The Atlanta Braves surprised many people last season by posting an 86-76 record and finishing six games back in the NL Wild Card race. The truth is that the Braves’ success should not have come as a huge surprise to many considering the commitment they made to pitching last offseason and the homegrown talent they developed.
Looking at the Braves in 2010, fans should expect to see more improvement and possibly even a playoff berth thanks to an improved offense and two of the most exciting young players in baseball.
In terms of fantasy baseball, the Braves do not have a single player I would consider to be elite, but that does not mean there is no reason to look at the Braves when searching for impact players for your fantasy roster.
Here are a couple of players that you should keep listed on your cheat sheet because they will help your roster as you are braving the storm throughout the 2010 season.
Nate McLouth – Atlanta Braves
2009 – .256 BA 20 HR 70 RBI 86 R 19 SB
The Braves traded for Nate McLouth midway through 2009 and he automatically stepped into the role of starting center fielder and leadoff hitter. McLouth turned heads when he had his breakout campaign in 2008, hitting 26 home runs, driving in 94 and stealing 23 bases, but he did regress a bit last year. McLouth combines the kind of power and speed fantasy owners yearn for, and in many ways he is a poor man’s Grady Sizemore. McLouth’s batting average will hurt, and at .256, it is not prototypical of a leadoff hitter, but his 20-20 potential coupled with his ability to score over 100 runs in an improved Braves offense will make him a steal on draft day.
Jair Jurrjens – Atlanta Braves
2009 – 14-10 215.0 IP 2.60 ERA 1.21 WHIP 152 K
Jair Jurrjens put together one of the best pitching seasons in baseball last season, but due to his low strikeout and win totals, he fails to be mentioned in the conversation as one of the best pitchers in baseball. At 23 years old, Jurrjens pitched more innings than Josh Beckett, had a lower ERA than Roy Halladay and struck out more batters than Chris Carpenter. Jurrjens is going to come at a much lower price than pitchers with similar IP and ERA totals, making him a better bargain than some of the other big name pitchers on draft day, but I still have a few questions about him. Jurrjens’ WHIP is a little high at 1.21, and ideally as a fantasy owner you would like to see his strikeout totals jump as well. Second, Jurrjens’ innings jumped from 188 to 215 from 2008 to 2009, which was only his second full season in the majors, meaning he is dangerously close to qualifying for the Verducci Effect, and pitchers’ track records the following year are never good.
Jason Heyward – Atlanta Braves
2009 – DNP
Jason Heyward entered spring training as the most talked about hitting prospect in baseball, and he has been named as the Braves’ starting right fielder. Heyward started off this spring by hitting a mammoth home run and he has not stopped swinging his red-hot bat. In 49 spring training at-bats, Heyward was batting .347 and added four stolen bases. Heyward will obviously struggle a bit in the early going, seeing as this is the first time he has faced major league pitching in the regular season, but there is potential for 25 home runs in his rookie season. Heyward remains a bit of a sleeper pick still and a fourth or fifth outfield option in most leagues
Yunel Escobar – Atlanta Braves
2009 – .299 BA 14 HR 76 RBI 89 R 5 SB
Yunel Escobar is a former second-round pick of the Braves and finally assumed the role of full-time shortstop in 2008. Escobar has shown improvement in each of his major league seasons, and now finds himself on the cusp of becoming one of the elite shortstops in the NL. Escobar ranked 8th among shortstops in runs, 9th in home runs, 7th in RBIs, and 8th in batting average, meaning he is certainly a strong option in any fantasy league. Escobar is 27 years old, and there is no reason to believe he will not continue to improve in his young career. Escobar has a ton of value at a position where depth and offense is always an issue.
