Personal Opinion: At this point, I’m not sure what the Braves should do, but what I do know is that anything to improve the team this year should not jeopardize future years, no matter if it’s buying or selling.
Atlanta Braves Offensive numbers, the Infield
When Freddie Freeman is in the lineup, the Braves are incorporating platoons at 3b, LF, and somewhat at catcher (although A.J. Pierzynski has been getting the majority of the starts). Let’s take a look at the stats, starting with the infield, to determine which position the Braves should be in the market to upgrade.
Atlanta Braves Catchers
A.J. Pierzynski- .802 OPS against RHP
Ryan Lavarnway– .745 OPS against LHP
Upgrade at Catcher? For this year, no. If the Braves can trade a young starting pitcher for a stud catcher in the offseason, that would be ideal.
Atlanta Braves First Baseman
Freddie Freeman- .887 overall OPS
Upgrade at First Base? Ummm…no.
Atlanta Braves Second Baseman
Jace Peterson– .687 overall OPS (however .551 OPS against LHP. Yikes!)
Upgrade at Second Base? No…sort of. Jace plays great defense at 2nd base and has hit a swoon lately. He’ll be fine and needs to be given starts. However, keep this in mind: Jose Peraza has an .853 OPS against LHP at AAA.
Atlanta Braves Shortstop
Andrelton Simmons– .654 overall OPS.
Upgrade at Shortstop? Unless you’d like to see the Braves pitchers’ ERA’s go up by a half run/9, the hard and fast answer is NOT ON YOUR LIFE.
Atlanta Braves Third Basemen
Juan Uribe– overall .853 OPS
Chris Johnson against LHP- .883 OPS
Upgrade at Third Base? If you can find a 3b that can OPS in the mid-.800s, secure the position for a few years, then the answer is yes. That’s a tall drink of bourbon, though.
Overall Evaluation: If the Braves are serious about competing this year, the most logical move would be to have Jace Peterson split time with Jose Peraza at 2nd base and sell high on Pedro Ciriaco, who is likely playing the best baseball he’ll ever see. Personally, I don’t like this move as I think Jace needs to learn to adjust to LHP.
Click next to see the OF breakdown