5 Reasons Why Atlanta Braves Will Win the 2013 World Series

5 Reasons Why Atlanta Braves Will Win the 2013 World Series

Many teams that are favored to compete in or win the World Series of Major League Baseball have a rough last month of the season. That is the case for the Atlanta Braves and yet I still see them coming out of it all with championship rings to go around. How can that be possible? These are the five main reasons that the Braves should be at the top of every other MLB playoff team’s watch list come the beginning of October.

What it honestly comes down to isn’t how well a team plays in September but rather October. Numerous times over the course of the last dozens of decades, a team that did not look great in September has come out on top. That will be the case this year for the Braves because the things they have going against them right now will either have a positive effect then or be irrelevant completely.

For one reason or another, the Braves never get the respect they deserve from major media outlets. They would never be considered the favorite to win the World Series even if they ran the table in September. This will show the five most important reasons that those major experts are dead wrong. The 2013 World Series champions will be the Braves. Just you watch and see. Stranger things have happened after all. Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments section below and check out opposing opinions as well linked below.

David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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5 – Perseverance through the Season

No team has gone through all 162 games unscathed at this point but the Braves take the cake when it comes to big time, season ending injuries. From big bullpen aces going down for the season to big bench players and ace starting pitchers being lost for the season, the Braves have persevered to gain and keep the best record in the National League for most of the month of September and have a great chance to finish the season with the best N.L. record.

4 – Reworked Bullpen

The bullpen lost key members earlier in the season but the likes of Jordan Walden, Scott Downs and David Carpenter have stepped up to the pitching rubber and held other teams off more times than not. They will be a huge factor in the playoffs and they are deep enough for Fredi Gonzalez to be able to pick the hot hand.

3 – Starting Staff

The loss of Tim Hudson could have very well crippled this starting staff but instead they are even stronger. Mike Minor stepped into the ace role. Julio Teheran put rookie mistakes behind him to the point that he rarely even seems like a rookie at all. Kris Medlen who was headed to the bullpen turned his season completely around and looks more like the Medlen of last season every start. Rookie Alex Wood has shown he has shutdown stuff as well. Throw in spot starters like Paul Maholm who has performed well and the most consistent starter of late, Freddy Garcia who can help with long relief or start in pinch and these guys are stronger than most.

2 – Jason Heyward

Normally Heyward would just fall under the rest of the offense but at this point Heyward carries a lot of that with him. The Braves seem to be scuffling a lot now but people forget they were not exactly a powerhouse before the move to place Heyward in the leadoff spot went gold. Heyward ignited Justin Upton and the rest of the line-up behind him and that is when this team put the N.L. East race away. When he broke his jaw this team lost a huge part of their defense and offensive strut. He will be back in time to regain that pop in his bat and ignite the line-up and the struggles of September will seem like a distant memory.

1– Craig Kimbrel

Recently Kimbrel’s enormous streak of consecutive saves came to an end and the timing could not have been any better. No closer is perfect, even Kimbrel, and that streak had to end sometime. It was much better for it to be broken up during September so Kimbrel has plenty of time to recharge and start a brand new streak for the playoffs. By the time October gets here Kimbrel will be able to convert a win with a half of a run lead if that were possible. He’ll be the rock that their championship is built on.