We Hit Dingers: MLB Offseason Preview

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Atlanta Braves

National League	East Division
68-93	26.5 GB of Division Lead
Managers: Brian Snitiker (current) Fredi Gonzalez (former)	GM John Coppolella
AAA affiliate Gwyneth Braves	AA affiliate Mississippi Braves

Freddie Freeman was the Braves' best hitter this season and it wasn't even really close. He was the only regular hitter who had a batting average over .300 and he managed to drive in 91 runs in a lineup that provided him very little protection. 2016 was also Freeman's best overall season, setting career highs in home runs and WAR, had his best defensive season, and batted over .300 for the first time since 2013. He was having an average season for the four months of the season, but turned it on in August and September, batting .313 and .385 respectively. The Braves' late season surge certainly corresponded with Freeman's surge.

Success - No one really expected the Braves to be competitive this season so it would be unfair to judge the team's season success on what it accomplished on the field. While they finished 26.5 games back in the division, the team turned it around greatly after Fredi Gonzalez was fired in May and following the trade deadline on August 1. The Braves are at the place in their rebuild where they have already traded away nearly all of the marketable players that aren't a part of their future and will now play the waiting game as their prospects continue to develop. They weren't really able to make many moves this season except for acquiring Matt Kemp from the Padres in exchange for Hector Olivera in what was basically a salary move for both teams. Kemp, however, had an excellent season overall, hitting 35 home runs and driving in 108 runs. He has seemingly cemented his place as a part of the team's future and provides protection for Freeman.

There really isn't much the Braves can do this offseason to better themselves for the future. The front office won't want to spend a lot of money in a weak free agent class when the team probably won't be truly competitive for another two years. 2017 will usher in a new era for the franchise as they move into their new ballpark, Sun Trust Park and it could work in connection with a new era of Braves' success. GM John Coppolella and the rest of the front office have done an excellent job at acquiring young talent by trading away any talent that would yield a solid return. They have received numerous prospects of all grades, including many pitchers, a position that has the lowest rate of guaranteed developmental success, and one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Dansby Swanson. Even if just three of these young pitchers reach the majors and become regular starters for the team, it will have been a success. The future looks extremely bright for the franchise and it will occur at the right time within their division, as Washington could be approaching a downward trend in their success and the Mets will have questions regarding the future of their starting rotation. Within three years, I think Atlanta will be a playoff team again.

*All stats and information come from baseball-reference.com, fangraphs.com, espn.com, rosterresource.com, baseballamerica.com, and spotrac.com