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Atlanta Braves’ September Outlook: 5 Things to Watch For

By Alan Carpenter

Aug 7, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski (15) looks on as his team plays the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. The Braves won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 7, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski (15) looks on as his team plays the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. The Braves won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 7, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski (15) looks on as his team plays the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. The Braves won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 7, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski (15) looks on as his team plays the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. The Braves won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

2.  The Ends of Their Lines?

There were a bunch of “stop-gap” players brought in this season in an effort to …. well, keep from losing 100 games this season.  That may come down to the wire (an attainable 13-16 is required the rest of the way), but certainly the vets still with us are trying to “give the team a finish” as the Summer wears on.

  • A.J. Pierzynski.  As good as A.J. was in 2015 (.300), he’s just clearly running on fumes now and was given 2 weeks off to recharge a bit.  He will be 40 years old after Christmas and he’s had a long and productive major league career. 19 seasons as a catcher.  15 years with 100+ game appearances.   Lifetime .280 hitter, 188 homers and 909 RBI.  Well done, sir.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:  I hope that whenever his last plate appearance happens… hopefully in October on the last day of the season… the Turner Field faithful will give him a proper send-off on behalf of Braves Country, plus absent Twins and White Sox fans that he honored with excellent play for so many years.

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  • Gordon Beckham. It is a fairly safe call to expect that Beckham will also be finished with Atlanta at the end of this year. Beckham is hitting .220 after .209 in 2015 and .226 in 2014. The defense is okay, the confidence is good, but despite a few heroic hits here and there, his production just isn’t good. 2017 looks to see an infield of Ozzie Albies and Jace Peterson with perhaps a side of d’Arnaud here and there.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:   Not so much now as at the end of the year.  Beckham likely will not retire as he turns 30 this month, but it could be difficult for him to latch on elsewhere for 2017.  Might have to settle for a role-player situation.

  • Anthony Recker.  This is a tough one, and depending on circumstances, Recker could be back in 2017… though most likely it would be as a primary backstop for Gwinnett.  But as well as he’s supported the Braves this season (.279/.392/.443 with above-average defense), Anthony just turned 33 himself (I know – he looks like he’s about 26).

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:  Again, this will be an off-season thing, but watch for key free agent catchers and where they land.  Atlanta will need to be aggressive early to pick up a better target to be their #1 catcher for 2017.  In the meantime, appreciate what Recker has been bringing to the team this year.

  • Adonis Garcia.  He’s been much better lately, but over the full season, that translates to “replacement level”.  Hard to know how this position will shake out, given the lack of third base supply.  There’s a report this morning that the Dodgers will be going in strong in an effort to retain 4 key free-agents-to-be, including 3B Justin Turner, who has certainly been the most productive of the available lot.  The Braves have some other options, but few give you a warm-fuzzy feeling of positive WAR production for next season.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:  How strong does Garcia finish and will that effort by good enough to get him a full-time gig for next season… whether at SunTrust or somewhere else?

Next: Finishing Strong

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