Atlanta Braves
2016: 68-93, fifth place. Manager: Brian Snitker (second season). He’s here: RHP Bartolo Colon, RHP R.A. Dickey, LHP Jaime Garcia, 2B Brandon Phillips, C Kurt Suzuki, OF Emilio Bonifacio, RHP Blaine Boyer. He’s outta here: OF Mallex Smith, C A.J. Pierzynski, RHP Shae Simmons, RHP Tyrell Jenkins, RHP Williams Perez, RHP Chris Withrow, RHP John Gant, RHP Ryan Weber, RHP Rob Whalen, LHP Andrew McKirahan.
Projected lineup: CF Ender Inciarte (.291, 3 HRs, 29 RBIs, 16 SBs, Gold Glove), SS Dansby Swanson (.302, 3, 17 in 38 games), 1B Freddie Freeman (.302, 34, 91, 30-game hitting streak), LF Matt Kemp (.268, 35, 108 with Dodgers and Braves), RF Nick Markakis (.269, 13, 89), 2B Brandon Phillips (.291, 11, 64, 14 SBs with Reds), 3B Adonis Garcia (.273, 14, 65), C Tyler Flowers (.270, 8, 41). Rotation: RH Julio Teheran (7-10, 3.21 ERA, selected to second All-Star Game), RH Bartolo Colon (15-8, 3.43 with Mets, selected to fourth All-Star Game), LH Jaime Garcia (10-13, 4.67 with Cardinals), RH R.A. Dickey (10-15, 4.46 with Blue Jays), RH Mike Foltynewicz (9-5, 4.31). Hot spot: Starting rotation. After a season in which 16 pitchers made starts and no one reached 10 victories, the Braves are gambling that the 43-year-old Colon and 42-year-old Dickey are still capable of winning games, burning up innings and providing stability. Atlanta will be the first team since the 1990 Texas Rangers to feature two 40-year-old starters. The injuryplagued Garcia was acquired from St. Louis to further bolster the shaky rotation, which will feature only two holdovers from 2016. Teheran is a two-time All-Star who pitched much better than his record indicated, while the hard-throwing Foltynewicz finished strong and finally began living up to his enormous potential. Outlook: After two straight seasons with 90-plus losses, the Braves are talking boldly about contending for a playoff spot in the NL East. That might be a bit of a stretch, but the team has clearly improved over the past year. General manager John Coppolella deserves credit for speeding up the rebuilding job by making several onesided trades, including a deal with Arizona that landed Swanson and Inciarte, as well as acquiring Kemp from San Diego for nothing more than taking on his massive contract. The team seemed much more at ease after rookie manager Snitker took over for Fredi Gonzalez early in the season, sparking a 50-47 run over the final 97 games. Snitker, at 61, is one of the oldest first-time managers in baseball history but seems well-suited for the job. The lineup packs some punch with Kemp sandwiched between Freeman and Markakis, especially with Phillips coming over in a trade that brings him back to the city where he grew up. Pitching holds the key to how well the Braves fare this season, especially the geriatric rotation. The Braves should also get a boost from moving into their new suburban stadium, SunTrust Park, which replaces Turner Field.