Welcome to the first of a series of preview posts on the 2008 Atlanta Braves. Knowing what los Bravos have been using to succeed over the past 15 years, why not start with their starting pitching? If you want to get a good look inside who will be taking to the mound at Turner Field next month, you needn’t look further than their 2004 media guide. No, seriously, it’s close.
The foundation of the staff is the bearded workhorse better known as John Smoltz. Is there anything this guy hasn’t done for Bobby Cox? He was a third starter behind Glavine and Maddux for years, took to the bullpen to address closing issues a while back, and has since returned to take over the top spot in the rotation. Expect Smoltz to continue to be consistent in the high 90s and carry the experience of being a dominant NL pitcher. Any staff with Smoltz as #1 is off to a good start.
The dropoff in the number two man is evident but manageable. Tim Hudson has done his job since arriving in Atlanta. He is clearly not #1 material, but he is certainly a serviceable pitcher to follow up Smoltz. Good on Atlanta to not overwork him too much and turn him into something he isn’t. Hudson does best when he goes head to head against an opponent’s number two pitcher. This year in the division, he’ll line up opposite Pedro in New York and Brett Myers in Philly and he should be able to hold his own against the other elderly statesmen.
Here’s a blast from the past - Tom Glavine has returned on a one-year deal to step in as a solid number three guy. Glavine, while a shadow of his former self, will still be able to give you enough innings to get to your short relief and will do it with smart pitches and keeping hitters off balance. He won’t put up the innings that the top two guys will do, but that is workable when those two each usually get into the 7th and 8th innings. This is kind of a goodwill season for Glavine and he has enough pride and self-respect that he’ll make it a good one.
Hold the phone, is that Mike Hampton over there trying to throw on the sidelines? Disregard the fact that he hasn’t pitched a full season in four years. No, wait, you can’t disregard that. Hampton hasn’t pitched a major league inning since 2005 because of arm trouble and is attempting yet another comeback. This might seem more reasonable if Leo Mazzone, master of resurrection, were still in town (see: Denny Neagle), but all bets are off when it comes to Hampton this time around. He’s already running into small health obstacles in Florida so don’t rush out to be your Hampton 2008 replica Cy Young plaques just yet.
If Hampton can’t go and the Braves want to try to move on with what they have, expect the time of the 4th and 5th spots to be taken up by Jeff Bennett and Chuck James. James would give Atlanta another lefty after Glavine (remember that Hampton tries to throw with his left arm, too), while Bennett will just try to stay on the team. This guy has blown a few chances at being in the bigs (no contract renewal from Milwaukee, then failed physical in Atlanta) and was initially brought up in Milwaukee as a reliever. Long story short, if Hampton goes down and James continues to struggle, you can expect the powers that be to go find external help rather than drop Bennett off in the 4th spot.
For a team that has relied on pitching strength over the past 15 years, this year’s Atlanta Braves are certainly relying on a bit of nostalgia and a bit of plain luck. The heroes of last decade need to fit the billing once again, and their comeback kids need to stay healthy and stay in shape. This isn’t the best rotation in the division, but no staff with John Smoltz and Tim Hudson can be called the worst.
