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The 2016 Atlanta Braves team is not good by MLB standards. Between their young roster and mounting injuries, they don’t have much MLB-ready talent. Through this difficult year their hitting has been their biggest weakness.
The Braves have the third lowest batting average in MLB and an OBP of .301. That has resulted in the fewest runs scored in the majors outside of the Philadelphia Phillies. They also have the lowest slugging percentage in baseball.
Even worse, the Braves have only hit 33 home runs, the fewest in the majors, by a lot! The San Francisco Giants have the second fewest, but still have about double of what the Braves have. In comparison, the Baltimore Orioles have over four times as many home runs. Their leader in home runs is first baseman Freddie Freeman with 12. The next highest total is four. This team is not good offensively.
By contrast, the lowly 2015 Braves hit 100 home runs. This season, they are on pace to hit fewer than 70. The 2015 Braves had an OBP of .314, roughly in the middle of the pack. The 2015 Braves scored 573 runs and this year’s version is on pace to score less than 500 runs. Potentially, we are looking at a historical offensive team this season … in a bad way. The only person the Braves have in the top 50 rankings for individual hitting in batting average, OBP or slugging is Freeman at 41st in OBP.
Usually the hope for a team like this is that they can trade some veterans for an infusion of youth. A.J. Pierzynski should be on the move before the end of the season. If Erick Aybar can stay healthy, he could be moved. Those just aren’t great pieces.
The Braves are looking forward to moving into a new stadium next year. They hope their rebuilding effort of the baseball team will coincide with the construction of the new stadium. So far, the hitting hasn’t looked like it will be ready to compete for anything in 2017.
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