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How a shortened season will hurt the Atlanta Braves

By James Kunkle

ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 02: General view of the ball park from the upper level as the Atlanta Braves play against the Washington Nationals at SunTrust Park on June 2, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Nationals won 5-3 in 14 innings. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 02: General view of the ball park from the upper level as the Atlanta Braves play against the Washington Nationals at SunTrust Park on June 2, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Nationals won 5-3 in 14 innings. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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It appears we may have Atlanta Braves baseball back soon. Well….maybe?

As we have all heard, Monday night the commissioner imposed a 2020 season based off agreements made back in late March. Therefore, essentially giving us a 2020 season albeit a shortened one.

Until a pitch is thrown though, I am not 100 percent convinced there will be a season still. Health concerns will surely still have to be covered for the players to get suited up.

As far as the Atlanta Braves go, I’m not sure this shortened season really plays into their hands at all. Especially considering the thought that this team was built on depth and surviving the long summer days that go hand-in-hand with Atlanta.

The 2020 season is going to be a sprint, not a marathon. I personally feel better about the Atlanta Braves chances in a marathon, but we have to play the hand we were dealt.

The positive is the entire team should be healthy and that includes Marcell Ozuna and Cole Hamels.

The negative is I think most teams will probably go with a four-man rotation for the most part of the season, and if given a few days off, they may elect to use three starters sometimes.

That’s somewhere I believe the Atlanta Braves fall behind…really about half of the teams in our division now if this proposal is indeed the final agreement.

The Atlanta Braves have possibly the best 1-5 starting rotation in the game, but again I do believe we are behind the likes of the Yankees with Gerrit Cole and James Paxton; the Nationals with Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, and Patrick Corbin; or heck even the Phillies now with Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Jake Arrieta if he is healthy.

That doesn’t even include still facing the likes of Jacob deGrom and Blake Snell.

No doubt this division is going to be tough and hard to come out of. The Central is easily the least competitive division in my estimation.

Another topic we haven’t got a fully evolved answer regarding yet is the universal DH rule. Am I for it, no, I think it should be the same for both leagues and I think pitchers should hit.

However, I actually think this could be a positive for the Atlanta Braves.

I think the Braves have enough bats to be one of the more successful “NL” teams to transfer into the DH role if it is indeed implemented.

The Atlanta Braves have the talent to battle through this. It will not be easy, and I think this shortened season along with the fact of combining divisions hurt the Atlanta Braves, but I still believe they can.

More of the same. dark. Next

Only time will tell.

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