May 20 2008
At quarter mark, Braves earn a B-
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA – Dividing a baseball season into thirds. Easy.
Cutting it into fourths. Not so much.
Take a 162-game campaign and slice it by three, and you get a trio of nice and clean 54-game subsets. Divide the season by four, and you end up with 40.5.
The Atlanta Braves have played 43 games coming out of Monday’s off day and entering what perhaps will be a season-defining stretch between today’s doubleheader with the Mets at Turner Field and June 25. The Braves play 37 games in the next 37 days, with just one off day (June 9) on the calendar, and the teams they play – for the most part – are among the best in baseball so far this season.
It starts today with two against the Mets. Eleven of the next 37 are against the teams directly ahead of Atlanta in the jammed-up NL East standings (four with second-place New York, four with first-place Florida, three with third-place Philadelphia). With just two games separating the Braves from the division’s top spot, and with all 11 of those games at home – where the Braves have been dominant – it’s critical Atlanta plays well during those contests. The non-division games aren’t easy, either, including four with NL-West leading Arizona, three at red-hot Cincinnati, three at NL-Central leading Chicago and four at AL-West leading Los Angeles.
Since we’re at the quarter mark (roughly) of the season, let’s look at what the Braves have accomplished so far with our end-of-the-quarter report card. Players will be expected to have their parents sign and return to the teacher by week’s end, or face three days in detention:
Pitchers
Manny Acosta – B. Settled nicely into closer’s role.
Blaine Boyer – B+. A few bad pitches aside, is approaching his 2005 form.
Peter Moylan – INC. Dominant before elbow surgery ended his season.
Rafael Soriano – INC. A non-factor so far due to injury.
Will Ohman – B. Overall has been solid facing leftys in the clutch.
Royce Ring – A. Ryan Howard aside, Ring has owned left-handers.
Jeff Bennett – A. From starting to relieving, perhaps the team’s most valuable pitcher.
Jorge Campillo – B. A pleasant surprise.
Chris Resop – D-. Poor location offsets his blazing fastball.
Phil Stockman – INC. Just called up; could be a huge boost to overworked pen.
Buddy Carlyle – C-. Unable to recapture magic of last June-July.
Tim Hudson – B. Overall good May after maddening April.
Jair Jurrjens – A. Even better than we thought; emerging as a rookie-of-the-year candidate.
Tom Glavine – B-. Lack of support has spoiled several would-be victories.
Jo-Jo Reyes – C. Needs to consistently put together solid starts.
Chuck James – F. Clearly needs a third pitch to compete at the major-league level.
John Smoltz – INC. Great until injury; how many pitches does he have left in that right arm?
Infielders
Mark Teixeira – C. Not exactly cleaning up in contract year.
Kelly Johnson – B-. Benefitted from move down in batting order.
Omar Infante – A. Recovered from injury just in time to provide a big spark.
Yunel Escobar – A. Every bit as good as we thought, having a potential All-Star season.
Chipper Jones – A+. Having the best season of stellar career, a MVP candidate.
Martin Prado – B. Until he got hurt, provided excellent play offensively.
Greg Norton – B. His arrival upgraded an already improved bench.
Ruben Gotay – C. Has produced here and there when called upon.
Brent Lillibridge – INC. Was overmatched in his brief debut.
Outfielders
Jeff Francoeur – C-. Lack of power and clutch hitting disturbing; needs a day off.
Mark Kotsay – B+. What a steal from Oakland; healthy, playing great defense, hitting well.
Matt Diaz – D. Very disappointing start; now platooning.
Gregor Blanco – A-. Rookie has earned more playing time with speed, offensive effort.
Catchers
Brian McCann – A. Continues to establish himself as one of baseball’s best catchers.
Brayan Pena – INC. Didn’t get many opportunities before getting hurt.
Corky Miller – D. Has done very little at the plate and defense has been lackluster.
Manager
Bobby Cox – B-. Finally juggled the batting order and seems to have found the right combinations in the bullpen.
Team view
Starting pitching – B-. Hudson has settled down, Jurrjens keeps on rolling and Glavine has pitched well. Injuries have brought back the revolving door at the back end.
Relief pitching – B+. Even with all the injuries, bullpen has been very impressive as a unit.
Offense – C. If this team ever starts hitting, the Braves might catch fire. Lack of production in the clutch has been very frustrating.
Defense – B. Overall solid play in the field.
Bench – B-. Norton, Infante, Prado, Gotay and Blanco all a big upgrade over last year’s group.
Overall first-quarter grade: B-.
In some respects, the Braves are lucky to be just two games out. In some respects, the Braves should be leading the division. Injuries have torn apart the roster, and the combination of poor clutch hitting and horrid road play have definitely taken their toll. But the Braves are the best team in baseball at home, and with several players returning from injury in the next few weeks, one feels this team’s best baseball is ahead of it.
–30–
Is their grade better if you split it in thirds? Isn’t that the way it is done in marketing. LOL. Make the numbers work for you! LOL
Impressive! Keep up the great work, Bud!