The 2016 Major League Baseball regular season came to a conclusion yesterday, which means it is time to start analyzing all thirty ball clubs’ performances, and what their outlook for 2017 entails. We will start with the Atlanta Braves, who were arguably the worst team in the majors. In fact, only Minnesota finished worse than the Braves in 2016. Despite a lost season, Atlanta Braves fans have plenty to look forward to in 2017 and many seasons to come.
Atlanta finished the regular season with a record of 68-93, 5th in the National League East. Despite a horrendous record, Atlanta finished the month of September strong and several players look poised for breakout campaigns in 2017. In 2016, the Braves hit the lowest amount of home runs (122) among any team in both the American League and National League. Their offensive performance was nearer to the second tier of middle pack teams. Atlanta caught the injury bug and unstable starting pitching performance from the start of the season with their team earned run average ending at 4.51. Braves starting pitching only compiled 64 quality starts and gave up 725 earned runs. During the course of the regular season, Atlanta used 16 different starting pitchers, which never equates to consistency at the major league level.
Freddie Freeman was the most valuable player for the Braves in 2016. Freeman played with an anemic offense the whole season. Matt Kemp was acquired by the Braves near the trade deadline in an effort to boost offensive performance and to make it look like the Braves were not completely throwing in the wash towel on the season. Freeman finished 2016 with a .302 batting average, 89 walks, 178 hits, 102 runs scored, and 43 doubles. Towards the end of the season, Freeman reached a career high of thirty straight games with a hit.
Another bright spot for Atlanta was Dansby Swanson, who was acquired back in December from Arizona in exchange for Shelby Miller. In what looks like the biggest steal of this decade in terms of trades, the Braves may have acquired their short stop of the future. Swanson was recalled from the minors in August, and quickly adapted to the majors. Swanson appears to be on the projection of break out superstar at the short stop position come 2017. Swanson is one of the many young pieces Atlanta is building around.
Braves fans recognize this season was a lost cause but an important one in the rebuilding of a once proud franchise. Atlanta’s rebuild began in 2014, and appears to have bottomed this season. The Braves traded many fan favorites away for prospects over the last two and half seasons, which has led many fans to think if the Braves were intentionally tanking the present in order to preserve a prosperous future. However, the Braves controversial moves may yield significant positive results in 2017. The Braves have one of the top ranked farm systems in baseball, and that pipeline of talent should assist in Atlanta’s rebuilding efforts from cellar dwellers to contenders.
For 2017, Atlanta fans will have plenty to be excited for. First, the Braves will open up in their new ballpark, SunTrust Park, which is anticipated to usher in a new era of Braves baseball. Second, Atlanta is likely to retain Freddie Freeman and staff ace Julio Teheran, two players the Braves would love to build their core around these two. With tons of young talent at the minor league level and management’s shredding of payroll, Braves fans should expect a fairly active winter in roster improvements. Another promising sign of hope for the Braves is the way they finished 2016 strong. Atlanta finished the month of September with a lot of momentum, and it appears this may be the bottoming of an ugly rebuild. Braves fans will surely put 2016 in the rearview mirrors but they should be excited for what the future has in store.
