Braves Question #4

2011 MLB Season Preview

Biggest questions for the Braves:

4. Can the Braves defense be better than it is on paper, and if not, can the Braves make the playoffs?

It only took about 10 seconds for the questions to come after Atlanta traded for Dan Uggla. Is
Uggla’s bat good enough to offset his glove? The 2011 Braves are cursed by the end of the season struggles of the 2010 Braves.

From September 20 through the end of the Giants series, the Braves played 16 games. In those 16 games, they committed 20 errors. They committed errors in only 11 of the 16 games down the stretch. They lost 8 of the 11 games in which they committed errors. Their record when they didn’t commit errors, 4-1.

Let’s take a look at just the series with the Giants. The Braves committed 2 errors in game one and lost. The Braves were error free in game two and won. Of course the Braves lost both game three and game four in Atlanta, and in those two games, they committed 5 errors. I don’t think it is too much to say that the defense, and the defense alone, was the reason the Braves did not advance in October.

Looking ahead to 2011, the defense is again a huge problem. Alex Gonzalez was mediocre at best defensively after being traded to the Braves. Dan Uggla is not strong defensively, he committed 18 errors last season with Florida. Martin Prado will be playing left-field for the first time, it is hard to believe that he will be strong defensively. However, he has received rave reviews so far during spring training for his work in the outfield. Chipper is coming off knee surgery, and had lost a step at third even before the surgery. McCann isn’t a great defensive catcher, but Fredi Gonzalez says he believes that McCann can be a great defensive catcher if he works on his release. McLouth looks like he has won the centerfield job, but last season he lost a step on defense. He has looked better this spring, but if his offense slips again, it will be interesting to see if his defense slips as well. So that leaves only the two young guns to count on defensively. With a combined age of 41, they are just two years older than Chipper. Let’s hope for the Braves’ sake that Heyward can play the entire outfield, and Freeman can catch everything that Gonzalez throws in his general direction.

Even with the questions surrounding the defense, I believe the Braves improved enough on offense to still make the playoffs. However, once they get to the playoffs, the defense could cost them again.

At the end of 2011, we may well look back and say that not addressing the defensive deficiencies of this team was Frank Wren’s biggest mistake.