The Atlanta Braves have proved the experts right, taking first place in the National League East. They dominate at home, so Braves tickets at Turner Field are almost guaranteed to be seats for a win. The Braves are not the same team on the road, as so often is the case. This is a team likely to win out the 2010 MLB season in the NL East and fall way short in the postseason.
Why? Because the Atlanta Braves record is inflated by a 30-10 record at home. A playoff team can take a couple games away, so if the Braves lose home field advantage and this team is forced to win on the road, what happens?
That is a long way off though. The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are still within a good couple of weeks of knocking the Braves off their pedestal. This team needs to continue to make the most out of a limited offense and hope the pitching does not see its numbers inflate as the humidity builds and the elevated the flight path of the ball out of the Turner Field.
The Braves offensive limitations may not matter because this team has quite a few stellar individuals. Second baseman was the freaking All Star MVP, delivering the first win for the NL in 13 seasons. He was an all star because he honestly deserved to be as well. He is hitting .325, 10 homeruns, 39 RBI, and 61 runs at second base. His on base percentage has not been as terrific, but .367 is still more than passable.
Catcher Brian McCann, first baseman Troy Glaus, and right fielder Jason Heyward are power hitters with low batting averages. All averages are acceptable too. McCann is a catcher, if he hits better than .250 and has a double digit homerun total over the course of a season then he is doing well for his position. Add his .380 OBP and Braves fans have to rain accolades on this guy.
Glaus has a decent .361 OBP too, but he is 33 and is the best power source for the club. Heyward is a rookie and is showing flashes of brilliance, enough to earn an unwarranted starting role in the All Star game. Luckily he was injured and made the team in name only. These guys are the reason the Braves are a near top-tier run-scoring team in the National League. It is going to be difficult (not impossible) to keep up that run production when the team batting average is closer to the middle of the pack in both the National League and the MLB overall.
Thank goodness for solid pitching though. Tim Hudson is in the middle of a career renaissance, Tommy Hanson remains one of the best young starters in the league, Derek Lowe is passable, Jair Jurrjens is coming back from an injury, and Kris Medlan has been impressive as an end of the rotation replacement starter.
The bullpen is solid with closer Billy Wagner (1.21 ERA, 20 Save) flanked by Jonny Venters, Eric O'Flaherty, Peter Moylan, and Takashi Saito. Now, if this all star game is correct and the league is once again going to be dominated by pitching, then the Braves are set for a decent run. They have a solid three frontline starters, a good collection of setup men, and a lock-it-down closer. This team could deliver a memorable season in Bobby Cox's twilight as a manager.
