House That Hank Built
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Atlanta Braves are finally escaping a bad trend in baseball

By Alan Carpenter

jays v BOSTON, MA - JULY 29: Koji Uehara #19 of the Boston Red Sox walks by the American League East standings before a game with the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on July 29, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
jays v BOSTON, MA - JULY 29: Koji Uehara #19 of the Boston Red Sox walks by the American League East standings before a game with the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on July 29, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 26: Jose Constanza #13 of the Atlanta Braves slides safely across homeplate in the third inning against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field on September 26, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 26: Jose Constanza #13 of the Atlanta Braves slides safely across homeplate in the third inning against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field on September 26, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

So it… Works?

The Atlanta Braves have been lucky enough – if that’s the phrase we’d choose – to be one the next series of teams in line that have found their way to the basement and are now looking for the penthouse.

I say this because what we’re seeing happen in major league baseball now is a little scary.

Teams are now choosing – in higher numbers – to go the route of the “tear-down rebuild”.  In effect, it is a sabotage of their club for the purpose of gaining higher draft picks while trading away any viable asset to garner viable prospects from clubs that want help toward a playoff run.

This year, the evidence is hard to ignore:

TEAMS ON PACE FOR 100 WINS:

  • Yankees
  • Red Sox
  • Diamondbacks (nearly so)
  • Astros (nearly so)
  • Braves (nearly so)

TEAMS ON PACE FOR 90+ WINS

  • Phillies
  • Nationals
  • Cardinals
  • Pirates
  • Cubs
  • Brewers
  • Angels
  • Mariners
  • (Rockies on pace for 89)

TEAMS ON PACE FOR 100 LOSSES

  • Padres
  • Reds
  • Marlins
  • Orioles (I don’t think this was intentional, but…)
  • Royals
  • White Sox
  • Rangers (nearly so)

So even at this point of the year, that really looks like 13 teams vying for the 10 available playoff spots, with 7 clubs already completely out of the picture… and it’s only May 13.

There aren’t even that many teams ‘in the middle’ as these lists account for 20 of the 30 MLB clubs.  There are simply a lot of “haves” and “have nots” right now.

Maybe the Mets and Dodgers might be able to get their acts together and make a run.  Maybe the Giants, too, though it’s still hard to figure them out.  Each of these clubs has problems, though.

Toronto?  Not likely, given who they are trailing.  Detroit?  They were supposed to be rebuilding themselves, but only look good because Cleveland is leading with a .500 record in the AL Central.  Oakland?  Another team in the wrong division.

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