Maybe it’s ironic that this is podcast #5 of the year as the Atlanta Braves fight(?) to bring back their own number 5.
Today is March 12 and the Atlanta Braves will be playing Grapefruit League baseball in less than a week.
But will that happen with a familiar face patrolling first base?
That’s the big question still lingering right now (and I’m typing furiously fast in the hopes that the answer isn’t apparent before anyone has a chance to read this… or listen to the podcast).
But while we await some news about the fate of Freddie Freeman, there are definitely things about the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that are worth discussing, and that’s the topic of the bulk of this week’s podcast.
The designated hitter is now officially universal. The National League is effectively no longer distinct from the AL in holding on to the last vestige of traditional baseball where 9 fielders and 9 hitters are all the same people.
That said, the Atlanta Braves are probably better situated than most NL clubs in that they already have enough sluggers that can occupy — or be rotated through — that DH role.
The real problems that the Braves will be facing early on in this 2022 season, however, involve these concerns:
- When does Charlie Morton return?
- When does Ronald Acuna return?
- Will their pitching hold up under a short Spring?
- Where do they get left-handed hitting (even if they do get Freeman back)?
- Who plays center field?
We expect the next few days to see answers to some of these questions, but the days are decidedly short before the new season begins, and that means a flurry of decisions have to be made… quickly.
But clearly… all of that pales to whether Atlanta can hold off Los Angeles for the rights to their All-Star first baseman.
So with that… here’s the podcast:
- Direct download link
- Here’s the inline player provided for your convenience:
… and as always, there’s also the option to grab this from your favorite podcast subscription site.
Keep track this weekend and over the next few days, though: a lot of changes are definitely in store and the Atlanta Braves have a lot of work to get done.