Are the Braves good enough to win now?
After a busy offseason - which included the additions of R.A. Dickey, Bartolo Colon, Sean Rodriguez, Jaime Garcia, and Kurt Suzuki, along with a move into brand-spanking-new SunTrust Park - the excitement and expectations are real for the Atlanta Braves heading into the 2017 campaign.
The Braves' new roster and stadium have only increased the buzz surrounding the club - and its salivating fan base - which finished 37-35 in the second half last season after a horrible 31-58 start.
What changes created such improvement last season? The Braves handed the managerial reins over to Brian Snitker, brought in Matt Kemp to help protect Freddie Freeman in the middle of their lineup, and wrote in local Georgia product - and 2015 first overall pick - Dansby Swanson as their everyday shortstop.
The latest roster moves not only put the Braves into good position to flip veterans at the trade deadline if they aren't in contention - enhancing an already outstanding farm system that boasts seven of the top 100 prospects in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline - but also gives them a puncher's chance to continue their strong play from 2016 and compete in the tough National League East.
The Braves were 31-25 after acquiring Kemp on July 30, and an even more impressive 24-18 after Swanson was called up on Aug. 17. Those marks put Atlanta on pace with the Nationals (25-19) and New York Mets (27-16) - both playoff teams.
Hitting doesn't appear to be a problem for the Braves. After the All-Star break, Atlanta owned the NL's third-highest team batting average, the second-highest team OPS, and the league lead in doubles.
Projected Braves starting lineup
| PLAYER | PA | H | HR | RBI | 2B | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ender Inciarte | 578 | 152 | 3 | 29 | 24 | .732 |
| Dansby Swanson | 145 | 39 | 3 | 17 | 7 | .803 |
| Freddie Freeman | 693 | 178 | 34 | 91 | 43 | .968 |
| Matt Kemp | 672 | 167 | 35 | 108 | 39 | .803 |
| Nick Markakis | 684 | 161 | 13 | 89 | 38 | .744 |
| Adonis Garcia | 563 | 145 | 14 | 65 | 29 | .717 |
| Jace Peterson | 408 | 89 | 7 | 29 | 16 | .715 |
| Tyler Flowers | 325 | 76 | 8 | 41 | 18 | .777 |
Pitching, however, was the team's Achilles heel. The Braves fashioned an overall 4.74 ERA, while their starters only managed to win a combined 40 games - last in the league - while allowing 135 home runs, second-most in the NL.
Acquiring Colon, Dickey, and Garcia should help the rotation, but is it good enough to give them a shot at the division?
Projected Braves starting rotation
| PITCHER | GS | IP | ERA | WHIP | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julio Teheran | 30 | 188 | 3.21 | 1.05 | 167 |
| Bartolo Colon | 33 | 191.2 | 3.43 | 1.21 | 128 |
| Jaime Garcia | 30 | 171.2 | 4.67 | 1.38 | 150 |
| R.A. Dickey | 29 | 169.2 | 4.46 | 1.37 | 126 |
| Mike Foltynewicz | 22 | 123.1 | 4.31 | 1.30 | 111 |
No matter how the season plays out in the win column, the Braves look better on paper than a season ago, and have set themselves up for future success at their new stadium.
Baseball is finally back on the rise in Atlanta, which is good news for a city that was once used to winning consistently with 12 NL East division titles between 1995-2013.