FOXSportsSouth.com's team of Braves writers are hearkening back to 2014, position by position, and breaking down what we know heading into the upcoming Winter Meetings (Dec. 7-11 in San Diego). Here's a look at third base:
1: Citing the Braves' current 40-man roster, it represents the lone player to log at least 10 major-league games at third base. That distinction obviously goes to Chris Johnson, who has manned the Hot Corner for precisely 300 games over the last two seasons (22 homers, 126 RBI, .290 batting average in that cumulative span), after coming to Atlanta in the blockbuster trade involving Justin Upton (January 2013).
Johnson inked a contract extension last season, which runs through the 2017 season (team option for 2018).
6: The number of steals Johnson collected last season, a career high. As such, it's quite rare to see any corner infielder -- hovering around 30 years old -- trend upwards in the thefts department.
But then again, something had to go right in a 2014 Braves campaign that was equal parts fruitless and disheartening.
3.7: The statistical discrepancy of Johnson's WAR value (Wins Above Replacement) from 2013 -- 2.4 -- compared to last year's minus-1.3. In the eyes of Baseball Reference, that's the equivalent of Johnson falling below the standard production of a utility infielder's understudy. Ouch.
But that strategy lasted barely a month into the 2013 season, with Francisco getting his outright release with Atlanta and subsequently signing with Milwaukee.
That opened the door for Johnson to enjoy his best major-league campaign (2013), accounting for 12 homers, 68 RBI, 54 runs, 34 doubles (career high), a .358 on-base percentage and .321 batting average. But that doesn't even tell the whole story with Johnson, who flirted with a National League batting title down the stretch -- peaking at a Joe DiMaggio-esque .347 on Aug. 2.
Fast forward to last year, as Johnson wasn't immune to the Braves' sustained offensive woes, incurring noticeable dips with runs, hits, doubles, RBI, batting average, OBP, slugging and OPS.
This begs the two-part question: Were Johnson's struggles a mere aberration, relative to the other Braves' inexplicable foibles at the plate? Or was Johnson not pushed hard enough at his position, unlike March 2013?
The short answer: If you've ever seen Johnson go full-bore during a simple spring training workout -- days before the first exhibition game -- you'd probably side with the aberration explanation.
As presently constituted, the Braves still have Justin Upton, Freddie Freeman, Andrelton Simmons, Evan Gattis, B.J. Upton, Johnson and now Bethancourt. In other words, we're not talking about the 1962 Mets, 2003 Tigers or even 2012 Marlins.
It remains good offense with immense potential ... but one that also requires across-the-board improvement from the principal performers.
That's where Johnson comes in: No one should regularly expect 30-day tallies of five homers, 22 RBI and 13 runs -- his July 2014 output -- but let's use that month for reference:
Remember the two-day, three-homer explosion against the Cubs, immediately before the All-Star break? Johnson (three homers, five hits, seven RBI in that series) was the Braves' brightest star during that high-scoring weekend at Wrigley Field.
And super-smooth power strokes like that should never go out of style.
But let's have some perspective on what constitutes a high, yet subjective ranking:
In 2009, MLB scouts had outfielders Colby Rasmus and Travis Snider pegged for greater MLB fame than catcher Buster Posey (2012 NL MVP) and Giancarlo Stanton (inked a $325 million extension last week).
In 2008, Joba Chamberlain, a marginal major leaguer over the years, graded significantly higher than Clayton Kershaw (three-time NL Cy Young/2014 NL MVP) and Andrew McCutchen (2013 NL MVP).
And of the current rankings, catcher Christian Bethancourt has been slotted as the No. 77 overall player in the minors -- belying his can't-miss standing as the Braves' backstop of the future.
In Kubitza's case, it might be more beneficial to focus on a scintillating 2014 season at the Double-A level (Mississippi Braves), accounting for eight homers, 55 RBI, 76 runs, 21 steals, 31 doubles, a .295 batting average and .405 on-base percentage.
Of course, some MLB pundits might argue that a heralded 23-year-old prospect should post strong numbers at the Double-A level. Nevertheless, the physical tools are apparently easy to see:
"Scouts saw what I saw in this past Arizona Fall League. Kubitza has raw power, hits left-handed, has good size, and exhibits patience at the plate. And he can run. That's a nice set of skills for a third-base prospect." -- Bernie Pleskoff (MLB.com, February 2014)
But baseball is, above all, a billion-dollar enterprise supported by millions of fans. And among the sport's 30 general managers, their No. 1 obligation involves the annual construction of a highly competitive, bona fide major-league roster/organization.
In other words, if Hart and Co. feel the Braves can upgrade over Johnson at third base -- via free agency -- they should attack that strategy.
Of course, with Pablo Sandoval already signed and sealed with the Boston Red Sox (five years, reported $95 million), it would be hard to argue Chase Headley (13 cumulative homers, .243 batting with the Padres and Yankees last season) as a better long-term option (over Johnson) -- regardless of the 2017 dimensions for SunTrust Park (the Braves' soon-to-be new home).
The best avenue for positional improvement -- if such a plan exists -- would likely entail trading for the likes of Adrian Beltre (Rangers), Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals), Pedro Alvarez (Pirates), Todd Frazier (Reds) or Brett Lawrie (Blue Jays).
Or perhaps use a possible blockbuster trade with Justin Upton, an impending free agent next winter, to land an elite-level prospect at third base.
(For what it's worth, the Cubs, Rangers and Mariners, three potential landing spots for Upton, possess three of the top-4 prospects at the hot corner -- Kris Bryant, Joey Gallo and D.J. Peterson.)
But right here, right now, it's difficult to predict how things will shake out at the Winter Meetings; and by extension, it's impossible to forecast the composition of the Braves' 25- or even 40-man roster by mid-February (leading up to spring training).
Bottom line: Johnson knows he must show improvement from last year's tallies, including a woeful OPS rate (.653) and a career-high with ground-ball double plays (23).
Just like the Braves' front office understands that Phil Gosselin, Tyler Pastornicky and/or Elmer Reyes aren't built to last at third base, in the event of a substantial Johnson injury.
