The Braves all of a sudden have one of the more dangerous lineups in the National League. Ronald Acuna was everything as advertised last season, and will look to try and put together a full year with that type of production. Ozzie Albies brings a steady dose of speed and power for a second baseman, and is another bright spot of the Braves young core. Freddie Freeman has been a rock for the Braves, and is a big lefty power bat inserted in the middle of a really sound lineup. The Braves were missing a right-handed power bat, and the one-year deal with Josh Donaldson should sure that up if he can remain healthy. They have some depth with Johan Camargo if he does go down with an injury, who will be a super utility player. With no Kurt Suzuki, Tyler Flowers and Brian McCann will platoon at the back half of the lineup.
2019 Atlanta Braves Pitching Analysis
The Braves were top ten in team ERA last season, and while the rotation doesn’t have any elite names, they have a strong core of above average arms. Mike Foltynewicz took a major step forward last season, and 2019 is going to be a year where many see if he can move up a tier. He finished with a 2.85 ERA on the season, and had over 200 strikeouts. Folty possesses a high velocity fastball, which sets up his above average off-speed stuff. Projections look kind for him in 2019, projected for around 200 strikeouts and a three ERA. This rotation might be dependent on Folty continuing a positive trajectory because they have some arms that are not as consistent. They made a trade for Kevin Gausman last season, who had an up and down career in Baltimore. Gausman getting out of the AL East was a huge boost to his career. He is in a better park to pitch in, and won’t have to face two of the toughest offenses in baseball, he also avoids the DH now. Gausman’s full projections in Atlanta have him on the positive side, and we should be buying in given the talent he has flashed.
Julio Teheran continues to pitch in Atlanta after being a trade target the last few seasons. He surprisingly had under a four ERA last season, and 2019 might be where his luck starts to run out. He is a flyball arm who has had a drop in velocity over the last few seasons. Projections have his ERA up over 4,50, which makes sense given his diminishing stuff. He out-pitched his ERA estimators last season, with a 4.72 xFIP. His hard-contact was up 6.5% from the prior season, and it is hard to buy into success for him again this season. Sean Newcomb is a solid lefty who has had issues with control. It works for him at times, as he had above average strikeout numbers and a very strong stretch during the middle of the season. Newcomb had a 3.90 ERA, and hovering around four is where he is projected again. We are always interested with these younger arms to see who can make that big leap in production. Newcomb is a name to keep an eye on. Touki Toussaint is going to likely lockdown the number five spot, although Atlanta might limit him and use another younger name to keep innings down.
Projected
Proj
