Atlanta ProView: The Braves at the break

The Atlanta Braves at the All-Star break are a mess.

The offense, a bright spot most of the season, has dropped off significantly. Starting pitching, while mostly still good, seems to be leveling off. The bullpen, with Jason Grilli out for the season, is a potential time bomb. The coaching, as usual, has been interesting.

In other words, we’re probably where we thought we would be at this point before the season started. Six games back of a Nationals’ team that is still missing several stars makes it easier for the Braves to become sellers at the trade deadline in a market where most teams are buying.

With a few days to digest what’s happened, here’s one person’s thoughts by position:

Coaching: Fredi Gonzalez has had a decent first half. With little to work with offensively he got as much out of his various lineups as possible. There are still issues with some players (see Andrelton Simmons) who have no idea what situational hitting is, and the overall effort this week in Colorado left a lot to be desired.

Fredi is not, and likely never will be, very adept at using his bullpen, but, let’s admit it here: the pen he’s working with this year would likely get most managers fired.

As for his coaches, Kevin Seitzer’s contact-first approach is hitting home with most guys. He’s gotten a good first half out of Jace Peterson and has helped turn around Cameron Maybin’s career. Still can’t get through to Simmons, though, who somehow believes falling all over home play while swinging is a good thing for a light-hitting shortstop.

Roger McDowell has received the label of a pitching coach who is better at resurrecting careers than developing young talent. Truth is, he’s had success and failures each way, though the evidence is there that young pitchers with the Braves seem to plateau early and never take the next step under McDowell.

If management sees it that way they he’s definitely not a fit moving forward with the slew of big arms on the way.

Catcher: The half-season A.J. Pierzyinski just gave the team makes him a candidate for the halfway MVP honor. Signed for backup duty and to help tutor talented rookie Christian Bethancourt, the veteran has taken the starting position away at 38 years old.

Problem is, this was Bethancourt’s big shot and he failed epically. It wasn’t so much that he hit .198, though that’s certainly not acceptable. What got him demoted was the effort behind the plate, where he was supposed to be special. His arm is terrific, but he seems to lack the desire get the most out of his talent.

There’s still time, of course, and he’ll get another shot this year.

First base: Freddie Freeman was headed for perhaps his finest season when his wrist started acting up. An injection was given to speed up the healing process and ended up making things worse (only the Braves, right?).

His bat and mere presence in the lineup has been sorely missed and let’s hope he’s back soon because the combination of Kelly and Chris Johnson is painful to watch.

Second base: Peterson, it seemed, was on his way to stardom about a month ago. His average had reached .300, he was setting the table nicely at leadoff and his defense was decent.

He goes into the break hitting .258 and pitchers have consistently gotten him out lately with breaking stuff. The league always adjust to hot-hitting young players, so not it’s time for Peterson to do the same. He’s very much a part of the future and it’s his job to lose.

Shortstop: Maybe it’s because I’ve seen what he can do, but Simmons is often maddening to watch hit. He’s hitting .254, which is probably where he will sit for most of his career, but it’s the approach that drives me crazy.

He’s got the tools to be a consistent line-drive hitter. He’s only struck out 26 times in 323 at bats and he has more RBIs (29) than strikeouts and he’s scored 44 runs. Still, there often seems to be no plan when he’s at the plate (though he’s not alone in that respect).

If someone can get him to cut down the swing and find some balance, Simmons would be the ideal No. 2 hitter. At this point, though, when will that happen?

Defensively, there’s nothing to complain about, and that’s where he’s special. He’s a cornerstone who could become a superstar.

Third base: Veteran Juan Uribe has sparked the team since coming over from the Dodgers, but, like Pierzyinski, he’s a stopgap. He’s a great clubhouse guy and his bat is still stout enough to fit in the middle of the lineup, but it’s time to develop at a position that’s been horrible since Chipper Jones retired.

Chris Johnson, who has struck out 34 times in 111 at bats, would have been cut by now if not for the large amounts of money the team owes him (thanks again, Frank Wren). John Hart wants to trade him, but unless he’s willing to pair him with a productive player (Maybin?) or a prospect, the team may have to Uggla him and eat the money.

Left field: The platoon of Kelly Johnson and Jonny Gomes has been decent, but again neither figures into future plans. Johnson has been a pleasant surprise at .275 with nine homers and 33 RBIs, while Gomes has been a good fit in the clubhouse and has had a few shining moments offensively.

Eury Perez has seen some time out there but looks a bit stiff defensively. He does have good speed and he’s hit enough (.286) to earn more playing time.

Center field: Maybin has been by far the team’s biggest surprise, batting .289 with a .356 on-base percentage, eight homers, 38 runs scored, 15 stolen bases and 44 RBIs. However, he’s also struck out 57 times in 280 at bats, though that’s just part of his game. Maybin’s defense has been decent, though advanced metrics say he’s well below average.

There’s talk of trading him while his value is high, and you can’t argue with that strategy if you’re the Braves. However, unless the team believes Perez is ready to play every day, or that super prospect Mallex Smith is near, it’s hard to believe he won’t start 2016 in center.

Right field: All things considered, Nick Markakis has had a really good first half. He’s hitting .293 with a team-leading .383 on-base percentage. However, signed as a middle-of-the-order player, he’s yet to hit a homer, though he has 20 doubles. The lack of power isn’t a big deal on most teams, but the Braves thought they would get at least 15.

Still, he’s a consistent player and unless the Braves are offered a trade they can’t refuse for the veteran, he’s the guy in right for the next couple of seasons.

Starting pitching: It’s been inconsistent over the first half but there’s enough here (and more coming) to get really excited about. Shelby Miller, despite the 5-5 record, is clearly a top-of-the-rotation guy and as he gets more comfortable with his off-speed pitches he could annually be in the Cy Young talk.

The two leftovers, Julio Teheran and Alex Wood, have regressed for some reason. McDowell doesn’t look good here, especially with Teheran and his horrible road woes. They’re both still considered cornerstones, but it’s time to see a little more consistency.

Remember when the season started with Eric Stults and Trevor Cahill in the rotation? Yeah, those two. It didn’t take long for rookies Mike Foltynewicz, Williams Perez, Manny Banuelos and Matt Wisler to make their mark and give Braves fans a very good reason to believe the next few years could be special.

Folty has the best arm of the young group, but he also has control issues. There’s been some time in the pen and that might be where his future lies since he has two very above average pitches. However, he has to harness them.

Perez and Banuelos won’t light up the radar gun, but each has shown they know the difference between a thrower and a pitcher. Wisler sports a 3.10 ERA and also seems to have an idea of how to pitch his way out of trouble (something the vets Teheran and Wood have not been strong at this year). He’s likely up to stay.

Bullpen: Yikes, a bad situation got much worse with Jason Grilli’s season-ending injury. Jim Johnson, after some early ugly outings, has recovered and will hopefully step in and handle the closer’s job, but what happens in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings?

Aroldys Vizcaino might be one answer and it’s likely Perez will see some pen time when he comes back from minor injury. Vet Luis Avilan has been mostly horrible, especially in big situations. He no longer can get lefties out (why does he pitch from the extreme right side of the rubber?), but right now he’s in the mix.

Andrew McKirahan will be up soon after joining Vizcaino in returning from suspension, so the team will have another lefty, and vet David Aardsma has been a nice addition.

We could see some other young guys (Tyrell Jenkins?) get a shot, but right now the pen is a major concern.

Bottom line: The sweep in Colorado was devastating. The Braves could easily have entered the break three or four games back at most, but the sweep seems like it killed any nice feeling the team had built up.

There’s still some hope to get back in the race, but unless the team has a really strong start to the second half it’s time to get some young players up and see what they can do.