The Braves are coming off their worst two-season stretch in a quarter-century, but one wouldn’t know from the upbeat mood around the team and the expectations among team members on the eve of spring training.
It’s a still-rebuilding team that most have picked to finish fourth or fifth in the National League East, after a 95-loss season in 2015 and a 93-loss, last-place showing in 2016. However, some pundits — those who paid attention to the Braves’ second-half progress and offseason moves — think it can be among baseball’s most-improved teams.
“We are extremely excited for spring training,” said Braves general manager John Coppolella, who, along with president of baseball operations John Hart, has steered the franchise overhaul since October 2014. “We still have a long way to go, but we are getting closer and closer to where we want to be.”
While most in the industry still doubt that the Braves can go from 93 losses to a postseason berth, some can at least see why Braves players and manager Brian Snitker insist they’re aiming high.
“When we finished the season you could tell — we weren’t that far off,” said Snitker, who took over a 9-28 team on May 17 after Fredi Gonzalez’s firing and guided it to a 59-65 record the rest of the way, including 50 wins in the final 97 games.
The Braves did what they did despite getting fewer than six innings most nights from a patchwork starting rotation in the second half. The offense was dramatically improved after the first two months, particularly following a trade for Matt Kemp and the August call-up of rookie shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Coppolella and Hart made fortifying the starting rotation a top offseason priority, and did it by signing former Cy Young Award winners Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey and trading for left-hander Jaime Garcia.
The Braves believe that trio, plus the additions of versatile veteran Sean Rodriguez and former All-Star catcher Kurt Suzuki, will help make their first season at SunTrust Park successful. They also know how important spring training can be, to build on the momentum of late last season.
Here are five things to watch as spring training gets underway, with pitchers and catchers reporting Tuesday. This is a condensed version of a complete story that appears on myAJC.com (use this link) and in Sunday's print version of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Revamped rotation
The Braves moved quickly in November to sign baseball’s oldest starters, Colon and Dickey, and trade for Garcia. All are innings-eaters if healthy, and Colon was an All-Star season at 43, posting a 3.43 ERA in 191 2/3 innings.
Prospects are coming
Swanson debuted in August and quickly became a fan favorite — and a Rookie of the Year candidate for 2017. He’s just one of many top prospects who’ll get attention from fans, media and team officials at spring training.
That’s a legit lineup
Ender Inciarte emerged as a strong leadoff hitter in 2016, and Kemp gave the Braves a needed presence in the cleanup spot behind Freeman. For 2017, Snitker plans at least one key change involving Swanson moving up to No. 2.
Closer situation
The Braves re-signed Jim Johnson to a two-year extension on the final day of the season and said he would enter spring as closer. But they also said that could change, and several hard-throwing young relievers are on the rise.
Chemistry and camaraderie
It would have been easy for the Braves, after a 9-28 start under Fredi Gonzalez, to have sleep-walked past 100 losses. That they turned it around under Snitker and were competitive for the last 3 1/2 months said plenty about Snitker and about the team’s talent and leadership.
