2017 Atlanta Braves go to WAR…fWAR that is!
By Ryan Cothran
"MATT KEMP says to shove your fWAR where the sun don’t shine!"
Yes, the 2016 Atlanta Braves season ended well for the fans with a revamped lineup, some timely hitting, and overall, some pretty great pitching. However, let’s not gloss over that 2016 season with a honey glazed 30-game sample size as the 68-93 Braves were, overall, a forgettable team as it finished the year with an overall fWAR of 18.9.
But this is 2017! And with a new park, a new year, and some brand spankin’ new prospects ready to show their stuff, it should be a season to be proud of for the rebuilding Atlanta Braves.
I put out a tweet the other day regarding fWAR projections for the 2017 season, and let’s just say they’re not very friendly.
We advanced fans know fWAR’s beef with players like Nick Markakis, who doesn’t do anything spectacularly yet does everything pretty well. Or even Matt Kemp, who butchers the outfield but sure can swing a stick. Or even Julio Teheran, who consistently defies Fangraphs advanced metrics to put up good numbers year after year.
But before I get too deep into my beef with these predictions, let’s see what Fangraphs has envisioned for the 2017 Atlanta Braves.