Braves face new challenges in next step

Three years ago, the environment at Atlanta’s spring training complex in Florida was awful. While the Braves were coming off a division championship, the atmosphere was like a funeral. And perhaps the inevitability of what was to come was simply apparent to everyone.

Minor league coaches walked around wondering where all the talent had gone. The spirit of the organization had been killed by former general manager Frank Wren, who had gotten away from some of the philosophies that had made the Braves great for several decades.

This year, the atmosphere has been totally different. After a two-year rebuilding process, the Braves are back on track. The farm system is ranked as the best in baseball, and the big-league team is ready to contribute after two sub-70-win seasons.

Rebuilding is the easy part. It’s not difficult to trade away established stars for prospects or to select prospects at the top of the draft. It’s not even hard to play young players to let them get their feet wet.

But now, the Braves must take that next step. Now, the prospects must become players. Now, the expectations are higher. Now, the Braves must win.

The team will be looked at differently, as many believe this team can be better. While the Braves won 68 games last season, the finish told the real story. The Braves were 50-47 in the final 97 games, 37-35 after the All-Star break and 20-10 in the final 30 games.

The success the team had late last season is a main reason the atmosphere this spring has been so positive. After two years of constant change, there is stability — in the lineup, the rotation and the entire roster.

So, what will happen if the Braves start winning? Can they handle the success? Do they have the clubhouse that can foster a winning environment? Can the front office now make trades to help the team win, instead of the trades that have been made to rebuild the organization?

These are questions we will find the answers to this season. The clubhouse seems to be in good shape. The late-season additions of Matt Kemp and Dansby Swanson set up the team for this season, and then the pre-spring training acquisition of Brandon Phillips added another strong personality.

The front office wanted the veteran pitchers acquired this winter — Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey and Jaime Garcia — to be good influences in the clubhouse with the younger pitchers. They’ve done that so far, and once the season starts that’s when they’ll truly be evaluated on the leadership they’ve brought to the team.

Braves general manager John Coppolella has done a masterful job of rebuilding this organization. Now, he must show patience in not sacrificing the future to make a big splash acquisition for the stretch drive. Coppolella will be tested to make the team better but not harm the future. The trades to get the team over the hump will be the ultimate grade on Coppolella’s tenure as general manager.

Manager Brian Snitker changed the attitude of the team the day he took over last May. The players believe Snitker has the perfect personality to lead the team as it takes this next step.

The 9-28 start last season was quickly erased by the strong finish, but this year the hope is to have a winning team from day one. We’ll see how the people in the clubhouse and the front office react to the higher expectations and the chance at being a contender in 2017.

This story was originally published March 25, 2017 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Braves face new challenges in next step."