House That Hank Built
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Atlanta Braves chat session: an early outlook for the 2019 season

By Alan Carpenter

Dansby Swanson of the Atlanta Braves hits a 9th inning RBI sacrifice bunt against the Giants in 2018. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
Dansby Swanson of the Atlanta Braves hits a 9th inning RBI sacrifice bunt against the Giants in 2018. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 14: Josh Donaldson #27 of the Cleveland Indians hits a solo home run to tie the game during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on September 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 14: Josh Donaldson #27 of the Cleveland Indians hits a solo home run to tie the game during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on September 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

2nd Question

What are the expectations of Josh Donaldson and what are the chances he is with the team in 2020?

Okay, I’ve said my ‘doom and gloom’ bit… let’s look at the optimistic side of things now.

Donaldson is a cornerstone-level player… for all of the fans in Braves Country who wanted to sign Bryce Harper, this is ‘Bryce Harper+’.

When healthy, Donaldson will make Harper look like a replacement-level player (I’m only half-kidding)… and there’s the hope:  that we’ll see the real Donaldson, who came into camp sounding like a guy with something to prove.

Frankly, while the Braves only got him for a single season, I would like to have seen a year-plus-option deal.  Sure, we have Austin Riley coming, but this guy is a former league MVP.

The chances of him sticking around are quite low – he has never had his ‘big payday’ and a big year could command $25-30m… even at age 34.  Getting a multi-year pact beyond 2 years may be tough for him, but he’s clearly got 5+ WAR makeup without even blinking.

But if there’s any chance of making that happen, it would be with Anthopoulos … after a winning year.

Beyond that, think about our lineup:  Acuna Jr, Donaldson, Freeman.  Markakis or one of the catchers is liable to be the #4, but there’s a group who could put crooked numbers on the board in a hurry.

If this Top 3 all hit in the .280-.310 range (quite plausible), then even the studly pitching of the NL East is going to have trouble slowing down this offense.

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