Hindsight 2014: Could we have seen this Disaster Coming?
Atlanta Braves catcher Evan Gattis (24). Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Yeah, they won 96 last year, but didn’t they need improvement?
This was the third-best in all of baseball!
So let’s rewind: what was everybody talking about over the previous off-season?
- The lack of a true Ace pitcher
- Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton (discussed later)
- Would Chris Johnson regress?
- How would Evan Gattis handle 100+ games?
- Can we extend some of these kids we’ve got?
There truly wasn’t a lot of buzz over offense. Recall that of all teams in baseball, the Braves had the second-most injuries in 2013 (by a single DL Day). It is reasonable to have thought that the offense could improve simply by being more healthy. Besides, when you win 96, you typically ‘tinker’ around the edges – you don’t need to do big things.
- It was assumed that Brian McCann would bolt for greener pastures. Gattis’ bat would fill that gap, we believed (it has); the biggest concern for him was the increased playing time and his defense.
- Reports suggested that the team was interested in a big-name pitcher, but nothing was ever close. Multiple reports suggested that the farm system would be thrashed if they had tried.