As the MLB season nears playoffs and the Atlanta Braves have been mathematically eliminated, it is time to take a look back on their season. Although many will dwell on the losing record, this article will focus on the positives that came from this season.
Dansby Swanson
Swanson is a rookie shortstop for the Atlanta Braves. He debuted on August 17, 2016 against the Minnesota Twins. Dansby’s first ever homerun was an in the park homerun against the Washington Nationals, and it just so happened to be an inside the park homerun. See the homerun here.
Other than Swanson’s nice skills at the plate since he boasts a .294 batting average, he is also quite a defensive shortstop as well. Check out this video of Dansby being Dansby and making an awesome play at shortstop.
Matt Kemp
The Matt Kemp trade may have been one of the best moves of the season by the Braves management. Kemp has been a great spark to the Braves offense and a nice addition in the clean up hitter spot (4th hitter in the lineup). Matt Kemp has hit 11 home runs for the Braves in only 52 games and he has a .289 batting average. I hope to see Matt Kemp become a lifetime Brave!
New Prospects
The Braves front office did lots of wheeling and dealing with trades this season. The Atlanta Braves have the best farm system in the MLB and have tons of young talent to bring up and continue the future of the ball club. Braves fans should be excited for this and should support teams like the Gwinnett Braves in order to see the great young talent of the Atlanta Braves.
Pitching Rotation
Although the Braves pitching rotations is very young and only has two veterans in Julio Tehran and Josh Collmenter. The Braves underwhelming season has allowed Manager Brian Snitker to start plenty of rookies to allow them to get professional experience. I hope that starting so many rookies will help strengthen the rotation for the future.
Firing of Fredi Gonzalez
As many Braves fans would agree, it was time for Fredi to go. Fredi posted a 434-413 record in his five seasons with Atlanta. I will give Fredi a break, though-- it would be hard for anyone to follow in the steps of Bobby Cox, one of the best managers of all time.
New Braves Stadium
Although I’ll sorely miss games at The Ted, I can say I’m excited to see what the future holds for baseball and the Atlanta Braves. A new stadium will hopefully spark the fan base and the team to make a playoff and World Series run. Nothing could be better for the city of Atlanta, Georgia sports fans and the Atlanta Braves than to bring home a World Series.
Freddie Freeman’s Hitting Streak
Since the all-star break Freddie has a batting average of .332. Freddie had a 30 game hitting streak that was just snapped on September 29 and it was the longest hitting streak of any Major Leaguer this season. He has also had a career high number of home runs hit this season.
Brian Snitker’s Record
Brian Snitker has managed many of the Braves farm teams over the years and was named interim manager this season after the firing of Fredi Gonzalez. As of September 29, 2016 Snitker’s managerial record of the Atlanta braves was 46-46. This shows his strength as a manager and hopefully he will be able to lead the team in the future.
If these reasons don’t get you excited for the Atlanta Braves next season then you aren’t a true Braves fan. As any team does they are rebuilding to be even stronger next season. I can’t wait to see the Braves play in a new stadium and make a huge playoff run. Keep on chopping and go Braves!
