Fifty Games To Go And The Atlanta Braves Are Averaging…
By Jeff Schafer
Can The Braves Make a Push To Raise The Team Averages
With almost seventy percent of the 2017 season in the books, the Atlanta Braves are sitting in third place in the National League Eastern Division with a record of 51-61.
Disappointedly, but not unexpected, there is pretty much no way the Braves are going to win the division crown this year.
There also is pretty much no way the Braves are going to get a wild card spot, unless they go on a run similar to the spectacular display of baseball the Los Angeles Dodgers have put together in 2017. Which, we’ll, probably won’t happen.
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However, just because the Braves will not be playing in the postseason in 2017, that does not mean that there can not be a push for improving in some areas other then the win column in the last fifty games of 2017. The main place to improve – statistics.
Areas to bump up going into the offseason
Offensive statistics is a huge factor the Braves can improve upon the rest of this year. Batting average for one.
The Braves as a team are batting .260, while only two men on the roster have a batting average above .300 – Freddie Freeman and Tyler Flowers.
To make matters a little worse, Dansby Swanson has the eight best batting average on the team in 2017, but he is batting a meager .210….and that’s an improvement to what it’s been.
To win games, you have to score runs…I think, check with Josh Brown to make sure! The Braves have scored a total of 508 this year.
However, this ranks eleventh out of fifteen National League teams, which is right where the Braves rank in the National League standings as they are tied for tenth best record.
Not only do the Braves bats need to improve, the Braves pitching needs to improve as well.
Out of the fifteen National League teams, the Braves rank twelfth in team ERA, which is 4.66. Not only that, the Braves rank fourteenth in team strikeouts, with a team total of 849.
Giving up almost five runs a game and not being to strike guys out, something has to be done in these last fifty games to make these numbers at least respectable.
I know, I know. Tell you something you don’t know. Anyways, let’s get that W tonight!
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Come on Braves – make a push over these last fifty games.
A push now gives a positive vibe heading into the offseason and makes for a strong start to next year!
A year that hopefully will see the Braves not at the bottom of most categories in the National League and back in contention for postseason play.
Or, or, OR…should the Braves play for a better 2018 draft pick? I dunno, just brainstorming out loud.