliff Lee- it seems to be they are forgetting the offense lost Jason Werth- that is a huge loss for them. He was there #5 hitter and big run producer. There offense was already inconsistant with him so imagine how it will be without him? They have nobody even close of impacting the offense like he did. He murdered Braves pitching last year. Also look at the phillies roster and see they are aging and injury riddled- Utley seems to have knee and hip problems that could shorten his career- Rollins hasnt been healthy in the last couple seasons. Ibanez is old as dirt and falling off and there rotation is all in there mid to late 30s with the exception of Hamels. The phillies will have a great rotation but besides that to me the Braves match up well with philly. The Braves have more depth in the pitching department, a better overall lineup- a younger line up and seem poised to battle Philly hard this year. I think Philly will be good and will make the playoffs but I think they are being overhyped due to the Cliff Lee signing. If the braves stay healthy ( with or without Chipper Jones) I think they will be serious threats to make the playoffs or win the division. The only 2 areas that concern me for the braves is the bullpen ( alot of young relievers) and defense (Uggla and 2nd base, Prado playing new position in left, and how will Freddie Freeman be defensively) I respect Philly to the fullest but I think its going to be tougher for philly this year more so then last year- barring injuries it should go down to the final week of the season between braves and philly.. I cant wait!! what do yall think??
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I couldn't agree more and have been saying this for months. Looking at their lineup without Utley is really a joke. I will say that their pitching staff, although older does not have injury concerns (yet). Their offense is going to struggle. Planco is the only guy there that could hit close to .300. However, Rollins is in a contract year, so it wouldn't suprise me for him to get back to what he was a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI will say there are some concerns for the Braves as well. If Lowe doesn't pitch like he did in September and if JJ doesn't pitch well, and if our 5th starter faulters, then we could be in bad shape. If and when Chipper goes down, that puts a hole in the batting order and we don't know how Freeman will play, how Nate will play, or if Heyward will have a softmore slump.
Yeh if phillys rotation stays healty they will be tough to beat but im tellin you know I dont think Oswalt will be that good this year- i think he will struggle.. Rollins is good- when hes healthy. Philly offense will be like last year- go thru stretches where they score 7-8 a game for a week and then go thru runs where they cant hit a lick- Iam just glad Werth is gone because he had so many big hits for them vs us last year.
ReplyDeleteI think Lowe will pitch well for us- he was lights out in September for us. I cant see him being bad I think he will win between 14-16 games this year- Jurrjens will be fine if hes healthy- he had a bad year last year mostly do to injuries and he never seemed comfortable on the mound. I think he will bounce back strong this year. Our 5th starter- Minor or Beachy- Im not crazy about Minor at this point but maybe down the line- I was impressed with Bachy everytime he pitched last year- they put him in some big games and he battled and held his own. But can he do that an entire seaso. It is a little concern of mine. I'll be honest- I'm not expecting Chipper to stay healthy. I cant even remember the last year he was fully healrht- maybe like 2004.I just cant see him bein in the linueup everyday. I think Prado will end up bein the everyday 3rd baseman which will leave a hole in left field. I hope the Braves will make a move on a left fielder. Nate will be better then he was last year- but Im not sure if he will be the Nate from the pirates- if he is that will help the braves so much- I think he will contribute this year- hes also in a contract year. I dont think heyward will have a somphmore slump- I think he will produce- I just pray he stays healthy. Freeman is going to struggle I think. He will have his moments where he hits but he will have stretched where he looks like what he is- a rookie.
I agree! I believe the upside is tremendous. If Nate and Freeman mess around and hit around .260. If Chipper is productive when healthy and stays relatively healthy. If Heyward and Hanson continue to improve. If Hudson, JJ, and Lowe keep an ERA under 4.00. I think all those are relatively realistic expectations. We should definitely be very competitive in the East and should win the Wild Card comfortably.
ReplyDeleteYeh the braves are really building for the future- they have major talent in the minors coming up as well.. Im not sure what to expect from freeman I just hope he will contribute and not be burden on our offense. I have faith Hanson will continue to get better. I like him alot. he throws to many pitches tho so he doesnt go deep into games.. I look for the braves to make the playoffs again this year- if they stay healthy... have you checked any of my other blogs?
ReplyDeleteNo I haven't. Just ran across this one on your AJC post. I live in Altanta and it sounds like we've been watching the Braves for about the same number of years, as I'm 27 as well.
ReplyDeleteYOU SHOULD CHECK MY OTHER BLOGS.. I LIVE IN ATLANTA TOO.. I WENT TO 23 GAMES IN 2010.
ReplyDeleteVery cool. And if you are talking about your other posts on here, I've read a few. I enjoy going to games as well. I intend on going to a few this year.
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