This is the language they spoke 30 years ago. These are the things they said when Bobby Cox returned to Atlanta as a general manager in 1985, introducing foreign concepts called “scouting” and “player development,” nurturing draft picks like Tom Glavine, David Justice, Steve Avery, Mark Wohlers, Ryan Klesko, Chipper Jones.
“Be patient,” they said.
“Think of tomorrow,” they pleaded.
“Never mind that we’ve lost 96, 89, 92, 106, 97 and 97 games in the last six seasons. They’re learning!”
The Braves are asking you to trust them again. It worked before. They won a bunch of games, division titles and pennants, even if just one World Series, in the 1990s, and became a model for other franchises. They had to be bad before they were good — but eventually, they were really good.
They open this season on Monday against the Marlins, who are expected to finish ahead of the Braves in the National League East. Then again, almost everybody is expected to finish ahead of the Braves. Most forecasts have them as the second-worst team in the division — and possibly the league — to Philadelphia. At least one national writer casts them as No. 29 in the majors, also ahead of only Philadelphia.
(There will be a Star Wars night when the Braves and Phillies open a series in July. Think: Ewoks wrestling.)
The outlook didn’t get any better on the eve of the season. Actually, it got worse. Makeover artist John Hart found a way to cut the Melvin Upton contamination out of the roster Sunday but it took packaging him with one of the roster’s best players, closer Craig Kimbrel.
Both will go to San Diego. The Braves' take: loose change (outfielders Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin) and hopes and dreams (pitching prospect Matt Wisler and a draft pick).
So there goes Kimbrel, who we assumed would be kept until at least the All-Star break. Kimbrel follows Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Evan Gattis through the door.
Will the last exiting valuable commodity please turn off the season.
This strip-down and rebuild was predictable when the Braves fired general manager Frank Wren. The hope and expectation, however, was that president of baseball operations John Hart and assistant general manager John Coppolella would be able to acquire more major-league-ready talent. But there’s little to show today beyond starting pitcher Shelby Miller, a No. 3 starter who arrived in the Heyward.
Hart has been trying to sell skeptics on his vision, while becoming quite adept at the artful understatement: “We’re not going to be a powerful offensive club.”
The Braves are banking a lineup that strikes out less and grinds out more runs than last year’s underachieving club. They are banking on game-to-game improvement. They are banking on you showing interest until they get good — and that may be the biggest challenge of all.
I asked Hart whether it was fair to suggest he won’t judge this year’s team on wins and losses as much as perceived direction.
“No question,” he said. “(Manager) Fredi (Gonzalez) and staff have done an outstanding job. There’s been a different energy around the club and Fredi understands what we have. He’s been positive about it. We’re not putting a win-loss stamp on this season. We’re going in with the idea that we’ll be a winning club but that’s not a criteria. We’ll be looking at the organization in totality.”
More from Hart: “We hope to stock the farm system with more impactful players. I know that doesn’t jump off the page in terms of the wow factor for what we might see at Turner Field this year. But that’s an important part of this.”
It is. It’s just not what you’re going to hear on TV and radio ads.
“We’re not putting a win-loss stamp on this season,” can’t be central to a marketing campaign.
Nobody is going to get excited about an outfield rotation that includes some combination of Jonny Gomes (.234 last season), Eric Young Jr. (.229), Nick Markakis (.276 but coming off neck surgery), Kelly Johnson (.215), and the newly acquired Cameron Maybin (.235) and Carlos Quentin (.177).
Nobody is going to get excited about a roster so thin of marquee value that there will be platoons in at least four positions. Or the potential of Freddie Freeman too often coming up with the bases empty (again). Or Mike Minor starting the season on the disabled list (again).
But the Braves will try to sell you on hope and attitude, youth and speed … and some manufactured, PR-driven build-up to a new stadium in 2017.
It’s possible the Braves will be better than expected. Actually, they exceeded over/under win projections from Las Vegas five straight seasons: 2009 (over/under 84.5; actual total 86); 2010 (85.5; 91); 2011 (87.5; 89); 2012 (86.5; 94); 2013 (88.5; 96). But last year’s 79 wins was under the 87.5 projection.
This year’s over/under is 73.5 wins. Go under.
“If we have a club that plays with passion, heart and energy, I’m a happy man,” Hart said.
But actual success may have to wait.
