Hope springs eternal for Atlanta Braves as calendar turns to February

As the clock turns to February, optimism is at an all-time high for the Atlanta Braves and most other teams in Major League Baseball.

It’s that time of the year for the Atlanta Braves and their fans where everyone starts to get overly excited for the upcoming season.

This is my favorite time of the year when the calendar turns to February and we’re just a few weeks away from our favorite players being on the field.

In just two weeks players will report to either Arizona or Florida for Spring Training, and three weeks from today (Saturday, Feb. 1) we will get our first game action for the Braves.

This is also the time of year when every player is in the best shape of their life and ready for a breakout season.

And who can blame them for thinking that way? I certainly wouldn’t want a player coming in telling reporters they’re in the worst shape of their life and don’t feel like they’ll have a good season.

Usually we make fun of the optimism that every team has going into Spring Training, but this year it’s actually legitimate.

A lot of teams made moves this offseason in order to win, and there are only three teams in the National League that are going into the season with no hope of making the postseason (Marlins, Pirates, and Giants).

Of course, there are teams that will tail off in the first half and become sellers, but it should make for a very entertaining first half of the season with all of the competition in the NL.

For the Braves specifically and their fans, there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the upcoming season. A recent poll on MLB Trade Rumors shows the Braves are heavy favorites going into 2020.

And while I understand fans are still hoping for a Kris Bryant or Nolan Arenado trade, even without them this team has a chance to be really good in 2020.

The top four in the lineup will once again be one of the best in baseball. They have two MVP candidates with Ronald Acuna Jr. and a healthy Freddie Freeman.

Atlanta’s bullpen should be one of the best in baseball from the start of the season this time, and that should be a big help.

The biggest question mark in my opinion going into the season is the starting rotation.

I feel really good about Mike Soroka and Cole Hamels at the top, but Max Fried and Mike Foltynewicz are still question marks.

However, in my Spring optimism, I think Fried and Folty are going to have big years in 2020 creating a top-five rotation for the Braves.

I also think Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson are set up to break out in 2020, which would just lengthen the lineup even more.

Again, it’s that time of the year to get excited about your favorite team and players, and Braves fans have a lot of reasons to be optimistic with Spring Training just days away.