2012 Atlanta Braves Predictions
The Atlanta Braves finished 16 games above .500 and took second place in the National League East in 2011 but had nothing to celebrate at season’s end. That’s because they blew a 10-and-a-half-game lead in the wild card race by dropping 18 of their final 26 games. Such a horrible collapse should drive the Braves in the upcoming season.
Projected Pitching
Starting rotation: Tommy Hanson (R) – Hanson went 11-7 with a 3.60 ERA before missing the final two months of the season with shoulder inflammation.
Tim Hudson (R) – Hudson, who went 16-10 with a 3.22 ERA last year, will miss at least the first month of the season as he recovers from offseason back surgery. Randall Delgado will likely spend time in the rotation until Hudson returns.
Jair Jurrjens (R) – The Braves missed him down the stretch as knee problems kept him from making a September start. He was 13-6 with a 2.96 ERA before going on the shelf.
Mike Minor (L) – The seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft was a star at Vanderbilt and could end up being a star in the bigs. He went 5-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 15 starts last year.
Brandon Beachy (R) – He was undrafted out of Indiana Wesleyan but made a name for himself in 2011 by going 7-3 with a 3.68 ERA in 25 starts.
Closer: Craig Kimbrel (R) – Kimbrel struck out 127 batters last season – the third most ever by a rookie reliever – behind mid-to-upper-90′s gas. He also finished with 46 saves, which tied for the second most in baseball.
Projected Lineup
Brian McCann (Catcher) – McCann leads all big league backstops with 131 home runs since 2006. He is second with 514 RBIs during this span. He’s one of the best hitting catchers in baseball when healthy but batted just .180 down the stretch last season after returning from an oblique injury.
Freddie Freeman (First Base) – Freeman is coming off a terrific rookie season in which he batted .282 with 21 home runs and 71 RBIs. He would have taken home NL Rookie of the Year honors most years but was beat out by Kimbrel last season.
Dan Uggla (Second Base) – Uggla put a terrible first half behind him by batting .296 with a 33-game hitting streak after the All-Star break. He finished with 36 home runs and 82 RBIs.
Chipper Jones (Third Base) – Jones is still getting it done at nearly 40 years of age. He batted .275 with 18 round trippers and 70 RBIs while making 116 starts at third last year.
Tyler Pastornicky (Shortstop) – The Braves appear ready to break Pastornicky in at shortstop. The son of former big leaguer Cliff Pastonicky came came over in the Yunel Escobar trade two years ago. He projects as a line drive hitter with base-stealing speed.
Martin Prado (Left Field) – He batted .260 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs and appeared headed for better numbers until a staph infection slowed him down.
Michael Bourn (Center Field) – The three-time NL steals leader is a nice addition in center, where he can cover more ground than anyone else in the game. He batted .294 with 34 doubles, 10 triples and 50 RBIs between Houston and Atlanta in 2011.
Jason Heyward (Right Field) – After failing to meet expectations in his first two seasons, it’s time for Heyward to have a breakout year. He batted just .227 with 14 homers and 42 RBIs last season while being hampered by nagging injuries.
Prediction – 2nd Place NL East: The Braves appear destined for a third straight second place finish in the East. This team doesn’t appear quite ready to end the Phillies’ run of five straight division titles. The Braves are listed at +1000 to win the NL East.