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Over the past few years, the Atlanta Braves‘ offense has relied heavily on the long ball to manufacture runs. That strategy manifested itself in a National League high of 181 home runs during the 2013 season which helped the Braves secure a division title and postseason appearance. Last year, the strategy failed miserably when the Braves’ home run production took a hit as they plummeted from a top five MLB HR ranking to No. 23. This year, the Braves must look at a different path that will require less power and more contact.
For years, the game of baseball was predicated on what is known as small-ball in which runs are generated by effective hitting, sacrifice bunts, base stealing, great defense and other methodical measures to secure wins. After offseason trades, the Braves are now left without half of their HR production with Justin Upton (29 HR), Evan Gattis ( 22 HR) and Jason Heyward (11 HR) gone to other teams.
The Braves have a fantastic opportunity to utilize a brand of baseball familiar to the average fan who played as kids where hitting line drives, drag bunts and stealing bases was a part of the norm. While speaking to reporters during spring training, Braves third baseman Chris Johnson made sure to point out the Kansas City Royals were highly successful last season with this method as they were one game shy of a World Series championship.
As it stands now, the ghosts of Cecil Fielder or Mark McGwire are not coming out of the clubhouse anytime soon. Therefore, it is imperative the Braves make good with what they have, which is a solid foundation of pitching and veterans who understand the game of baseball.
The Braves’ brass believes they can compete. With the right formula for success and the implementation of a smaller approach, anything is possible.
Brandon Williams is an Atlanta Braves writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter, @BfreshAlum4UA, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
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