Predictions for the NL East ahead of 2020 are all over the board. Most lean towards Atlanta being a repeat pennant winner. Some think the Nationals will fill a loss in their batting order and contend as well. There are those who stick Atlanta as far down as third in the division and indicate they could struggle to finish in that spot. That would make the Braves the true underachievers for 2020. From playoff team to one spot above the basement would be like a free-fall from grace.
Atlanta has some prize young players in their lineup. Any breakthrough effort could put them right back in the driver's seat to win the division. The problems aren't really in how they'll score runs, but if they can keep other teams from scoring more of them. The Braves have a couple solid young arms, but they have enlisted an aging King to pull up rear end duties as the number five starter. There is a mishmash of youth and experience in the Braves' rotation, and it will prove key towards how good this team turns out to be.
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Game | Score | Starting Pitcher | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
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10/17 @ LAD | L 1-3 |
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10/17 vs LAD | L 3-7 |
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10/16 vs LAD | W 10-2 |
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10/14 vs LAD | L 3-15 |
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10/13 @ LAD | W 8-7 |
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Contents
The Atlanta Braves starting lineup is one of the more dangerous ones in baseball. Ronald Acuña sits atop of the order and has a legit chance at winning an MVP award. This is just the beginning where Ozzie Albies and Freddie Freeman follow. This gives the Braves a nice mixture of lefties and righties to start the lineup as Marcel Ozuna following in the cleanup spot. Tyler Flowers will be the primary catcher, but they will have a platoon split with Travis D'Arnaud. Austin Riley is the up and coming prospect for the Braves, but a bright spot in the lineup isn't quite there yet. Dansby Swanson and Enders Inciarte round out the rest of the lineup. Look for Swanson to try and get back on track after a hot start last season.
Matt Adams is going to be the primary DH for the Braves this season. He is a left-handed bat, which gives them some power from the left side as most of their bats hit righty. Adams has had an up and down career so far.
Marcell Ozuna is slotted to bat fourth most nights. He gives them a right-handed power bat behind Freddie Freeman. Ozuna was signed to a one-year deal this offseason and is coming off a strong season.
Ronald Acuna Jr plays right field for the Atlanta Braves. However, he often will move around depending on how the coach wants to align the outfield. Acuna has also played quite a bit of time in center field.
The 2003 Atlanta Braves were loaded with stars. They had four players have over 100 RBI and hit over .300. The lineup consisted of Rafael Furcal, Gary Sheffield, Chipper Jones, Javy Lopez, and Andruw Jones. Sheffield had 132 RBI.
The Braves in 1935 won just 24% of their games and struggled both in pitching and hitting. The offense ranked inside the bottom three in almost every category. For the time, this was a bit unusual, but they would rebound the next year.
Hank Aaron has played over 3,000 games for the Atlanta Braves and is, of course, their best player in history. He has over 700 home runs and had a .377 OBP during his playing days. He played 21 seasons with the Braves.