Freddie and the Smurfs

[nsacpi]

It seems to me there are many types of championship teams. Some feature power. Others speed. Defense. Power pitching. A strong pen.

I bring this up because a common theme running through a lot of threads these days is that we can't win with a team of smurfs like Peraza, Smith, Albies and Peterson. But is this the case. There was the Cardinals team with Jack Clark as its only legitimate power hitter. No one else hit more than 12 home runs on that team and it won 95 games before losing 4 games to 3 to the Twins in the World Series.

Now I'd be happy as anyone else if we had a legitimate cleanup hitter playing third or left. But if the cost and risk involved are prohibitive, we should be willing to try a different approach.

With the way the talent in the system is shaping up, it is pretty clear what Braves teams of the next 5-10 years are going to look like. They will feature power arms in both the rotation and pen. The lineup will be very good defensively, with multiple players capable of filling in at different positions and they should be a good baserunning team. And Freddie will be their Jack Clark.

[sturg33]

I think with the way the game has changed - especially with the increase in awesome relief pitching (2015 Braves not withstanding) and defensive shifts (Fredi G coached teams not withstanding), it's important to be able to get a run or 3 instantaneously.

We almost always need 3 hits to scrape a run around... and facing craig kimbrel is tough to do that

[WaitingFor2017]

I think with the way the game has changed - especially with the increase in awesome relief pitching (2015 Braves not withstanding) and defensive shifts (Fredi G coached teams not withstanding), it's important to be able to get a run or 3 instantaneously.

We almost always need 3 hits to scrape a run around... and facing craig kimbrel is tough to do that

Yup. If we're facing a top closer like Kimbrel, we have to be tied or down by 1 to have a shot. Down by 2 runs or more, and it's over. There was no doubt in my mind that Craig would mow down the lineup in the two games he came in because he had a 2 run lead and just let loose. We can't be 2 runs or behind Kimbrel, Jansen, Papelbon, Rosenthal, etc.

[Enscheff]

If the Braves are going to be a "speedy team with good defense", then they will need to utilize their speed a lot more. For whatever reason, guys don't steal many bases in Atlanta. For a prime example, look at JUp's SB numbers while he was a Brave compared to what he did in AZ and is currently doing in SD.

I think it's pretty obvious that the Braves will need an impact bat at either 3B or LF to pair with Freddie if they want to compete for a WS. He doesn't have to be a 30+ HR masher like JUp, but he has to be more or a force than CJ, Uribe, KJ and/or Gomes.

[Julio3000]

Speed and defense, huh?

If I had some ham, I would have ham and eggs, if I had some eggs.

[cajunrevenge]

I think we just need a good OBP and 20+ homer RH hitter to hit behind Fredi and the lineup will really take off. Justin would be great but while I think we can afford the yearly amount its the amount of years that will probably keep him from signing with us. The other good fit I see is Matt Wieters. We have a clear hole behind the plate and Wieters brings 20+ homer power with a halfway decent OBP as a switch hitter and great defense which we know the braves value. He is just coming back from TJ surgery but as long as he plays up to par this year I see it as a plus because his body had 1 full year of rest from the beating catchers take. I think 6 years 90 million would be a fair deal but his agent is Satan so he will probably start the bidding price at 6 years 120 million.

[DirkPiggler]

It seems to me there are many types of championship teams. Some feature power. Others speed. Defense. Power pitching. A strong pen.

I bring this up because a common theme running through a lot of threads these days is that we can't win with a team of smurfs like Peraza, Smith, Albies and Peterson. But is this the case. There was the Cardinals team with Jack Clark as its only legitimate power hitter. No one else hit more than 12 home runs on that team and it won 95 games before losing 4 games to 3 to the Twins in the World Series.

Now I'd be happy as anyone else if we had a legitimate cleanup hitter playing third or left. But if the cost and risk involved are prohibitive, we should be willing to try a different approach.

With the way the talent in the system is shaping up, it is pretty clear what Braves teams of the next 5-10 years are going to look like. They will feature power arms in both the rotation and pen. The lineup will be very good defensively, with multiple players capable of filling in at different positions and they should be a good baserunning team. And Freddie will be their Jack Clark.

One key variable missing that was a vital component of those Cardinals offenses...ASTROTURF. The Cards offenses worked because they had fast guys beating down low pitches onto a carpet-covered concrete floor. Swings that should have resulted in easy ground outs on normal surfaces turned into doubles and triples once guys like Coleman and Willie McGee stole a couple of bases. The advantage was exacerbated by their larger than normal ballpark taking away their opponents' ability to hit home runs.
I've said it here before, but given where I grew up I'd probably be a Cardinals fan today if they hadn't played that bastardized version of the game during my formative years. That style worked for those teams and that ballpark, but it clearly wasn't baseball. Vince Coleman in his prime would be lucky to have a roster spot as a 4th outfielder in the major leagues today.