Bleacher ReportMLB Teams Poised to Take Big Leaps Forward This Offseason
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves will soon be dangerous. The only question is whether they need more time.
..the Braves rank second in Bleacher Report's farm rankings. They since opened the doors to Ozzie Albies, who hit .286/.354/.456 with 1.9 WAR in 57 games. He should spend 2018 atop the batting order alongside Ender Inciarte and Freddie Freeman.
Dansby Swanson inspired similar optimism last year...[and] one subpar season is not enough to discard a highly regarded 23-year-old shortstop.
Will Ronald Acuna be ready to join them? Although he's only 19, he may quickly outgrow the minors after batting .325/.374/.522 with 21 homers and 44 steals in Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A. Perhaps it's unfair to expect anything from the outfielder next year, but he carries game-changing potential.
The Braves can more reasonably expect contributions from young pitchers Luiz Gohara and Sean Newcomb.
Kolby Allard and Mike Soroka could earn midseason promotions after finding 2017 success in Double-A. A bounce-back campaign from Julio Teheran, who posted a 2.79 ERA in his final nine starts, would pay major dividends.
With so much young talent waiting in the wings, the Braves won't need to make any major offseason splashes. They might anyway.
Rather than taking a typical rebuilding path, they have acquired the likes of Nick Markakis, Matt Kemp, R.A. Dickey, Bartolo Colon and Brandon Phillips in recent years. Linked to Jose Quintana and Sonny Gray in July, they may resume their quest for a front-line starter.
After progressing from 67 to 68 to 72 wins in the last three years, they could spend another season or two gradually improving before the prospects mature and Markakis and Kemp leave the payroll. Don't be surprised if they seek a quicker path back to contention.
2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
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2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
- Jamaaliver
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2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
Re: 2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
- Jamaaliver
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Re: 2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
What should we expect for next season? Optimism abounds!!
Re: 2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
- Nemesis21
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Re: 2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
Doubtful. I expect a season similar to the last two.
Re: 2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
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Re: 2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
Looking forward to the ML development of Acuna and Albies (2 future all-stars), the young pitchers, and hopefully Swanson. Really, 3B is the only position that's not set for next season. We'll have to wait and see what they do about it. A .500 season is possible - depending on what they do in the offseason and how quickly Acuna and the young pitchers develop. If Acuna isn't ready, we got problems.
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Re: 2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
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Re: 2018 Braves set for Breakout Season?
When this all started 2017 was the goal for contention, then that got moved back to 2018, and now it's possibly 2019? I've had enough of this rebuild and meaningless games in September.
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