bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
As it turns out, the two Johns may have been right all along.
When this most recent rebuild began in Atlanta at the beginning of the 2015 season, general manager John Coppolella and head of baseball operations John Hart said that when 2017 rolls around, the Braves will be competitive once again.
There were times that timeline would be extremely difficult to accomplish. Atlanta was worse, much worse, than even the Braves front office could have imagined. They had a woeful beginning to the 2016 season and they were out of contention for anything worthwhile in May.
The offense was hideous and the pitching wasn’t much better, although the talent was there. It was just young and inexperienced. There were also some embarrassing moments, from the botching of the Fredi Gonzalez firing to Hector Olivera’s domestic violence charge that effectively cost him his baseball career.
Olivera embarrassed himself and the organization, but ironically it led to the best trade opportunity among many in the last two seasons for the Braves. Somehow, Coppolella and Hart convinced San Diego to trade Matt Kemp to Atlanta for Olivera. It was a chance for the Padres to offload Kemp’s contract, so Padres GM AJ Preller took it. To the Braves credit, whether it was attentional or not, inserting Kemp into a dismal lineup somehow turned it into one of the best in the National League. Kemp rejuvenated the lineup, the team and his career.
Kemp was an MVP-caliber player just three years ago, but was fading in obscurity in San Diego. In Atlanta, he’s happy and turning back into the player he once was. Having Kemp hit behind Freddie Freeman balanced out the lineup and, more importantly, has turned the Braves first baseman into the superstar hitter Atlanta knew he could be.
Since Kemp arrived, Freeman has hit .350 with 13 homers and 41 RBI. He’s also in the middle of a 25-game hitting streak and an on-base streak of 42 games. Atlanta has led the league in runs scored with nearly five per game since Aug. 2, and they are 25-22 since Kemp was acquired. Considering this team had two different six-game winning streaks in September after this same team won a grand total of five games in April, Kemp has made a huge impact.
But this isn’t the same team. After Ender Inciarte’s catch that robbed Yoenis Cespedes of a game-winning three-run homer for the third out that completed a sweep of the Mets in Citi Field, it signified the rebuild is officially over, and the Braves can now compete going forward.
This is a very different team than the one going through the motions under Gonzalez. They are playing like a competitive team that is eager to win. And they are playing their heart out for the interim manager Brian Snitker. Don’t be stunned if the Braves offer Snitker the permanent job as manager. He’s popular with the players and with the fans. The front office shouldn’t ruin a good thing, and leaving Snitker where he is would be the best move, besides the Kemp trade, that the Braves brass could do.
Instead of going on a search for a new manager, the two Johns should focus their off-season attention to building a bullpen behind future closer Mauricio Cabrera and another front-line starter to go with Julio Teheran — perhaps even dreaming as big as a Chris Sale. The Braves have traded for and drafted enough pitching prospects to make such a trade.
With Teheran, Matt Wisler, Mike Foltynewicz and a starter through trade along with a revamped bullpen to go with the explosive offense they have now, the Braves will fulfill their promise of being competitive in 2017 and beyond.
http://www.todaysknuckleball.com/nl/atlanta-braves/column-rebuild-now-braves-stay/
When this most recent rebuild began in Atlanta at the beginning of the 2015 season, general manager John Coppolella and head of baseball operations John Hart said that when 2017 rolls around, the Braves will be competitive once again.
There were times that timeline would be extremely difficult to accomplish. Atlanta was worse, much worse, than even the Braves front office could have imagined. They had a woeful beginning to the 2016 season and they were out of contention for anything worthwhile in May.
The offense was hideous and the pitching wasn’t much better, although the talent was there. It was just young and inexperienced. There were also some embarrassing moments, from the botching of the Fredi Gonzalez firing to Hector Olivera’s domestic violence charge that effectively cost him his baseball career.
Olivera embarrassed himself and the organization, but ironically it led to the best trade opportunity among many in the last two seasons for the Braves. Somehow, Coppolella and Hart convinced San Diego to trade Matt Kemp to Atlanta for Olivera. It was a chance for the Padres to offload Kemp’s contract, so Padres GM AJ Preller took it. To the Braves credit, whether it was attentional or not, inserting Kemp into a dismal lineup somehow turned it into one of the best in the National League. Kemp rejuvenated the lineup, the team and his career.
Kemp was an MVP-caliber player just three years ago, but was fading in obscurity in San Diego. In Atlanta, he’s happy and turning back into the player he once was. Having Kemp hit behind Freddie Freeman balanced out the lineup and, more importantly, has turned the Braves first baseman into the superstar hitter Atlanta knew he could be.
Since Kemp arrived, Freeman has hit .350 with 13 homers and 41 RBI. He’s also in the middle of a 25-game hitting streak and an on-base streak of 42 games. Atlanta has led the league in runs scored with nearly five per game since Aug. 2, and they are 25-22 since Kemp was acquired. Considering this team had two different six-game winning streaks in September after this same team won a grand total of five games in April, Kemp has made a huge impact.
But this isn’t the same team. After Ender Inciarte’s catch that robbed Yoenis Cespedes of a game-winning three-run homer for the third out that completed a sweep of the Mets in Citi Field, it signified the rebuild is officially over, and the Braves can now compete going forward.
This is a very different team than the one going through the motions under Gonzalez. They are playing like a competitive team that is eager to win. And they are playing their heart out for the interim manager Brian Snitker. Don’t be stunned if the Braves offer Snitker the permanent job as manager. He’s popular with the players and with the fans. The front office shouldn’t ruin a good thing, and leaving Snitker where he is would be the best move, besides the Kemp trade, that the Braves brass could do.
Instead of going on a search for a new manager, the two Johns should focus their off-season attention to building a bullpen behind future closer Mauricio Cabrera and another front-line starter to go with Julio Teheran — perhaps even dreaming as big as a Chris Sale. The Braves have traded for and drafted enough pitching prospects to make such a trade.
With Teheran, Matt Wisler, Mike Foltynewicz and a starter through trade along with a revamped bullpen to go with the explosive offense they have now, the Braves will fulfill their promise of being competitive in 2017 and beyond.
http://www.todaysknuckleball.com/nl/atlanta-braves/column-rebuild-now-braves-stay/
