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Are We Done?Many Braves fans are wondering if our team is set for the upcoming season. The additions of Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan as what one could justifiably call “necessary stopgap measures” seems to have put the final frosting on our cake. My belief is that we may still see some movement as we set up this year’s bullpen. Danny Kolb is definitely the closer and Chris Reitsma, Kevin Gryboski, Roman Colon, and Gabe White comprise the core of relief for us. I don’t include Tom Martin simply because his status with us is somewhat shaky after flopping after he was acquired late last season. I believe the Braves may give some kids a shot at some spots and might acquire somebody from another club as well. Here’s what my wish would be: Two separate deals for Chicago players, acquiring Kyle Farnsworth from the Cubs and Damaso Marte from the White Sox. The former has major problems with his manager but has an unlimited upside that I would love to see Leo Mazzone work on. The latter is an essential piece of the White Sox bullpen but I believe the Braves could get him for Tom Martin and a solid prospect.  We probably will never see another bullpen performance like the one we watched a few years ago when the Braves relief corps put up unbelievable numbers as a unit, numbers that have never before been seen in the game. However, bringing in the pitchers I cited above would give us depth that would be the envy of every other team in the game. As good as we think our current team might be, it’s a sure thing that Braves fans all over will be salivating at the prospect of seeing Jeff Francouer and Andy Marte make their major league debuts. The major thing with our current team is that we have a pair of starters at the head of the rotation that might be the best one-two punch in that role in all of baseball. Let’s pray they stay healthy and that we make the playoffs. There will be another column solely focused on the Braves before the coming season but I can already tell you that the most crucial player on the club is John Smoltz, as he directly affects two positions, the one he has as well as the one he had.  Will We Make The Playoffs?Ah yes, the perennial question posed regarding the continuance of a streak never before seen in the game. Every spring we have prognosticators and so-called “baseball experts” who predict the demise of our club. “Easy pickins’” I call it because as George Harrison once wrote, “All Things Must Pass.” I will digress by recommending that anyone who hasn’t heard this masterpiece, to find the opportunity to do so.  Will this year be the one where we don’t win the division or even make the playoffs? Let’s see: The MetsThe Mets have been aggressive under Omar Minaya, their new GM, and have signed the free agents that are, arguably, the premier pair available in the game. Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran are certainly impact players who will vastly the overall strength of their club. Their DP combination of Jose Reyes and Kaz Matsui should show immense improvement as the former should finally be healthy and the latter should finally become adjusted to the way the game is played here in the States. David Wright is the Mets’ version of Andy Marte and a bona fide slugging star in the making. The corner outfield spots are a bit muddled but Mike Cameron in RF and Cliff Floyd in LF aren’t too bad and it was only a couple of years ago when Braves fans message boards were abuzz with the possibility of acquiring Cliff. The Mets starting staff is solid unless “bad things” happen: • What kind of pitcher will Tom Glavine be as he’s another year older? • Will Pedro continue his established decline that began nearly four years ago? • Which Kris Benson will show up? The one who gets shellacked or the one who pitches well enough to win games? • Will Victor Zambrano be healthy enough to be effective? Man, they must surely rue the day they traded Scott Kazmir for him. • Which Steve Trachsel will we see? The one who has a mediocre career or the one who surprised NY with a solid year in 2004? The Mets real problems will be in the bullpen and behind the plate. Braden Looper is their closer and he didn’t fare well down the stretch last year and doesn’t have a lot of experience pitching in big games. They exchanged lefties with the Yankees, sending Mike Stanton back there and acquiring Felix Heredia who can blow hot and cold.  I think the Mets made a major mistake by holding on to Mike Piazza. He certainly has the talent to explode offensively one more time but how likely is that? In addition, he’s a complete liability defensively. He belongs in the AL where he could catch rarely and be a DH at other times. What the Mets are doing is playing to Mike’s pride at the expense of their team. To this, I say good! Better them than us.  We can beat this team. Crucial Player(s): Mike Piazza, Braden Looper, Tom Glavine, and Pedro Martinez The MarlinsThey began the off-season in a bad way as Carl Pavano signed with the Yankees and Armando Benitez hooked up with the Giants. However, they turned things around by signing Carlos Delgado to a monster contract. Carlos might very well be the most significant signing of the off-season as he has the potential to drive in over 150 runs in that lineup and with who he has batting in front of, and in back of, him. The jackrabbits, Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo start the fun and then you have the young pseudo-version of Albert Pujols in the person of Miguel Cabrera. This youngster has an unlimited ceiling and with Carlos behind him, he should see enough pitches that he can feast upon. The remaining players in the Marlins lineup are also hitters that can, at least, get the job done. Mike Lowell at third base would be devastating if he didn’t fizzle down the stretch all the time and Paul DoLuca is well above average behind the plate. The other starters, Alex Gonzales at SS and Jeff Conine/Juan Encarnacion in LF, give the Marlins a complete and balanced lineup. The real question regarding this team is the pitching. Both Josh Beckett and AJ Burnett have ace stuff and potential but have proven to be injury prone, while recently signed Al Leiter is 39 years old and in the midst of a significant decline. Dontrelle Willis is another starter and will have to pitch better before I’m impressed. Still, if this quarter straightens out the Marlins could have a superior season.  Much will depend on their new closer, Gullermo Mota, who will be filling the closer role for the first time in his career. Mota, the erstwhile and successful setup man for Eric Gagne, has the right stuff and we shall wait and see if he has the mental toughness required for that role.  We can beat this team and it all depends on how difficult it will be. Crucial Player(s): Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Al Leiter, and Guillermo Mota The PhilliesThis has been the best “on-paper” team in our division for the past few years. I always knew they still had no chance as long as Larry Bowa was their manager. Bobby Cox has proven, repeatedly, that the best thing a manager can do is to get a player comfortable with whatever he’s doing. Larry Bowa proved that if you mess with players’ heads, only bad things and poor performance would follow. Charlie Manuel will be better even if he does absolutely nothing. The Phillies will look different this year. They let Kevin Millwood walk and that’s a positive. Besides pitching a no-hitter for Philadelphia, Millwood hasn’t been a good pitcher since wearing a Braves uniform. He should be kissing Scott Boras every day for the obscenely undeserving contracts he’s received upon leaving our team. Still, it once again proves the genius of John Schuerholz because even when he had his hand forced by his bosses above, he was still able to get great value for Millwood in getting Johnny Estrada. Randy Wolf is still the top lefty on their staff but his status is shaky because the only thing he’s proven in the past few years is that he is certainly brittle. Britt Myers is another youngster that hasn’t panned out to what they expected but he’s still young enough to make progress. Vincente Padilla is always exceptional when facing the Braves but not nearly as tough everywhere else. They resigned Corey Lidle and he might be a boost although he blows hot and cold in terms of consistency. When all is said and done the Phillies season may hinge on the effectiveness of two pitchers; Jon Lieber, who led the Yankees in wins last year freshly off of Tommy John surgery, and rookie Gavin Floyd. Lieber is primed for a 20 game season and Floyd just needs an opportunity. The bullpen has the terrific one-two punch of closer Billy Wagner and setup man Todd Worrell. Other relievers they have are effective in getting the games to the tandem just cited. Offensively, Jim Thome at 1B and Bobby Abreu in RF are the cornerstones of the team. Jimmy Rollins at SS is their version of our Raffy Furcal. Mike Lieberthal behind the plate is getting on in years and physical health but has enough still to be effective. David Bell, Placido Polanco, and Chase Utley share 3B and 2B, in addition to strengthening their bench. Acquiring Kenny Lofton to play CF tells me their front office must be smoking something because he’s now well past his prime. He may get off to a good start but always keep in mind the season is not a sprint it’s a marathon. The key to the Phillies success remains in LF where Pat Burrell battles back from a horrible season a couple of years ago and leaves open the question of which is the real player? Was the 37-homer breakout the real Burrell or is it the strikeout machine that looks lost at times, the real one?  We can definitely beat this team as they still have too many problems that need to be worked out. Crucial Player(s): Pat Burrell, Kenny Lofton, and Jon Lieber The NationalsWhat can you say but congratulations to all the players on this team as they finally got out of Montreal? This franchise and the way MLB has handled it have become the most embarrassing subject in the game. Now they get the beginning of fresh start and it might portend to them becoming a competitive team once again. They aren’t going anywhere this year as they establish their D.C. footing. Their IF is solid with Nick Johnson (if he stays healthy) at 1B, Jose Vidro at 2b, and the newly acquired carlos Guzman and Vinny Castilla at shortstop and 3B respectively. They also got Jose Guillen to play RF and he will be their biggest boost if he can hold his head on straight. Brad Wilkerson plays left, he’s a very solid player, and Endy Chavez uses his speed to cover much ground covering centerfield. Brian Schneider is a solid defensive catcher and becoming a growing presence in the batting order. The anchor to their pitching staff is Livan Hernandez who seems to have an arm made of rubber. Tony Armas is the key to their pitching staff as he has the potential to truly excel. First, he has to stay injury-free before anything else. The rest of the staff is non-descript and awaiting someone to jump out in a positive manner. This team is in the early stages of building a winning franchise yet still remains scarred by the brutal treatment they were given by MLB. Not a worry to our team this year. No player is that crucial because this is a team in the midst of reestablishing itself as a major league franchise.  © Copyright BravesBeat Network, BravesBeat.com, and Michael M. Rapaport |
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