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Health will be critical issue for Atlanta

By Lew Gilliland
The Times-Journal

Published April 4, 2009

After reaching the Major League Baseball postseason 14 straight years from 1991-2005, the Atlanta Braves were left sitting home when the playoffs rolled around the last three Octobers.

Last year’s team, decimated by season-ending injuries to pitchers John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Tim Hudson and Peter Moylan as well as outfielder Jeff Francoeur’s horrible slump, closed 72-90, making it the team’s worst season since 1990.

Atlanta officially waved the white flag of surrender at the trade deadline, when the Braves shipped out slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira, whom they had little hope of re-signing.

It was that kind of year for Atlanta, and the offseason got off to a rocky start as well. The Braves were unable to complete a deal for San Diego ace Jake Peavy, and several free agents, including former Brave Rafael Furcal, spurned Atlanta for other offers.

The news got better as the offseason progressed. General manager Frank Wren signed Derek Lowe and Japanese star Kenshin Kawakami and traded for Javier Vazquez to bolster the pitching staff and added free agent Garret Anderson to improve an outfield that provided little run production in 2008.

And while Smoltz decided to sign with Boston — another team-rocking development — fellow free agent Glavine decided to return.

Improving the rotation was a key part of Wren’s offseason plan, and it appears he did a nice job. Lowe is capable of giving the team a legitimate ace, and the fivesome of Lowe, Kawakami, Vazquez, holdover Jair Jurrjens — one of the few bright spots on the mound last season — and Glavine should eat up more innings that last year’s injury-riddled rotation and ease the burden for a bullpen that carried too heavy a workload in 2008.

Speaking of the bullpen, Moylan, Rafael Soriano and closer Mike Gonzalez should give manager Bobby Cox some nice options when it comes to protecting leads late — if they stay healthy. All three have had arm issues the last two years.

In fact, health will be a key issue for the offense is well. Defending National League batting champion Chipper Jones is 36 and injury prone, and new addition Anderson, also 36, missed time with a strained calf in spring training.

Atlanta needs those two to stay healthy, and it needs Francoeur to figure thing out at the plate. His struggles last year were a big reason for the outfield’s disappointing output, and the Braves simply can’t afford another .239, 11-homer, 71-RBI season from their right fielder.

PREDICTION: Getting back to the playoffs won’t be easy. Atlanta, which opens its season Sunday night at Philadelphia, must contended with the loaded New York Mets and defending World Series champion Phillies in the NL East.

However, April is a time of optimism for baseball fans, so the pick is Atlanta to finish 88-74 and edge the Mets by one game for the NL wildcard spot.

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