2023 Pre-Season Profile: Atlanta Braves

 #10

The Atlanta Braves have been one of the most consistently strong teams of the last 5 seasons.  With the spending and success of the rest of their division, can they continue to stay at their elite level?

2022 Predictions

#12 - 3rd in NL East, WILD CARD, lose in Wild Card Round

MIH - Matt Olson

MIP - Kenley Jansen

PTW - Spencer Strider

2022 Results

#6 - 101-61, 1st in NL East, lost in NLDS

Highest WAR (Position) - Austin Riley

Highest WAR (Pitcher) - Max Fried

I always underestimate the Braves.  They followed up their World Series in 2021 with a 100 win season and another trip to the playoffs.  This time, they lost in the NLDS to division rival Philadelphia Phillies who ended up in the World Series themselves.  The biggest storyline for the Braves in 2022 was the success of the two best rookies in the NL last year: Spencer Strider and ROY winner Michael Harris II.  It was not a bad World Series follow-up for the Braves.

Additions / Subtractions

The Braves offseason was defined by one significant addition and one significant subtraction.  For the second straight offseason, the Braves made a blockbuster trade with the Oakland A's for one of their superstars.  Last year, it was Matt Olson.  This year, it was catcher Sean Murphy.  Among the pieces leaving Atlanta in that trade were All Star catcher William Contreras going to Milwaukee.  Murphy was added, but leaving Atlanta is their budding superstar shortstop Dansby Swanson who signed a free agent contract with the Cubs.  There will also be a new closer in Atlanta with Kenley Jansen signing with the Red Sox.

Most Important Hitter

Vaughn Grissom

Another fun surprise for the Braves in 2022 was the flashes they saw from infielder Vaughn Grissom.  In just his age 21 season, Grissom had a 121 OPS+ in 41 games, hitting .291 with 5 home runs.  It was an inconsistent debut season for Grissom, but he definitely showed flashes of greatness.  The Braves felt comfortable enough with what they saw from Grissom in 2022 that they decided not to replace Dansby Swanson at shortstop and hand the job to the youngster.  As was shown last year, young players can be inconsistent, and the Braves are anticipating some of that by starting Grissom in AAA this year and handing shortstop over to veteran Orlando Arcia on Opening Day.  However, everyone knows this job is Grissom's, and his success in 2023 will determine a lot of the success in Atlanta in 2023.

Most Important Pitcher

Spencer Strider

If you know anything about the Braves throughout the last 35 years or so, you know they will always have a lot of young pitching ready to produce at the big league level.  Spencer Strider became the latest in that line of pitchers.  In just 131 innings in 2022, Strider struck out 202 batters, had a 2.67 ERA with a 152 ERA+.  He announced his presence as a flamethrower.  At the same time, he also had some injuries hold him back.  Young arms tend to get hurt; just ask the Braves.  Kyle Wright is starting the year on the IL.  Ian Anderson is starting the season in AAA after losing his effectiveness.  Michael Soroka was in the same position as Strider a few seasons ago, and he has started 3 games in the last 3 seasons.  If the Braves are going to continue their success in 2023, Strider needs to be healthy and dominant.

Prospect to Watch

Jared Shuster

The Braves have an elite young core and have made some blockbuster trades the last few seasons.  Those two things lead to a depleted farm system.  Ranked the worst farm system in the big leagues, the Braves don't have a single prospect in the Top 100 Prospects list.  However, that doesn't mean they don't have some prospects that will impact the big club this season.  In fact, their top prospect, Jared Shuster, made the Opening Day starting rotation.  The 24 year old lefty doesn't have the elite velocity, but he knows how to pitch, control the zone, and be effective.  Like I said about Braves young pitchers, they always find a way to be successful.

2023 Prediction

3rd in NL East, WILD CARD, lose in Wild Card Series

I always underestimate the Braves.  I did it last year, and I might be doing it again this year.  However, you don't just lose someone like Dansby Swanson and not feel some negative effects.  Your young pitchers can get hurt.  You don't have an established closer in your bullpen.  There are just too many questions surrounding the Braves to realistically put them much higher.  With that said, any team in this top 10 could easily end up winning the World Series.

Fearless Prediction

The Braves will have at least three starters in this year's All Star Game.

There might be questions on this Braves roster, but they still have a lot elite talent.  If the Braves have a strong start to this season, look for them to be rewarded at the All Star Game.  Ronald Acuna Jr., Sean Murphy, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna, Michael Harris II, and even Max Fried could all realistically end up in that starting lineup in Seattle come July.

2023 MLB Pre-Season Profile: Oakland Athletics

 #30

It's that magical time of year!  As I look out my window and see a foot of snow on the ground, it's hard to believe that today is also the first day of Spring Training games.  Baseball season is just around the corner, and I can't wait!  Every year as we lead up to the season starting, I preview each team and how I think they will do over the next 8 months of baseball.  We start at the bottom and work our way to my World Series prediction.  So let's get at it!

First up, the Oakland Athletics.  This organization is constantly reinventing itself out of necessity due to a horrible ballpark and a need for an extremely low budget.  They peaked a few years ago and started the tear down before last season.  Are they ready to start taking steps forward again, or will the downward spiral continue?

2022 Predictions

#30 - 5th in AL West

MIH - Sean Murphy

MIP - Frankie Montas

PTW - Cristian Pache

2022 Results

#29 - 60-102, 5th in AL West

Highest WAR (Position) - Sean Murphy

Highest WAR (Pitching) - Cole Irvin

The Oakland A's made the predictable tumble to the bottom of the league in 2022 after trading away many of their best players before they were going to need to pay them.  They even let their manager walk away instead of rebuilding the roster again.  Their most interesting players last year were the only established veterans that hadn't been traded yet.  The important word there is ... yet.

Additions / Subtractions

The offseason spoke loud and clear that the A's were not done tearing down their roster.  Of their top 12 players last year in terms of WAR, 5 of them are no longer on the roster.  Frankie Montas and Elvis Andrus were traded mid-season last year, Sean Murphy became the second A's star in as many offseasons to be traded to Atlanta, Cole Irvin was traded to Baltimore, and A.J. Puk was traded to Miami.  Very little big league talent was brought in through the offseason.  The most notable addition might be J.J. Bleday, a young outfielder with huge promise still trying to figure out how to be a big leaguer.  He was acquired from Miami in the A.J. Puk trade.  The rest of the additions were established veterans on one-year deals trying to have a strong first half so they can be a trade target for contenders.  These include catcher Manny Piña, first baseman Jesús Aguilar, utility man Aledmys Díaz, and reliever Trevor May.

Most Important Hitter

Shea Langeliers

Along with Cristian Pache, Shea Langeliers was the other centerpiece of the Matt Olson trade last offseason.  Now, with catcher Sean Murphy also getting traded to Atlanta, it is time for Langeliers to take a big step forward and become the everyday catcher for the A's.  Having veteran Manny Piña to learn from will help him learn for sure.  This is one of many opportunities around the diamond in Oakland for once highly-touted prospects to prove they can be the new nucleus of the A's.  What makes Langeliers so intriguing, the A's top prospect is Tyler Soderstrom, another catcher that should be ready to make his big league debut this season.  If Langeliers doesn't seize this opportunity early, he could lose his job to the next prospect coming up.

Most Important Pitcher

Shintaro Fujinami

None, I repeat NONE, of the A's projected starting rotation were above average in 2022 according to ERA+.  Although some up-and-coming prospects might have some top-of-the-rotation potential, the likes of Paul Blackburn and James Kaprielian are probably not going to wow you.  The only new arm in the rotation mix is the Japanese import Shintaro Fujinami.  The 28 year old comes over as a relative unknown as most Japanese players do, but he is one of the few in the rotation that has some intrigue and could become a fun watch every five days.

Prospect to Watch

Ken Waldichuk

The A's have two top 100 prospects: the first being the aforementioned Soderstrom, and the second is starting pitcher Ken Waldichuk at 76.  Waldichuk got 7 starts at the big league level last season with little success, but he has a lot of promise, and the A's are hoping a guy like him will emerge as their new ace moving forward.

2023 Prediction

5th in AL West

The Oakland A's have now accomplished what they sought out to accomplish a year ago.  They have reached rock bottom.  A successful season in Oakland will be seeing progress from names like Pache, Bleday, Langeliers, and Waldichuk that shows they can be part of the next contending version of the A's.

Fearless Prediction

In the next 12 months, it will be announced that the A's are moving to Las Vegas.

It has been rumored for awhile.  Their stadium is a mess, and the city of Oakland refuses to cooperate in any efforts to get a new stadium and keep them in town.  It seems inevitable that they move at this point, and it seems most likely they follow the NFL's Raiders to the bright lights of Las Vegas.  If they move to Vegas, maybe they can finally compete consistently instead of trading away all their best players before they have to pay them significant money.

2019 Pre-Season Profile: Oakland Athletics

#10

The Oakland A's were the biggest surprise of the 2018 season, working their way all the way up to a Wild Card spot.  Can the A's repeat the success of last year?

2018 Predictions

5th in AL West

Khris Davis will be the starting DH for the AL in the All Star Game.

2018 Results

97-65, 2nd in AL West, WILD CARD, lost in Wild Card Game

I was way off on the A's, but I can't quite say it is surprising.  Every time I count the A's out, they end up making the playoffs.  If I predict they do well, they end up in the cellar.  The A's are just out to mess up me and my Mariners.  Oakland once again put everything together in a way no other organization can and took a roster of no namers and resurrection projects and turned it into a 97 win team.  That's a ton of wins!  I correctly predicted the breakout year for Khris Davis, however I didn't count on J.D. Martinez almost winning an MVP as a DH.

Additions / Subtractions

The Athletics stayed consistent with who they are and made some minor moves that have the potential of having a major impact.  The biggest move the A's made was trade for Jurickson Profar to replace Jed Lowrie at second base.  Then they brought in Robbie Grossman, a very underrated hitter, to add some outfield depth.  Marco Estrada becomes the latest starter they bring in to try and resurrect some past glory.  No move wows you, but all the moves both make sense and will work out.

Most Important Hitter

Matt Chapman

This might be possibly the biggest star in baseball that no one has still heard of.  Matt Chapman took his first full season in the big leagues in 2018 and tallied a 6 win season in terms of WAR.  He had a 136 OPS+, won a Gold Glove at the very competitive third base, and finished 7th in AL MVP voting.  He showed he can be a big time star, and the A's are going to need him to repeat last year's great performance if they want to maintain the success of last season.  It feels like the team's success is pretty closely tied to Chapman's success.

Most Important Pitcher

Frankie Montas

The A's always seem to cobble together a rotation of veterans looking for a rebirth on their careers.  This year is no different with their rotation starting with Mike Fiers (better than advertised, but a journeyman), Marco Estrada, and Brett Anderson at the top.  There aren't many young guns facotring into their rotation right now, especially with Jharel Cotton and no-hit boy Sean Manaea starting the season on the injured list as they continue to recover from injuries they sustained last season.  The best pitcher in their Opening Day rotation under the age of 30 is Frankie Montas.  Montas came to the A's in the Rich Hill deal with the Dodgers a few seasons ago, and they are still waiting for him to break out.  He had decent success last year in 65 innings with the A's.  Now he needs to establish himself as a real starting pitcher in this league to help provide some promise for the future in the rotation.  If he does, their rotation will be scary once Manaea and Cotton are healthy and top prospects Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk join the team at some point in the next season or two.

Prospect to Watch

Sean Murphy

One underrated subtraction from the A's that might have quite an impact in 2019 is Jonathan Lucroy leaving to sign with the Angels.  He was an important part of handling the pitching staff last season.  However, one of the reasons they let him go was the anticipation of Sean Murphy making his debut at some point in 2019.  He is a solid hitter but will make the most impact as a defender behind the plate.  The A's have a couple veterans filling in at catcher this season waiting for Murphy to be ready.

2019 Prediction

2nd in AL West, WILD CARD, lose in Wild Card Game

I think the A's have everything in place to make another big run and make the postseason.  Seeing how good the top of the American League is, they don't have much of a chance getting further.  It will still be quite the feat if they are able to make back-to-back runs to the postseason.

Fearless Prediction

Blake Treinen will lead the American League in saves in 2019.

Blake Treinen was another huge surprise for the A's last season.  Ending the season with 38 saves, Treinen ended the year with a 0.78 ERA.  He only gave up 7 earned runs all year!  The guy was a stud, and he will repeat that production on another postseason run for the A's.  A team built on pitching, especially their elite bullpen, will be in a lot of close games giving Treinen a lot of opportunities to tally a league-leading amount of saves.