Atlanta Braves Spring Training Preview 2014
Biggest Offseason Additions:
Mat Gamel: Frank Wren made a small move this offseason to acquire a power hitting, lefty named Mat Gamel. When Gamel was coming up with the Milwaukee Brewers he was considered one of the best prospects in baseball. Unfortunately he has had two ACL surgeries in the past two years which has slowed down his progression. Wren is taking a low risk with the potential for a high reward and because of that Gamel is the biggest offseason acquisition for the Braves. Look for him to give guys days off and come off the bench to pinch hit when needed. Remember this guy was a .300 hitter in Triple-A at one point.
Gavin Floyd: The Atlanta Braves were looking for a veteran starting pitcher who could anchor this young Atlanta team and they found just that in Floyd. The Braves and Floyd agreed to a one year contract worth four million. He is a career .500 pitcher with a 4.48 ERA in ten seasons. The Braves are taking another risk here as Floyd like Gamel is coming off a devastating injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery and is expected to return to baseball by May or June. Sure Floyd is not a top end starting stud but he has major league experience that could pay dividends come May.
Biggest Offseason Losses:
Brian McCann: This one is kind of a no brainer here as McCann has been the heart and soul of this team since he became the starting catcher in 2006. He has signed a five year, $85 million deal with the New York Yankees. For one the Braves just couldn’t afford to keep him because of money issues. Secondly the Braves have Evan Gattis and prospect Christian Bethancourt who is the catcher of the future in Atlanta. It’s a tough pill to swallow for Braves fans but they have known that this day was going to come since opening day of the 2013 season. The loss of McCann will show it’s face at points throughout the season.
Tim Hudson: Here we have another Atlanta Braves faithful that hit like a punch to the gut when he signed with the Giants. Hudson had been with the Braves since 2005 and was a huge clubhouse presence. He was the veteran pitcher that every staff needs and every manager wants. He plays the game the right way and deserves his respect. He is a ground ball pitcher with a career ERA of 3.44. Losing Hudson is going to sting for awhile as the Braves newest veteran pitcher is now Floyd and lets just say he’s no Tim Hudson.
Name to Watch in Spring Training: Christian Bethancourt, Catcher
Although it seems unlikely that Bethancourt will make the team in 2014 it will still be interesting to see what he does in Spring Training this March. He is considered the best catching prospect in baseball and should likely be on the team come 2015. He is a great play calling catcher that still needs to work on his bat. In 2013 for the Mississippi Braves he batted .277 with 12 home runs and 45 RBIs in 90 games of work. He struck out 57 times but also stole 11 bags. The main knock on Bethancourt is that he doesn’t walk and has very poor plate discipline. Over 358 at-bats he only managed to walk 16 times which is unacceptable. The good thing is that the Braves have catcher now who can play so he can continue to get better in Triple-A and be 100 percent ready when he gets the call. You definitely want to keep an eye out for this one.
Biggest Spring Training Battle: The fifth spot in the starting rotation.
The Braves are stock full of young pitching talent. This means that the biggest battle come spring training will be who will get that last spot in the rotation. Obviously guys like Mike Minor, Kris Medlen, Julio Teheran and Brandon Beachy have their spots but the question is who will be number five? Will it go to Alex Wood who compiled an ERA of 3.54 over the course of his 2013 starts? Or will it go to Gavin Floyd the wily veteran with lots of Major League experience? Heck, the position could end up going to David Hale who pitched in two games for the Braves last year and did wonderful. As of right now you would assume the job goes to Wood but you never know.
What Went Right in 2013?
A lot of things went right for the Braves last season but the brightest of all was their bullpen. Craig Kimbrel had another spectacular year with an ERA of 1.21 in 68 games. He struck out 98 men over 67 innings. Those numbers alone are stupid good! He recorded a National League high 50 strikeouts on his way to Closer of the Year award. Kimbrel did not do this alone though as the entire Braves bullpen pitched phenomenal all year long. They had the lowest bullpen ERA in all of baseball at a 2.46 with 29 wins and a opponent batting average of .222. This bullpen was hands down the best part of the 2013 Atlanta Braves.
Biggest Area of Improvement in 2014:
The biggest weakness the Braves have is the staggering number of strikeouts. They led the National League in strikeouts with 1,384. The strikeouts were an issue the whole year and it was only fitting that the Braves were eliminated from the playoffs with a three up, three down, three strikeout ninth. If they want to become an elite team they are going to have to cut down on this problem. The main reason for the problem had a lot to do with B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla struggling.