Atlanta Braves Future: Securing Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson

This Spring is looking like a never-ending nightmare… but there is a way for all Braves’ fans to wake up happy.

We optimistic Atlanta Braves fans….

…were hoping for a surprise season. A season in which the wizard dust of the mid-90s  which was miraculously found inside an Advil bottle stored away in an old gym bag of Tom Glavine‘s,  would be spread over the grasses of Turner Field. We were hoping that the dozens of veterans hired for one last go in downtown Atlanta would find inner-pride and grit their teeth for one more go at this historic 20-year old stadium. Stealing a line from a fellow wizard, Gandalf, “There was never much hope. Just a fool’s hope”.

However, upon realizing that Turner Field isn’t historic, that the wizard dust found was actually just Mad Dog’s old toenail clippings (what a prankster..and destroyed the grass causing lots of controversy!), and that they’d likely only be in Atlanta until they played well enough to get shipped elsewhere, the veterans decided to set the wheel on cruise and sail away into the great blue with the utmost lackluster, just like the ol’ ballpark of which they call home.

This season has been a nightmare for the Atlanta Braves.

Only the die-hards are still watching, those that know there are glimpses of the future hidden among the 1-year vets, and down on the farm where the real excitement is mounting. What happened to the rest of the fanbase?

After each trade it seemed like the casual Braves fan lost a bit of interest. It started with Jason Heyward, and ended with Andrelton Simmons. Yes, the trades have set the team up beautifully for the future, but to the casual fan, they’re catching up on their latest shows on Netflix rather than tuning into this team, watching them win 25% of ballgames.

It’s hard to blame them.

There are many casual fans of the Atlanta Braves…

…and casual fans don’t care for trades all that much. They’d rather see familiar faces and names don the uniform. There hasn’t been many of those these past 2 years and I think it’s about time the Braves change that. The future is bright, now it’s time to secure it.

Freddie Freeman will continue to serve as Atlanta’s first baseman. He is the past, the present, and the future cornerstone.  But he’s not enough.  The next cornerstone players are ready to take Suntrust Park by storm. Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies have the electricity, charisma, and charm to bring back the casual fan but many of the Braves faithful have turned faithless as favorite after favorite were traded away. With these 2, the front office can make a statement letting the casual and the die hard know that these guys are going to wear the tomahawk across their chests for a long time, and it’s time we put our money behind that statement.

Next: What That Statement Should Sound Like...