| Douglas Benton. 30th July, 2005 - 9:37 pm
 The Atlanta Braves come into action Saturday with a four game lead over the now struggling Washington Nationals. Some observers might point out that the Braves lack enough power at the plate to contend with the likes of St. Louis, so they must go out and make a move before the deadline tomorrow. If they do try to go make the big splash, the only noise they will hear is their season going down the tube.
The Braves right now are one of the hottest teams in baseball. With a good influx of young talent coming through at the big league level and proven leaders rounding back into form after injury, some might say the Braves have the biggest upside coming down the stretch. Now, the Braves do have issues that they must work out, but the solution doesn’t always have to come via trade. It could come by way of their current team.
The biggest deficiency I see on the Braves is their lack of punch in the middle of the order after Andruw Jones. Sure, there are guys like Adam Dunn and maybe Manny Ramirez who could fill the void, but why would you trade top level prospect and hurt your team’s financial situation when you can turn to Mr. Reliable, Chipper Jones. Jones missed a large part of the first half with a foot injury, but is closing in on his early season form that carried the Braves for the first month.
With that taken care of, let’s look at starting pitching. The rotation has been solid through all of the injures it has had, and is just about ready to add two quality starters back to the team. John Thomson is expected back in the next few weeks after a successful rehab start last night and Mike Hampton is scheduled back a week later. How many teams do you know that can add two pitchers of this caliber without mortgaging their future in the process?
The only other flaw on this year’s team is middle relief, which has cost the Braves too many games this season. The right answer here was the wrong answer at closer, Dan Kolb. While his numbers still don’t breed confidence for him, they aren’t as bad as they look. In the month of July, Kolb has pitched 10.1 innings, compiling a 2-1 record with a 2.61 ERA. If this continues, the Braves will add one of last year’s best closers to hand the ball to Chris Reitsma.
In the end, the Braves already have a solid team that should provide trouble for anyone come October. However, a little patience with their current roster might mean a longer stay in October compared to years past. |
