2015 Braves Outlook

2014, it looked like a year with some possibilities until about August. Never did tying with the Mets for 2nd in the East look so bad when it did. Despite some great defense out of Jason Heyward & Andrelton Simmons, and a great offensive year out of Justin Upton, the Braves lacked a sense of spirit on the field and in the clubhouse. With the retirement of Chipper Jones and the departures of Brian McCann & Martin Prado, the team lacked any real veteran leadership last year, an essential ingredient to complement young blood on great baseball teams. 

The team needed a change, and both John Hart (Braves GM) & John Schuerholz (team president) executed changes a'plenty. Hart through trades and free agent signings acquired 40 players, notably Jim Johnson, Nick Markakis, Zolio Almonte, Eric Stults, Alberto Callaspo, A.J. Pierzynski, Shelby Miller, and Jason Grili. All while Mr. Schuerholz fully single handedly screwed over anyone in Metro Atlanta who wanted to go to any games in 2017, as the new stadium being built in Cobb County (ew!!) has started construction.

Looking at the upcoming 2015 season, the Braves' 140th season in franchise history, any major success looks quite slim. The Nationals have upgraded with Max Scherzer and former Brave Yunel Escobar, while thankfully losing Braves bruiser Adam LaRoche. If they can stay healthy as a team, the Nats will likely be the team to beat in the East. The Marlins have also made plenty of upgrades, locking up Giancarlo Stanton long term, trading for Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, Martin Prado, and signing Ichiro. The Marlins also get Jose Fernandez back, the young phenom who threw a no-hitter in his rookie season two years back (he had Tommy John surgery after the season, casuing him to miss all of last year). The Braves talent-wise just don't match up with Washington and Miami during a full season, especially if any injuries occur that would cause some AAA (Gwinnett) call-ups. 

If the Braves really want to compete, they need to make full use of Jim Johnson, Grili, and Craig Kimbrel. All three have been closers in the last three years, with Johnson tying Kimbrel in 2013 for most saves in the MLB. If the Braves are in closing situations, the Braves need to make a serious point of never losing in those situations. They can also serve as great 10th & 11th inning relievers. Freddie Freeman is the only serious dangerous bat on the team, but if they can get two or three guys to have above average seasons, the once homer happy team might have a shot for October talks. 

Expecting a playoff run is a faulty hope for any concious Braves fan this season. Heck even a losing season is extremely possible. In the end, like any season, it will come down to division games, injuries and pitching.