2010 Atlanta Braves MLB Predictions

Written by Jack Jones

The Atlanta Braves have produced winning teams in 17 of the past 19 seasons. They had been to 14 straight postseasons, but have failed to reach baseball in October the past four years. Atlanta went 86-76 for the 2009 season, but a lack of run support for a pitching staff that ranked third in the majors with a 3.57 ERA kept them out of the postseason. Manager Bobby Cox, 68, has announced that 2010 will be his last season as a head man in the league. So the Braves don’t need any more motivation than what’s in front of them right now, and they’ll need their line-up to produce more runs this season if Atlanta is to take down the NL East in 2010. MLB lines show the Braves projected win total at 86.5.

Pitching:

After ranking third in the majors with a 3.57 ERA, the Braves are set up to be dominant once again this season when it comes to their pitching staff. But trading Javier Vasquez to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera and a couple prospects will certainly hurt their starting rotation, though this is still a very deep starting staff. Tim Hudson returned from Tommy John surgery late last year, and he’ll become the No. 1 start in 2010. Hudson has finished with a 3.61 ERA or better for three straight seasons. Tommy Hanson gets the No. 2 role after an impressive rookie campaign in which he went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA. He has all the tools to be one of the best starters in the league for years to come. Jair Jurrjens came backed up an excellent 2008 in which he went 13-10 with a 3.68 ERA to post a 14-10 record with a 2.60 ERA in 2009. Derek Lowe saw a dip in production last season, going 15-10 with a 4.67 ERA, but he’s an innings-eater and has pitched at least 194 innings each of the past 3 years. Kenshin Kawakami was a victim of poor run support in his rookie ‘09 season, going 7-12 with a 3.86 ERA. This is still one of the best staffs in the league from top to bottom. Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito were signed in the offseason to help close out games. Though the two are a combined 78 years old, they struck out 78 batters in 71.1 innings last season. Wagner finished with a 1.72 ERA and Saito with a 2.43 ERA. Peter Moylan is also a superb set-up man, going 6-2 with a 2.84 ERA last season.

Hitting:

Catcher Brian McCann is one of he best in the business at his position, averaging 21 HR’s and 91 RBI’s in his first four seasons in Atlanta. Veteran 1B Troy Glaus comes over from the Cardinals and the Braves would love for him to return to his 2008 form in which he hit .270 with 27 HR’s and 99 RBI’s with St. Louis. Glaus is coming off shoulder surgery. 2B Martin Prado was a pleasant surprise last year, hitting .307 for the Braves in 450 at-bats. 3B Chipper Jones is coming off his worst season since his rookie year, hitting just .264 in 2009. But he hit .337 and .364 in 2007 and ‘08 respectively, and still could have another solid year in him if he can stay healthy. SS Yunel Escobar started to finally live up to his potential last year, hitting .299 with 14 HR’s, 76 RBI’s and 89 Runs scored. The outfield is set up to features Matt Diaz in right, Nate McLouth in center and Melky Cabrera in left. But there’s no question baseball’s top prospect Jason Heyward will work his way into the starting line-up either shortly after Opening Day, or to start the season. He’ll likely replace Diaz, though he is coming off a season in which he hit .313 with 13 HR’s and 58 RBI’s in just 371 at-bats. McClouth hit just .256 last season, but he did top the 20-HR plateau for a second straight year. Cabrera hit .274 with 13 HR’s, 68 RBI’s and 66 Runs scored with the Yankees last season. Heyward could be the best player on this team once he gets his shot in 2010, and he’ll be a huge addition to this struggling line-up.

Jack’s Prediction: 2nd in the NL East and OVER 86.5 Wins – The Phillies are the cream of the crop in this division once again, signing Roy Halladay to replace Cliff Lee. They have one of the best line-ups in baseball, and Atlanta cannot score enough runs to keep up with Philadelphia in this division. The Braves are getting closer with Heyward coming on this season, and the additions of Glaus and Cabrera to help out their line-up. They also have one of the deepest starting rotations in the league. Atlanta will be highly motivated playing this season for their manager, Bobby Cox. But I cannot get myself to pick them to finish ahead of the Phillies, though I could easily see them winning the Wild Card and surpassing their projected win total of 86.5 in 2010.

Archived Season Previews:

2009
2008

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