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Braves players to watch this seasonFive hot topics for 2015 Atlanta Braves
When a reporter from MLB.com stuck a microphone in Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman’s face a couple of weeks ago and asked him to describe the extreme roster makeover the Bravos have undergone since last season’s 79-83 meltdown, he replied:
“It’s definitely a little weird. I’ve never gotten to see the business side of baseball before. Seeing Jason (Heyward) go was definitely tough.”
The business of baseball mostly has been good to Atlanta and its countless fans throughout the Southeast for the past 24 seasons, ever since the Braves electrified the region with their worst-to-first run of 1991. The rest of that decade, in particular, was the stuff of magic, even if it produced only one World Series crown (1995) among its 14 straight division championships, a major league record that may never be broken.
But as Sir Isaac Newton taught us centuries ago about both mammoth home runs and molding dynasties, whatever goes up — other than Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffett’s bank accounts — must come down.
And Freeman’s fine talents aside, these Braves look more than capable of reprising that long forgotten 1990 season, when they finished a hapless 65-97. Heck, this roster’s so different than 2014’s marginally acceptable lineup that even one of the few veterans who did return — outfielder B.J. (Bat’s a Joke?) Upton — is now answering to Melvin Upton Jr. If only he could change last season’s .208 batting average and 173 strikeouts so easily.
No wonder Sports Illustrated recently predicted that Atlanta could lose 100 games this season, which hasn’t happened since the 106-loss debacle of 1988.
No wonder, also, that Freeman and closer Craig Kimbrel greeted teammates at the start of spring training with T-shirts bearing a silk-screened stamp in the upper left chest area that proclaimed, “Hello, my name is …”
Freeman later told the media, “It’s a cool deal. I think everyone’s having fun with it. And hopefully we won’t have to do it again next year.”
But when there’s so little chemistry and familiarity at the start of this season, it’s hard to imagine everyone not already anxiously awaiting next season before Monday’s opening-day game at Miami is played.
“You never know about those predictions,” fourth-year Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said last week. “Our goal is to prepare our team for a championship season. You have to play the season out, not on paper.”
In that regard, Gonzalez is lucky, because on paper this team looks incapable of seriously challenging for so much as a .500 record.
Gone are not only Heyward, the cartoonish slugger Evan Gattis and Melvin Upton’s far more productive brother Justin, but also pitchers Ervin Santana and Aaron Harang, who was the most pleasant and reliable surprise of 2014.
Yes, former St. Louis Cardinal Shelby Miller may make the Heyward deal palatable. And the remarkable closer Kimbrel can certainly save those few games the Braves are likely to lead after eight innings. There’s also some hope to be gleaned from Freeman’s observations about a welcome change in offensive philosophy under new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer.
“In 2013 (when the Braves won their division), we hit a lot of home runs with a lot of strikeouts,” he said. “We didn’t hit as many home runs last year and the strikeouts were still pretty high. We’re trying to be more of a contact-hitting team this year, hoping that translates to more runs and more wins.”
The goal, of course, is to have many more wins by 2017, when the Braves’ new ballpark opens north of the city. So with Freeman, Kimbrel and sizzling shortstop Andrelton Simmon inked to contract extensions that collectively reached $235 million, it’s fair to say that new general manager John Hart does have a long-term plan.
It’s also instructive that two of the newest Braves — outfielders Nick Markakis and Jonny Gomes — are known as much for their leadership as their baseball skills, something the Atlanta clubhouse has been lacking since Chipper Jones retired.
“We have a good core, a good group to build around,” Gonzalez told MLB.com. “We had two goals going in: Remain competitive on the major league side and rebuild our farm system. That’s our direction. We’ve gone from 27th in the minor league rankings up to within the top 10 in less than six months.”
Problem is, they’re still supposed to put a major league team in Turner Field this season.
In late March, in an effort to promote bonding and team-building, the Braves went all NFL one night. Organized by veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski, all the rookies on the spring-training roster had to get up on a stage and sing a song.
“It was awesome,” Freeman said. “The winner even got a trophy.”
Good thing, because it just might be the last trophy the Braves contend for all season.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.