THE BASICS
Home stadium:
18800 South West
Venice, FL 34293
Directions: From either north or south, take I-75 to North River Road (exit 191). Proceed south for 31⁄2 miles. Turn right on West Villages Parkway. Proceed 11⁄2 miles.
Information: 941-413-5000;
CoolToday Park, Villages Parkway, www.braves.com/spring
Prospect to watch: Cristian Pache, OF. Pache made big strides in 2019, hitting .277 with 12 home runs across Class AA and AAA. His plate patience improved without sacrificing contact or power, though his speed diminished and sits just above average at present. The 21year-old is a plus defender in center field.
Who’s closing?
Atlanta signed left-hander Will Smith, who saved 34 games for the Giants last season, to a three-year, $39 million deal this winter. But he may not be the man getting most of the reps in the ninth inning with righty Mark Melancon making $14 million.
They can try to mix and match. But considering the longer-term investment in Smith, at what point does a guy who took Melancon’s job in San Francisco become the full-time closer? He struck out 13.2 hitters per nine innings last season to Melancon’s 9.1.
Major League Baseball’s new rule requiring pitchers to face a minimum of three batters certainly puts a damper on any hopes of combining the two for a clean inning.
Is there enough depth?
Atlanta heads into spring training with Johan Camargo and Austin Riley expected to split time at third base, but having to deploy one of them in the starting lineup every day deals a blow to the team’s bench.
An injury to any of the Braves’ regulars would be a devastating blow, particularly in the infield. Ender Inciarte, a six-year veteran, is much better than your average fourth outfielder, but the three-time Gold Glover was limited to 65 games in 2019.
The Braves have been savvy enough to make depth moves in-season in each of the past two years, but the NL East is going to be substantially more competitive, and whether they can weather a storm of bad luck is going to be a big question.
– Jesse Yomtov