Braves Hold Spring's Best Record, But is it Meaningful?

The Atlanta Braves made a lot of changes over the offseason, from bringing three new starting pitchers to losing John Smoltz. Fans are going to see a different team take the field this summer, but given their performance this spring - it'll be a damn good team.

So far the Braves hold the league's best Spring Training record (12-3). Clutch hitting and stellar pitching performances have paced the new-look Braves to this point, seeming to answer questions as to how this team could win ballgames. At the plate, hitters have focused on driving in runs over driving the ball over the fence. Outfielders Matt Diaz, Brandon Jones and Jeff Francoeur are among the team leaders in RBI, alongside first-base phenom Freddie Freeman. With Chipper at the WBC (and injured) along with McCann, it's been a great testament to the depth of this lineup that they've been able to continue winning without their two best players. The pitching helps too.

While Javier Vazquez mows down hitters as part of a strong Puerto Rican ballclub, newcomers Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami have been proving their worth in a Braves uniform. Lowe's sub-three ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 11 innings have earned him a 2-0 record in three starts. Kawakami, at 2-1, has an ERA under two. Flamethrowing phenom Tommy Hanson has made his push for an opening day spot (which he won't get unless Glavine's injured), striking out more than one batter an inning and sporting a solid 3.38ERA. Combined, our starting pitchers have thrown 54 innings, allowing 17 earned runs (that's a 2.83 ERA) while holding a 39:16 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. These are solid numbers, these are numbers to get excited about. And don't worry, Javy's done pretty well in a Puerto Rican uniform too: 2-0, 0.96 ERA, 1ER and 1BB in 9.1 innings.

It all starts with pitching for the Braves, and it always has. We have good enough bats to spark some rallies, score some runs and keep us alive, as long as the starting pitching can keep it close. So far so good. Is it a great indicator for the season? Not completely, as most spring rosters aren't 100% (especially given the number of players off in the WBC), but its good to see our pitchers throwing with a purpose and a passion to make this a winning franchise once again. They all seem excited for the season, to prove their worth and to take on the league's best players in 2009.
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Braves Sign Anderson, Fill Void in Left Field

After losing out on signing Ken Griffey, the Braves have moved on and brought in veteran LF Garret Anderson. The reported deal is worth $2.5M for one year.

Naturally this is being reported by AJC.com, so you might think, "did we really sign him?" Well don't be too shocked that its likely true. Since Anderson was our second option after Griffey, it makes sense that we'd bring in the life-long Angels lefty on the cheap. Anderson is a three-time all-star, averaging over 20HR and 100RBI in each of his fifteen Major League seasons.

Its probably safe to assume that Anderson would assume the same platoon role planned for Griffey: Matt Diaz will start against lefties while Anderson starts against righties.

This all sounds like a safe way to hold the fort until top prospect Jason Heyward can take the reins. It follows the trend GM Frank Wren appears set to follow: sign veterans on the cheap as a stop-gap until the prospects can take over. I love this trend. You have to assume that enough GMs out there (who don't have $100M to spend every winter) have seen teams like the Dodgers and Yankees sink way too much money into overpaid veterans while sacrificing their farm system for short-term gains. Sure the Braves haven't made the playoffs in three years now, but we're finally developing the top-tier farm system that helped build a dynasty nearly twenty years ago. We've locked in a strong core of Chipper, McCann, and Lowe while prospects Heyward, Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schaefer and Freddie Freeman wait in the wings.

The future is bright for Atlanta, and after struggling early in the offseason it appears that Frank Wren has found his stride. Its time to get excited about Atlanta Braves baseball again.

The first game of Spring Training is this Wednesday.
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Diaz Likely to Return

We all remember him, the smiling big guy out in right who slaps balls up the middle and gives it his all. Matt Diaz, injured last year with a torn ligament in his knee, will likely be re-signed by the Braves during his arbitration year.

Diaz is one my favorite players. He is not flashy or gung-ho, but just a guy doing his job, very Brave-esque. I got to shake his hand once, when I was let onto the field, and he signed a baseball for me. He also put a Bible verse number on the ball. A little strange, but whatever. He plays baseball good.

With all this talk about bringing in a big outfield hitter, Matt has been lost in the discussion. Where does he fit in? If we bring in a big bat, he likely wont start over Frenchy and he is not fast enough to play center (not even close), so pinch hitting duties will be his specialty. Matt Diaz has been a pretty darn good pinch hitter over the years, and I think he will continue to do a fine job. In the NL, having a good bench is very important, and Matt can start for a lot of teams. I think it would be most excellent to bring him back to provide a little veteran leadership off the bench. He is a true professional, and I would be very happy to see him return.

So, an early welcome back Matt. (Hopefully we can say that officially soon).
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