2017 Atlanta Braves: Improving in the Field, Part 1
Aug 20, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Tyler Flowers (25) doubles against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
As the 2016 Atlanta Braves Season…draws mercifully to an end, our beloved team is playing some pretty good baseball. But it’s time to start looking forward.
In my other 2 pieces thinking forward about the Atlanta Braves 2017 season we have taken a look at the Outfield conundrum of 4 and the um…less than ideal Starting Pitching market for 2017. Today, we will start going around the horn and look at the offense, pick apart players’ 2016 results, and see if there any solutions on where the Braves can improve from a position players’ perspective for 2017. Today, we will cover Catcher, 1st Base, 2nd base, and 3rd base.
Catching
Tyler Flowers
The Good- The Braves signed “T-Flow” in the off-season off the scrap-heap as the White Sox decided to non-tender him, making him a free agent. Immediately I pined for the Braves to go after him as I knew the reputation that Tyler had of being a good game-caller and a good framer.
Those 2 skills still ring true as, according to StatCorner as he’s rated 4th best catcher in the bigs in framing and would likely be 3rd if he’d been the primary catcher all year. He has also handled the bat quite nicely in his first year as a Brave, carrying a .786 OPS through 292 plate appearances and boasts a 1.1 WAR according to Fangraphs.
The Bad- The BABIP monster: Flowers sports a .370 BABIP. The tutelage of Kevin Seitzer might have something to do with some of this, but as we know from the “Chris Johnson mistake”, trusting this as the norm isn’t wise.
The biggest problem for Flowers lies within the inability to hold base-runners. Out of 58 chances to throw out a would be base-thief, Flowers has thrown out 2. Do I need to repeat that? Yes…that’s a 3.5% caught stealing. There’s no need to look it up as I assure you that’s the worst in the league. Lastly, he’ll be on the wrong side of 30 next year. Does the good outweigh the bad?
Anthony Recker
The Good- Anthony Recker has simply destroyed the baseball in his 96 plate appearances with the Braves.He only has 1 home run, but he’s had multiple hard doubles (7) and loud outs that are caught on the warning track (8 to be exact according to his spray chart). He’s a bat-first catcher that sports a 0.7 WAR in part-time duty according to Fangraphs.
The Bad- The BABIP monster strikes again! While not as high has Flowers, Recker’s BABIP is sitting at an unsustainable .362. He might also be a product of Seitzer’s line drive approach, but expecting those numbers to duplicate in 2017 is like expecting American Cheese to taste good after traveling abroad in France. In regards to framing, Recker has been the anti-Flowers as, according to StatCorner, he’s actually cost his team strikes over the course of the year.
Sep 13, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman Jace Peterson (8) throws to first base on a double play as Miami Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich (21) is out at second base in the seventh inning of their game at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
First Baseman
Freddie Freeman
The Good- Freddie Freeman is the best first baseman in baseball.
The Bad- He cannot duplicate smaller versions of himself to fill out an entire team… at least not for a while. Charlie is at least 17 years and 9 months away from being draftable.
Let’s move along, then…
2nd Basemen
Jace Peterson
The Good- Jace was sent down to Gwinnett on May 2nd after an abysmal start where his numbers dipped all the way down to a .465 OPS. So what does he do? He goes down to Gwinnett and…stinks it up: .533 OPS. Then, the unexplainable happens. He gets recalled, immediately goes 2-3, and really hasn’t stopped hitting since.
“Jace on Base” has been tweeted by many a Brave fan over the last few months. His OPS since being recalled has been .789, and within that is a very healthy OBP of .375. His overall OPS is quite healthy for a 2nd baseman, sitting at .744 and there’s not much fluky about it.
When Jace was brought back up he told the press that he was sent down to work on one thing (didn’t specify “thing”..could’ve been yodeling for all we know) and to not worry about his numbers. Hopefully he’s fixed.
The Bad- Jace has shown platoon offensive numbers this year which mirrors his short MLB career. His .522 career OPS against LHP hardly screams to be played everyday. Also, Jace isn’t grading out too well defensively in any metrics. In my opinion, he’s passed my eye test. I know he makes some errors on routine grounders, but aside from that his range and arm seem fine.
Still, across the board, whether it’s fielding %, DRS, UZR, UZR/150, the metrics do not like him. In fact, it has dragged his WAR all the way down to 0.7.
Sep 10, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Adonis Garcia (13) runs to first on an RBI as shortstop Dansby Swanson (2) runs to home base for the walk-off win during the tenth inning against the New York Mets at Turner Field. Braves won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
3rd Baseman
Adonis Garcia
More from Tomahawk Take
The Good- Adonis didn’t want to leave poor wittle Jace on his own, so he did what only a good friend would do and stunk it up with him so they could go down to Gwinnett together. When Adonis got demoted, he was down to a .626 OPS but more importantly he was being sent down to learn to play left field as his fielding was tee-ballian. So, like Jace, he was sent down to work on one thing. He played left field, destroyed baseballs, then got called back up…to play 3rd base. Yup.
Weird thing is he’s looked like Vinny Castilla reincarnated over there: dipping, diving, leaping, hurling. {I have a theory and it might be a bit controversial, but ‘scripts are easier to get approved in the minors (according to an inside source that will go unnamed) and it wouldn’t surprise me if Adonis became one of the 12% of MLB athletes that have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD}. Back to the lecture at hand….Anything he can do to get an out.
And oh yeah, he’s been hitting too! He’s up to a .724 OPS on the year and a .751 OPS since returning from his demotion.
The Bad- Adonis is 31 years old. When the season starts next year, he’ll be 32. I’m not saying he’s going to turn into a pumpkin, just laying out his age as many players start their decline around this time.
Even with the defensive resurgence we’ve seen since his return, the defensive metrics do not like Adonis and see him as a below average fielder (another one I don’t fully understand). Combine that with his .724 OPS, which ranks 22nd among qualified 3B, you get a below average regular, 0.8 WAR producer.
Jun 26, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; A general view from behind home plate prior to the start of the game between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Mets 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Fixing 2016’s Problems for 2017
With the latest surge in offense, there are many that wonder if the Braves really need to address any offensive output for the 2017 year. In my opinion, letting things ride with the current group would be unwise. Here are a few things I’d like to see:
Solution 1: Acquire/sign a Starting Catcher – Flowers moves back to backup.
Reasoning: Recker has been good, but his bat is the only real reason to keep him around as his defense hasn’t graded out too well. The Braves need a primary catcher that nurtures the young staff and can provide a 2-3 WAR from the position. Braves could either keep Recker around and use him as a 3rd catcher/bench bat, or trade him to a catching hungry team. I think someone would take a flier on his offensive production.
Solution 2: Ozzie Albies as full-time 2nd baseman in 2017
Reasoning: Second Base- “Jace on Base” is likely my favorite mass tweet this year, and it’s happened so often. However, I see Jace in a Super-Utility position in the future, and that future could be as early as April of next year if Albies is ready and healthy (personal opinion, it’ll be closer to June). Jace has a difficult time hitting left-handed pitching and his calling card could be spot-starting against RHP giving rest to multiple positions.
Solution 3: Acquire/sign a 3rd baseman
Reasoning: I think the Braves were on the right track when they had Garcia learn Left Field, not to move him there permanently but to add to his positional flexibility (and I’d add 1st base if I were the Braves). Adonis, in my opinion, is a nice spot-start/bench piece, but there’s better out there both offensively and defensively. Acquiring a better 3rd baseman and moving to Adonis to a bench role makes our team that much deeper.
Next time we will look at Shortstop, Left Field, Center Field, and Right Field! I hope you enjoyed the piece! Let’s say it together! 1, 2 , 3…
Go Braves!!!
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