Braves Progress Summary: 40 Game Edition

As we prepare for a long holiday weekend that could turn out to be very profitable or devastatingly terrible for Atlanta’s sports scene, let us all hope that the Hawks shoot better than 4 of 23 from three-point range. Let us pray that DeMarre Carroll is able to return from injury sooner rather than later. Let us hold out hope that come tomorrow morning, Kyle Korver will be featured on ESPN rather than the back of a milk carton. Most of all, let us wish with all our heart that the referees would call the game consistently and fairly. I know, who am I kidding, right?

But enough about that. I’m here today to remind everyone that in addition to the Hawks, we have another team playing tonight. A team that may not feature too many names and faces you know, but has quietly hung in there so far. That’s right, the Braves, left for dead by most everyone in the wake of trademaggeddon 2015, have been better than expected.

Not that they are in first place or anything. After winning on Thursday night, partly due to Milwaukee pitcher Will Smith doing his best Eddie Harris impression, the Braves currently sport a record of 20-20, and are just 3.5 games out of first place. Nearly a quarter of the way through the season, time for a quick check in on what has gone right and wrong so far.

Heading into the season, we all assumed that starting pitching would be the strength of this team. That’s all we talked about during spring training! Returning starters Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, and Mike Minor were supposed to keep the games close enough to give an offense full of unknowns a chance. It hasn’t quite worked out that way. Teheran (4-1, 3.91 ERA) and Wood (2-2, 3.83 ERA) have been good at times, but have struggled with consistency. As far as Minor goes, his season ended before he ever threw his first regular season pitch.

The leader of the staff has easily been Shelby Miller. Acquired in the Jason Heyward trade, over which there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth among the faithful, he has been absolutely outstanding. Through eight starts he is 5-1 with a miniscule 1.33 ERA and 43 strikeouts. Oh yeah, he almost pitched a no hitter too.

The rest of the rotation has been a complete disaster. Trevor Cahill, Mike Foltynewicz, and Eric Stults are a combined 3-8, and are the less than proud owners of ERAs of 6.97, 5.32, and 5.36, respectively. It’s gotten so bad that the last time through the rotation the Braves turned to the man with two last names, Williams Perez. The righthander did well in his first start, pitching 5 innings and allowing just one run vs Tampa Bay.

The bullpen has been surprisingly strong so far. Veteran closer Jason Grilli has converted 12 of 13 save opportunities, though he won’t make anyone forget the great Craig Kimbrel. How I’d love to hear “Welcome to the Jungle” right about now! New members Brandon Cunniff and Jim Johnson have been good in set up roles, and holdover Luis Avilan remains the team’s best lefty option out of the bullpen.

The defense has been very good as well. Everyone knows how good Andrelton Simmons is, so I won’t spend much time on him except to say that he is one of the few players who can make a game thrilling to watch all by himself. Christian Bethancourt has thrown out 3 of 6 attempted baserunners. Overall the Braves have committed just 21 errors as a team.

Now, about that previously mentioned offense; the one that was going to struggle mightily to score runs this season. The Braves lineup, which you often need a program to sort out, put up seven runs in one inning last night. They’ve put up five or more in an inning several times this season, and have been way better than anyone thought they would be.

And it isn’t just that they’re scoring runs, it’s how they’re doing it. Through 40 games, no one has hit more than six homeruns. The most recent batting order has combined to hit just 17. That’s right folks, the Braves are playing small ball! Instead of waiting around for someone to hit a three run homer (which is kind of hard to do when no one is on base, as we found out last year) they are getting base hits, moving runners over, and coming through in the clutch.

Freddie Freeman has been his usual self, batting .306 with 5 homeruns and 21 RBI. Markakis has been nearly as good, hitting .302, often from the leadoff spot. While no one else’s numbers jump off the page at you, it has been fun watching some of the other guys too. Jace Peterson looks like a player with a solid career in front of him. Kelly Johnson has been a nice surprise, hittting 6 homeruns and driving in 18 runs, though he is currently out with an injury. Cameron Maybin, though never an all star caliber hitter, is still way better than what we had in centerfield last year, or what we began with this year.

So where are the Braves at the one quarter mark? Exactly where I thought they would be. I’ve thought all along that they would be around a .500 team, though the ups and downs have come from different sources than I’d planned on. Hopefully, if nothing else, they can hang around long enough to get us through the summer. If they could do that, you certainly wouldn’t hear me complaining. Well, not too much anyway.

As always, keep the faith Atlanta.

Go Hawks! And Braves too!

 

Top 20: Part 4h

Game three of the Hawks-Wizards playoff series is nearly upon us, and there is no way to know whether or not John Wall’s injured hand will keep him out of the lineup. It seems likely that Wall would be severely limited, even if he does play. This would be good news for the Hawks, not that they’ve always taken advantage of such breaks. Hopefully the three days of rest they’ve gotten since game two will help them play the way they did earlier this season. We’ll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, let us continue with my top 20 Atlanta sports stars list. Last time we entered the top ten, and there are now only eight names left to reveal. An we’re off…

8. Tom Glavine: Pitcher-Braves

In 1991, when the Braves suddenly went from a punchline to a contender, Glavine was the team’s ace. He was the stud pitcher; the stopper; the one who remained stoic even in the toughest of times. Nearly twenty-five years after that magical year, the whole thing seems almost like a dream. Thank God it wasn’t.

Glavine broke in with the big league team in 1987, a dark time in Atlanta sports. His first few seasons were inconsistent, but in ’91 he put it all together, winning 20 games, a Cy Young award, and leading the Braves to the World Series. It was the first of two Cy Youngs for Glavine, and five 20 win seasons. In 17 seasons in Atlanta, he won 244 games and racked up more than 2000 strikeouts.

To be sure, Glavine ruffled more than a few feathers when, as the team’s player representative during the 1994 strike, he was such an outspoken supporter of the union. He also didn’t make many friends when he signed with the rival Mets in 2003 to continue his pursuit of 300 wins. That he reached this milestone, and locked down a spot in the Hall of Fame, in New York rather than Atlanta is still a sore sport for many Atlanta fans.

But in my eyes those things don’t do anything to diminish what he accomplished with the Braves. He was a member of teams that won 11 consecutive division titles, and appeared in the World Series five times. Who could ever forget his performance in game six of the ’95 Series, as he held a Cleveland lineup loaded with All-Stars to one hit over eight innings to bring a championship to Atlanta for the first time? I know I never will.

7. Gerald Riggs: Running Back-Falcons

I came along a little too late to remember much from the William Andrews days. Of course I’ve seen all the old films, and heard the stories about him from members of my family. He was one of the best in the NFL during his Atlanta tenure, but the running back I remember the most is Gerald Riggs.

During the 1980’s, the Falcons were not a good team. They made the playoffs just one time in Riggs’ seven seasons, and that appearance came in his rookie season of 1982. For several years the only reason I enjoyed watching their games was to see Riggs.

He was a bulldozing runner, powering his way to three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons from 1984-86. In 1985 he finished second in the NFL with 1719 yards rushing. He is still the Falcons’ all-time leading rusher with 6631 yards, and was the team’s primary scoring threat with 48 touchdowns. A solid receiver out of the backfield, he also caught 186 passes for 1384 yards. In addition, Riggs was selected for three Pro Bowls during his time in Atlanta.

But it was more than just the numbers. I respected the way he ran, plowing over anyone in his path. Like centers in basketball and closers in baseball, I love nothing more than watching a big power running back. For me this is what football is all about, and for a four or five year stretch, no one did it better than Riggs.

6. Chipper Jones: Third Base/Outfield-Braves

When people talk about the Braves teams of the 1990’s and 2000’s, most of the attention goes to the pitching. With a trio of Cy Young award winners on the staff, this is hardly surprising. For a long time, ace pitchers were the face of the franchise. But there was one future Hall of Famer among the everyday players; one man who was the cornerstone of the offense for so long it felt like forever. That man was Chipper Jones.

I’ve been a fan of Chipper’s ever since he burst onto the scene in 1995, finishing second to Hideo Nomo (he should have won) in the National Rookie of the Year voting and helping the Braves to their first, and so far only, World Series championship in Atlanta. He was one of the best hitters I ever had the pleasure of watching, and a leader in the clubhouse as well.

Over the years players came and went; from Fred McGriff and David Justice to Jason Heyward and Brian McCann. Only Chipper remained, anchoring the team and leading Atlanta to the postseason year after year. Sometimes it was almost as if he put the team on his back and carried it, most notably during his MVP season of 1999, when he almost single-handedly led the Braves to the division title over the New York Mets.

Jones played for the Braves for his entire career, a rarity in this era of professional sports. He also put up some incredible numbers. In 18 seasons in Atlanta, he compiled a .303 batting average, 2726 hits, 468 home runs, and 1623 RBI. He also made 8 All-Star teams and won 2 Silver Slugger awards, a batting title (2008), and the previously mentioned MVP award.

I’ll always remember the way he seemed in control in the batters box. He looked calm and confident, as if nothing the pitcher did could faze him. He was also an underrated defensive third baseman, someone I always felt deserved Gold Glove consideration. Overall he was likely the greatest position player in Atlanta Braves history, and we’ll never see another like him; at least not anytime soon.

*Should have made this list but didn’t, part 3

Michael Vick: Quarterback-Falcons

What’s left to say about Vick? It’s all been said before, though in different ways and for different reasons. Yes, what Vick did in participating in and bankrolling a dog fighting ring was reprehensible. He deserved every bad thing that happened to him as a result. On top of his legal problems, he also destroyed any momentum that the Falcons had in the mid 2000’s. Still, I can’t help but look back on his time in Atlanta with a certain degree of nostalgia.

I still remember how excited I was when I found out that the Falcons had traded with San Diego to acquire the top overall pick in the 2001 draft. I’d been a huge fan of Vick’s during his time at Virginia Tech, and was overjoyed when my team took him. Surely he would be the one to elevate the franchise to the top of the NFL!

Vick was among the most popular athletes to ever play in Atlanta. The excitement when he was on the field was unlike anything I’ve witnessed before or since. When he tucked the ball under and headed down field, we all knew that something spectacular could happen at any moment.

During his six years with the Falcons, Vick led the team to the playoffs twice, including an NFC championship game appearance in 2004. He passed for 11,505 yards and 71 touchdowns for Atlanta, but it was his running that really made him a star. He racked up 3859 yards and 21 touchdowns with the Falcons. In 2006 he became the first quarterback to go over 1000 yards on the ground, finishing with 1039.

My favorite Vick memory came in 2004 when the Falcons played the Panthers in the Georgia Dome. Trailing by seven points with 1:44 to play, the Falcons faced a fourth down at the Carolina 12 yard line. Vick dropped to pass and, finding no open receivers, took off for the goal line. He left his feet at about the five, seeming to will his body to avoid contact with the ground. He scored the tying touchdown, which led to a game winning field goal in overtime.

When the whole dog fighting deal went down, I was absolutely crestfallen. My favorite player had done the unthinkable, killing any chance my team had at a Super Bowl in the process. The time following his arrest and suspension remains the lowest I’ve ever been as a professional sports fan. Fortunately, there was relief on the way, in the form of the next name to make my list.

5.Matt Ryan: Quarterback-Falcons

As the 2008 NFL draft approached, the Falcons were in complete disarray. In addition to the Michael Vick fiasco, there was also the matter of head coach Bobby Petrino, who resigned just 13 games into his tenure with the team. The Falcons had finished 2007 with a record of 4-12, and it seemed as if it might take years to repair the damage.

Just when all seemed lost, the Falcons spent the third overall pick on a quarterback from Boston College, and everything changed. Matt Ryan came to Atlanta for the 2008 season and, along with new coach Mike Smith, immediately set about changing the culture of the team. Behind the leadership of Ryan and newly acquired running back Michael Turner, the Falcons went 11-5 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

But they were just getting started. In his first five seasons in Atlanta, he led the Falcons to five consecutive winning seasons. To put that accomplishment into perspective, consider that prior to drafting Ryan, the team had never posted back-to-back winning seasons. Ever. During this five season run, the Falcons also made four playoff appearances, including a pair of NFC South division titles.

Ryan was a huge part of this success, and continues to be the most important player on the team to this day. In his seven seasons in Atlanta, he has passed for 28,166 yards and 181 touchdowns. He has also been selected for three Pro Bowls, and become the Falcons all time leading passer.

I have so many favorite Ryan moments: hooking up with Michael Jenkins for a touchdown on his first NFL pass attempt; his last second, game winning drive to beat Chicago that same year; leading the Falcons to the playoffs in his rookie year; winning the NFC South and going to the NFC championship game in 2012. He is the best quarterback in Falcons history, and I look forward to many more moments in the coming years.

There you have it. We are now down to the final four names on my list. Any guesses as to who will be included? I will reveal my top 4 in the very near future. Until next time, keep the faith Atlanta.

Go Hawks!