At 4:10pm Eastern Standard Time, Tim Hudson will take the mound, and the Atlanta Braves will begin their march to a 15th consecutive division title.
I know the Mets look good.
I know the Braves look young (and old)...
Time will tell.
If McCann, Francoer, and Langerhans can hit, and Boyer, McBride, Davies, and James can pitch, we're going to be okay.
Hudson and Smoltz at the top of the rotation is ++, followed by Horatio Ramierez, Kyle Davies, and Jorge Sosa will be adequate.
It will be interesting to see how Marcus Giles handles leading off. He is not a base stealer, but he hits a lot of doubles, which is just as good as a walk & steal, or single & steal.
The other cog of interest is Edgar Renteria. How does he fit into the middle infield? Do he and Giles have the same chemistry that Giles and Furcal had? Does he make 30 errors or 12? Does he hit .274 with 76 rbis or does hit hit .310 with 100 runs/rbis?
Does Roger McDowell have what it takes to fill Leo's shoes in the pitching coach role? The young guys have really taken to him, partially because they were all so intimidated by Leo. Smoltz and the other veterans seem to have a respect for Leo, while also expressing excitement about getting some fresh ideas. One thing is for sure, you can still expect plenty of "low and away" from the Braves staff this year.
Perhaps the biggest issue is who closes games. Does Chris Reitsma have what it takes to be a MLB closer? We've seen some pretty random guys step up and have great years in that role in the past. Look at Todd Jones in Florida last year. If not, we have the luxory of at least two guys who could step up and do that job. Oscar Villareal, who will start the season as the Braves top set-up man, and Joey Devine, who will start the year at AAA Richmond. Don't expect him to be there long. Also of note in the bullpen, John Thompson has made the move down to being a reliever. He has had some elbow pains, and for all we know, this could be the next Dennis Eckersly (or John Smoltz), a starter who makes a great transition to closing baseball games. Thompson has said that he likes the idea of relif work, because he can throw at full strength for shorter periods of time, and focus on getting just the outs he needs, instead of pitch counts. Sounds like a candidate to get a chance at closing if Reitsma gets hurt, or can't perform.
Off the bench, we've got the relaible bats of Wilson Bettimet (S), Pete Orr (L), Brian Jordan (R), Todd Pratt (R), and Matt Diaz (R). Diaz and Jones will platton at 1st base with Adam Laroche. Laroche should get his first opporunity to play every day this year, beacuse he has shown an improved ability to hit lefties. Orr and Betimet will fill gaps at 3B, SS, and 2B, while all 5 are capable of playing the outfield.
Of course you know what you'll get from the Jones boys. A combination of at least 50 HR, 200 RBI, 200 Runs, 20 SB, and outstanding defense. Not bad for a group of old men (Chipper is 34, Andruw is 28).
Lineup:1. Marcus Giles - 2B
2. Edgar Renteria - SS
3. Chipper Jones - 3B
4. Andruw Jones - CF
5. Jeff Francouer - RF
6. Adam LaRoche -1B
7. Brian McCann - C
8. Ryan Langerhans - LF
Rotation:1. Tim Hudson
2. John Smoltz
3. Horatio Ramierez
4. Kyle Davies
5. Jorge Sosa
Bullpen:Makay McBride (R)
Chuck James (L)
Mike Remlinger (L)
Oscar Villareal (R)
Chris Reitsma (R)
Lance Cormier (R)
John Tompson (R)
Blaine Boyer (R)
Bench:Wilson Betiment - Utility Infielder
Pete Orr - Utility Infielder/Emergency Catcher
Matt Diaz - Utility Outfielder
Todd Pratt - Catcher/First Base
Brian Jordan - Utility Outfielder/First Base
Three games in LA, then three games in SF, then its home next monday to start our regular season.
Stay Tuned...
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