Atlanta Braves: 5 Bold Predictions for 2020
Opening Day is coming fast and furious and it is time to look ahead to five bold predictions for the upcoming Atlanta Braves season.
I wrote the same piece about the Atlanta Braves in 2019 and you know what, the predictions were not that bad.
They were:
1. The Braves would have two players finish in the top five of the MVP race.
Reality: Ronald Acuna Jr. finished fifth, while Freddie Freeman finished eighth.
2. No starting pitcher would be traded for.
Reality: So this is actually true in that the Braves did not trade for a starting pitcher. However…they did sign Dallas Keuchel during the season.
3. A big-time bullpen piece would be added.
Reality: While he has struggled this spring, Shane Greene was an All-Star last season, so that counts as a big time bullpen piece to me. Also, if you factor in Mark Melancon and Chris Martin, the bullpen significantly improved at the trade deadline.
4. The Braves would get four All-Stars: Ronald Acuna, Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies and…Sean Newcomb. SEAN NEWCOMB?!
Reality: Well this was fun to look back on. The Braves only had three All-Stars (Acuna, Freeman and Mike Soroka). Picking Newcomb was indeed bold, but after that 2018 season, it was optimistic to think he’d take a step forward in 2019. And he may have, but he wasn’t really given much of a chance and he was needed more in the bullpen.
5. The Braves would not win the NL East, but rather earn one of the two wild card spots.
Reality: See below
So all in all, it was a decent set of predictions. There was nothing too crazy or out there, minus Sean Newcomb. For this year, I tried to be as realistic, yet as bold as possible.
Like last year, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
5. The first top prospect to be called up is…
Most believe that because of his elite defense and continued improvement at the plate, Cristian Pache will be the first of the Braves’ top prospects to be promoted to the big leagues in 2019.
But to me, Ian Anderson will be the first prospect to make his debut in Atlanta and it will happen before the All-Star Game.
Anderson, who is ranked No. 44 on Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list, did struggle in his brief stint at Triple-A last season (1-2, 6.57), but he was very impressive at Double-A (7-5, 2.83).
Once he adjusts at Gwinnett, and I fully expect that to happen early, then he will be in Atlanta.
Yes, there is Kyle Wright and Bryse Wilson—two organization top 10 prospects—who will get a shot, but if Anderson impresses like predicted, it seems difficult for the Braves to keep him down for long.
For the record, Pache will undoubtedly make his debut in Atlanta this season and probably close to as early as Anderson, but it really all depends on how Ender Inciarte performs in center and if he can stay healthy.
Whether it’s Anderson or Pache or another prospect, there is going to be plenty of young talent making their way to Truist Park this summer.
4. A big trade is finally coming…but for what position?
It seems like we have been waiting on a big trade involving the Atlanta Braves and their deep stable of prospects for two years now.
Whether it was Christian Yelich, J.T. Realmuto or Kris Bryant, the Braves have always been attached to the biggest names on the market because of the quality and quantity of the their farm system.
Well the time will finally come this summer.
The big question is what position will be added?
Assuming injuries do not play a major part in the equation, there are really only five positions that seemed locked up: first base, second base, and all three outfield spots.
It is also probably a safe assumption that the bullpen is in good shape, too, and based on my previous prediction of Ian Anderson making his debut this summer, the rotation is probably safe as well, for the sake of this exercise.
This summer the Atlanta Braves will trade for…
Dansby Swanson has long been a fan-favorite (me included), but it’s put up or shut up time for the former No. 1 draft pick.
Related Story. Make or break time for these 5 players. light
Being able to add a talent like Lindor to an already potent lineup would be appetizing to Alex Anthopoulos and company.
Drew Waters would assuredly be part of the deal and Swanson, too, along with much more. It’s a lot, but it would be worth it to land a player like Lindor.
3. Freddie Freeman has the best season of his career
He is finally healthy and he has motivation from last season’s NLDS.
Freddie Freeman is poised to have the best season of his career, which is scary considering how good he has been already.
His best season so far was 2016 when he hit .302 with 34 home runs and 91 runs batted in. He had 6.5 WAR that year en route to finishing sixth in the MVP race.
Don’t forget he did that on a team that lost 90-plus games.
Steamer projects Freeman to hit .293 with 33 homers, 98 driven in, and 4.2 WAR, but those numbers, while very good, seem low to me in this stacked Braves lineup.
I think Freeman will get to 40 homers and over 100 driven in, while batting above .300. Also, while putting up these impressive numbers, he will also be in the mix for a Gold Glove again. He last won the Gold Glove in 2018.
It remains to be seen if Marcell Ozuna can match the protection Josh Donaldson gave Freeman in the lineup, but it would be foolish to think otherwise.
With Ozzie Albies presumably batting in the two-hole and Ozuna batting fourth, Freeman is in the ideal spot to have a monster season.
Freeman’s bold prediction leads me to my next prediction.
2. The Braves will have not one, but two players in the top five of the MVP voting
Dang it, I’m going to get this right this time. Freddie Freeman was 16 percent of the votes away last season from the Braves having two top five candidates last season.
This year, with Freeman’s projected career year and the continued accent by Ronald Acuna Jr., the Braves getting two top-five MVPs seems more realistic than ever.
You saw Steamer’s projection of Freeman in the previous slide. They project Acuna to hit 37 home runs and drive in 94, while hitting .283 with a 4.5 WAR. Oh, and just 29 stolen bases.
These numbers also seem low to me.
If healthy, it seems plausible to me that Acuna gets to the 40-40 mark. In fact, recently Acuna made the comment that he is shooting for a 50-50 season.
Now that seems a bit far-fetched, but 40-40 is a very realistic target.
There are few, if any, better duos in baseball than Acuna and Freeman and this season could be the beginning of a three to four-year stretch where both are high atop the MVP voting.
While I don’t think either wins, I will go with Freeman finishing third in the voting and Acuna finishing fifth. Co-MVPs would be pretty cool too.
1. The Braves don’t win the NL East, but…
The National League is loaded, and yes, that is a statement of the obvious.
The Nationals are the defending champions, the Phillies and Mets could both be playoff teams, and the Marlins are even getting better with young talent on the way.
So it is not crazy to think that one of four teams can win the division, and I think it will be the Nationals who get it done.
The division standings might a look something like this:
1. Nationals
2. Braves
3. Mets
4. Phillies
5. Marlins
But that is not to say the Braves cannot and will not make any noise despite not winning the division.
In fact, the Braves will not win the division but will defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in the wild card game and then defeat the Nationals in the divisional round, before losing to the Dodgers in the NLCS.
Look, the Braves are going to win a lot of games, but in four of the past five years, the top wild card team won at least 93 games and the Braves will definitely do the same.
dark. Next. 3B race heating up
Winning a playoff series is a must this season. While getting to and winning a World Series is always the goal, taking a necessary step forward is crucial.