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Thursday, October 24, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
Freddie Freeman, 2013 Atlanta Braves MVP
Who was the Atlanta Braves team MVP in 2013? You can make difference cases for Craig Kimbrel, Jason Heyward, Justin Upton or Mike Minor. You could also make very strong cases for Andrelton Simmons and Chris Johnson. But the way I see it is that the Braves 2013 team MVP was Freddie Freeman.
On a Braves team that was hit hard by injuries and inconsistency among many of it's key players including terrible offensive seasons from B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla, it was Freddie Freeman that the Braves turned to when the offense needed big hit after big hit to rack up an amazing 96 wins and win their first NL East title since 2005.
Freeman hit from day one of the season through the last day of the season when the Braves were eliminated by the Dodgers in the Divisional Series.
Freeman carried an impressive triple slash line of .319/.396/.501 with an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .897. Freeman finished in the top ten in the NL in many offensive stats:
average - .319 (3rd)
on-base percentage - .396 (6th)
slugging percentage - .501 (8th)
on-base plus slugging - .897 (7th)
hits - 176 (7th)
runs - 89 (T-10th)
runs batted in - 109 (T-2nd)
runners in scoring position average - .443 (2nd)
Freeman also continues to show increased improvement in his walk and strikeout percentages. From his rookie year of 2011 through 2013 his strikeout percentage has declined from 22.4% to 20.8% to 19.2% while his walk percentage has increased from 8.3% to 10.3% to 10.5%. Freeman's linedrive percentage has also increased every year from 18.8% to 26.0% to 26.7%.
These trends tell us that Freddie Freeman at the ripe age of just 24 (September 12) that he is a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future which is why it would be smart on the Braves part to lock him to a long-term deal sooner rather than later.
Freeman is entering his first year of arbitration and following the 2016 season will be eligible for free agency. Signing him to a team friendly deal now would give the Braves stability at the first base position of which they haven't seen in many years.
On a Braves team that was hit hard by injuries and inconsistency among many of it's key players including terrible offensive seasons from B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla, it was Freddie Freeman that the Braves turned to when the offense needed big hit after big hit to rack up an amazing 96 wins and win their first NL East title since 2005.
Freeman hit from day one of the season through the last day of the season when the Braves were eliminated by the Dodgers in the Divisional Series.
Freeman carried an impressive triple slash line of .319/.396/.501 with an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .897. Freeman finished in the top ten in the NL in many offensive stats:
on-base percentage - .396 (6th)
slugging percentage - .501 (8th)
on-base plus slugging - .897 (7th)
hits - 176 (7th)
runs - 89 (T-10th)
runs batted in - 109 (T-2nd)
runners in scoring position average - .443 (2nd)
Freeman also continues to show increased improvement in his walk and strikeout percentages. From his rookie year of 2011 through 2013 his strikeout percentage has declined from 22.4% to 20.8% to 19.2% while his walk percentage has increased from 8.3% to 10.3% to 10.5%. Freeman's linedrive percentage has also increased every year from 18.8% to 26.0% to 26.7%.
These trends tell us that Freddie Freeman at the ripe age of just 24 (September 12) that he is a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future which is why it would be smart on the Braves part to lock him to a long-term deal sooner rather than later.
Freeman is entering his first year of arbitration and following the 2016 season will be eligible for free agency. Signing him to a team friendly deal now would give the Braves stability at the first base position of which they haven't seen in many years.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
2014 Atlanta Braves Schedule
It's never too early to look ahead to the next season so with that said here's the 2014 Atlanta Braves schedule and some random thoughts on how it breaks down.
Mar. 31-Apr. 2 - @ Milwaukee Brewers (3 games)
Braves open the 2014 season in Milwaukee. This series will be interesting for a number of reasons. Will Carlos Gomez still be in a Brewers uniform come next spring? If so what kind of action if any will the Braves take against him? What kind of response will Ryan Braun get?
Apr. 4-6 - @ Washington Nationals (3 games)
A chance for the Braves to send an early season message to the Nationals that this year is no fluke and that the Braves are once again kings of the NL East.
Apr. 8-10 - New York Mets (3 games)
The Braves home opener. There will be a special presentation before the game to reveal the 2013 NL East championship banner out in LF but will there be an extra special presentation to take place? Let's hope so.
Apr. 11-13 - Washington Nationals (3 games)
Another chance to reinforce the message that the Braves will send to the Nationals in Washington.
May 26-27 - Boston Red Sox (2 games)
May 28-29 - @ Boston Red Sox (2 games)
Braves return to Interleague play in 2014 with their rivalry series taking place against the Red Sox. It marks a return to a traditional rivalry instead of the manufactured rival of the Blue Jays that has been forced on the Braves the last few years.
Jun. 24-26 - @ Houston Astros (3 games)
The NL East matches up with the AL West in 2014 and that includes the Braves returning to Houston for the first time since the opening week of the 2012 season. The Braves will also have a great chance of seeing Brett Olberholtzer who was one of the key pieces in the Michael Bourn trade of 2011. Olberholtzer was quite impressive for the Astros this season.
Other AL West matchups for the Braves in 2014 include:
Jun. 3-4 - Seattle Mariners (2 games)
Jun. 13-15 - Los Angeles Angels (3 games)
Aug. 4-5 - @ Seattle Mariners (2 games)
Aug. 15-17 - Oakland Athletics (3 games)
Sept. 12-14 - @ Texas Rangers (3 games)
In the last couple of years the Braves having homestands of 9 games have been been far and few between.
2012 - Jun. 8-17 - 9 Games (TOR, NYY, BAL)
2012 - Jun. 26-Jul. 5 - 10 Games (ARI, WAS, CHC)
2012 - Jul. 27-Aug. 5 - 10 Games (PHI, MIA, HOU)
2013 - Aug. 9-18 - 9 Games (MIA, PHI, WAS)
2013 - Aug. 27-Sept. 4 - 9 Games (CLE, MIA, NYM)
Just 5 such homestands in the last 2 years. In 2014 the Braves get 5 such homestands.
May 2-11 - 9 Games (SF, STL, CHC)
May 19-27 - 9 Games (MIL, COL, BOS)
Jul. 18-Jul. 28 - 11 Games (PHI, MIA, SD) - First 11 games after the ASG break.
Aug. 8-17 - 10 Games (WAS, LAD, OAK)
Sept. 15-25 - 10 Games (WAS, NYM, PIT)
Sept. 26-28 - @ Philadelphia Phillies (3 games)
The Braves wrap up the 2014 regular season in Philadelphia
Mar. 31-Apr. 2 - @ Milwaukee Brewers (3 games)
Braves open the 2014 season in Milwaukee. This series will be interesting for a number of reasons. Will Carlos Gomez still be in a Brewers uniform come next spring? If so what kind of action if any will the Braves take against him? What kind of response will Ryan Braun get?
Apr. 4-6 - @ Washington Nationals (3 games)
A chance for the Braves to send an early season message to the Nationals that this year is no fluke and that the Braves are once again kings of the NL East.
Apr. 8-10 - New York Mets (3 games)
The Braves home opener. There will be a special presentation before the game to reveal the 2013 NL East championship banner out in LF but will there be an extra special presentation to take place? Let's hope so.
Apr. 11-13 - Washington Nationals (3 games)
Another chance to reinforce the message that the Braves will send to the Nationals in Washington.
May 26-27 - Boston Red Sox (2 games)
May 28-29 - @ Boston Red Sox (2 games)
Braves return to Interleague play in 2014 with their rivalry series taking place against the Red Sox. It marks a return to a traditional rivalry instead of the manufactured rival of the Blue Jays that has been forced on the Braves the last few years.
Jun. 24-26 - @ Houston Astros (3 games)
The NL East matches up with the AL West in 2014 and that includes the Braves returning to Houston for the first time since the opening week of the 2012 season. The Braves will also have a great chance of seeing Brett Olberholtzer who was one of the key pieces in the Michael Bourn trade of 2011. Olberholtzer was quite impressive for the Astros this season.
Other AL West matchups for the Braves in 2014 include:
Jun. 3-4 - Seattle Mariners (2 games)
Jun. 13-15 - Los Angeles Angels (3 games)
Aug. 4-5 - @ Seattle Mariners (2 games)
Aug. 15-17 - Oakland Athletics (3 games)
Sept. 12-14 - @ Texas Rangers (3 games)
In the last couple of years the Braves having homestands of 9 games have been been far and few between.
2012 - Jun. 8-17 - 9 Games (TOR, NYY, BAL)
2012 - Jun. 26-Jul. 5 - 10 Games (ARI, WAS, CHC)
2012 - Jul. 27-Aug. 5 - 10 Games (PHI, MIA, HOU)
2013 - Aug. 9-18 - 9 Games (MIA, PHI, WAS)
2013 - Aug. 27-Sept. 4 - 9 Games (CLE, MIA, NYM)
Just 5 such homestands in the last 2 years. In 2014 the Braves get 5 such homestands.
May 2-11 - 9 Games (SF, STL, CHC)
May 19-27 - 9 Games (MIL, COL, BOS)
Jul. 18-Jul. 28 - 11 Games (PHI, MIA, SD) - First 11 games after the ASG break.
Aug. 8-17 - 10 Games (WAS, LAD, OAK)
Sept. 15-25 - 10 Games (WAS, NYM, PIT)
Sept. 26-28 - @ Philadelphia Phillies (3 games)
The Braves wrap up the 2014 regular season in Philadelphia
Braves Off-Season Outlook
So the Atlanta Braves season came crashing to an end after losing their NLDS series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 4 games. Where do the Braves go this off-season? What moves will they make?
Well it's almost certain that Brian McCann has suited up for the Braves for the last time baring he takes some sort of a major hometown discount to stay in Atlanta.
I could see the Braves bringing back Tim Hudson on a 1 year deal worth around $7M. Everything else I really don't have a feel for. Here's how the Braves current roster stacks.
FREE AGENTS
P Luis Ayala
P Scott Downs
P Freddy Garcia
P Tim Hudson
P Kameron Loe
P Paul Maholm
P Eric O'Flaherty
C Brian McCann
OF Reed Johnson - $1.6M club option with a $150K buyout
PRE-ARBITRATION
P David Carpenter - ARB 2015 - FA 2018
P Mike Minor - ARB 2015 - FA 2018
P Luis Avilan - ARB 2015 - FA 2018
OF Jose Constanza - ARB 2016 - FA 2019
C Evan Gattis - ARB 2016 - FA 2019
P Cory Gearrin - ARB 2016 - FA 2019
INF Tyler Pastornicky - ARB 2016 - FA 2019
SS Andrelton Simmons - ARB 2016 - FA 2019
P Julio Teheran - ARB 2016 - FA 2019
P Anthony Varvaro - ARB 2016 - FA 2019
P Alex Wood - ARB 2016 - FA 2019
C Christian Bethancourt - ARB 2017 - FA 2020
OF Todd Cunningham - ARB 2017 - FA 2020
2B Phil Gosselin - ARB 2017 - FA 2020
P David Hale - ARB 2017 - FA 2020
1B/OF Joey Terdoslavich - ARB 2017 - FA 2020
ARBITRATION ELIGIBLE
UT Blake DeWitt - FA 2016
OF Jason Heyward - FA 2016
INF Paul Janish - FA 2016
P Kris Medlen - FA 2016
P Jonny Venters - FA 2016
P Brandon Beachy - FA 2017
1B Freddie Freeman - FA 2017
3B Chris Johnson - FA 2017
UT Elliot Johnson - FA 2017
P Craig Kimbrel - FA 2017
P Cristhian Martinez - FA 2017
INF Ramiro Pena - FA 2017
OF Jordan Schafer - FA 2017
P Jordan Walden - FA 2017
SIGNED DEALS
C Gerald Laird - $1.5M 2014 - FA 2015
2B Dan Uggla - $13M 2014 - $13M 2015 - FA 2016
OF Justin Upton - $14.25M 2014 - $14.5M 2015 - FA 2016
OF B.J. Upton - $13.45M 2014 - $14.45M 2015 - $15.45M 2016 - $16.45M 2017 - FA 2018
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