House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves – contenders or pretenders

By Fred Owens

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 28: Nick Markakis #22 of the Atlanta Braves hits a home run during the second inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on April 28, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 28: Nick Markakis #22 of the Atlanta Braves hits a home run during the second inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on April 28, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves third baseman Ryan Flaherty was having a great start to the season. The Jose Bautista arrived
ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 18: Third baseman Ryan Flaherty #27 of the Atlanta Braves swings during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at SunTrust Park on April 18, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /

Not so good

The flip side of that is the third base situation created by the forced addition of Jose Bautista at the expense of Ryan Flaherty. When Bautista took his place, Flaherty  led the league in hitting and played above average defense.

Neither I or anyone else suggests that Flaherty would have kept that up all season. At the same time no one expected Chris Johnson’s 2013 pursuit of the batting title.

Bautista’s 156/.270/.375/.645 line with 11 strikeouts in 37 PA is second worst on the team to Charlie Culberson. He’s a been a black hole in the lineup and on defense.

Johan Camargo’s bat didn’t return from his rehab assignment with him. His .200/.333/.382/.715 line is third worst on the team and he hasn’t hit the ball hard. Camargo’s defense hasn’t suffered so far making his lineup place easier to understand.

The Bench

Bench players have generally done what bench players should do. Be ready to play everyday and play well. Preston Tucker’s done that in spades. Flaherty took his demotion well and played well when called on as has Charlie Culberson.

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