Eastern teams are improving, and while the Braves would appear to be better on paper, there are still several things that will have to come together to defend the Divisional crown.
A lot of things went right for the 2018 edition of the Atlanta Braves, no doubt. That will be the case again in 2019 since three of their rivals have taken steps to improve their own lot.
In fact, it is because of the fact that Washington, Philadelphia, and New York aren’t standing pat that make it quite plausible that this 2019 Braves team could be better and still not make the playoffs.
Here are some keys that will be an important part of the season to come if Atlanta is to overcome – and hopefully overwhelm – these other clubs.
10. It starts at the top
If plans are executed as we’ve been led to believe, the Atlanta Braves will have an opening day lineup that leads off with three consecutive hitters that are all capable of winning an MVP trophy.
That’s a bold statement, but it’s also not much of a reach, either. Here’s the credentials of each:
- Ronald Acuna, Jr. winner of the 2018 NL Rookie of the Year trophy. 3.7 fWAR in 111 games (scales up to 5.3 over 700 PA, which would have been 5th in the NL). Was getting better as the season progressed.
- Josh Donaldson. Already owns an MVP trophy.
- Freddie Freeman. Would have been the MVP of the National League had it been awarded at the All-Star break. Finished 6th in the NL in fWAR (5.2).
The key within the key, of course, is Donaldson. If he’s truly healthy, then he has the capability of putting up some silly numbers: 3 times, he’s exceeded 7-WAR seasons. Two other times he’s been over 5.0. If he’s even doing just the latter, that’s still 3 big bats in a row… given the pitching presence of this Division, that will be important.
But what’s more interesting about Donaldson is that there could be more to his game that could still be unlocked… at least that’s what Coach Wash believes.
What you’ll see below is a link to a radio interview Ron Washington gave recently in which he talked about Donaldson and some things that he and the team have apparently picked up on about his defensive play… which already hadn’t been shabby by any means.
#Braves 3B Coach Ron Washington thinks Josh Donaldson is a "winning player," but believes they can help him take his game to another level. pic.twitter.com/6EuarmHqri
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) December 29, 2018
In fact, during the 2013-15 seasons, Donaldson’s third base play was just about as good as it gets. In 2016 that rating slipped a bit, more so in 2017.
2018 doesn’t really count since he was hurt, but if Wash thinks that they can get him back up to any level even approaching his 2013-15 defensive prowess, then we’re all going to be in for a treat.
Think that can’t be done? Well you only need to look at the dramatic turnaround in Dansby Swanson‘s defense from 2018 to 2018 for a clue… Washington’s instruction is clearly of benefit to anyone willing to work hard.