A look at how the Braves stand by position

Here is a detailed look at the Braves heading into the 2018 season that begins Thursday in Atlanta.

ROTATION

Last season, Atlanta had three veterans in the rotation to bridge the gap until the young pitchers were ready. It was a disaster, as R.A. Dickey (10-10, 4.26 ERA), Jaime Garcia (4-7, 4.30) and Bartolo Colon (2-8, 8.14) combined for a 16-25 record and a 4.94 ERA in 366 innings pitched. That was a main reason Atlanta’s rotation had an ERA of 4.80 last season – ninth-worst in baseball and fifth-worst in the National League. How will those 366 innings be replaced? Sean Newcomb was a rookie who made 19 starts last season, so he’ll get more chances. Julio Teheran is back and has looked great this month, as has Mike Foltynewicz, who needs a breakout season. Brandon McCarthy is the veteran, but the young kids (Luiz Gohara, Max Fried, Mike Soroka, Kolby Allard and Kyle Wright) are not far away.

BULLPEN

The Braves bullpen had an ERA of 4.58 last season – fifth-worst in baseball and third-worst in the NL. The good news is that Jim Johnson (5.56 ERA and an 8.35 ERA in the second half of the season) and Ian Krol (5.33 ERA) are both gone. To start the season, Arodys Vizcaino will be the closer, but the expectation is that 24-year-old A.J. Minter will eventually start getting save opportunities. Minter had only two walks and 26 strikeouts in his 15 innings last season. The Braves believe Minter is their best relief prospect since Craig Kimbrel. Jose Ramirez and Sam Freeman return, and the Braves have welcomed back Peter Moylan, who led the American League in appearances last year in Kansas City. Scott Kazmir could fill in as the long reliever. The Braves may look to add a veteran reliever.

CATCHER

The Braves had one of the most productive duos at catcher in baseball last season. Tyler Flowers (.283, 11 home runs and 47 RBI in 86 games) and Kurt Suzuki (.286, 19, 49 in 71 games) combined for a .285 average, 30 home runs and 96 RBI. Can they do it again? The Braves could possibly hit the catcher in the cleanup spot until Ronald Acuna arrives and the lineup is rearranged. So, the Braves need a repeat from these two. Flowers and Suzuki have benefited from Sal Fasano, Atlanta’s new catching instructor, who has implemented new analytics to prepare for each game. With many young pitchers, the Braves love the veteran leadership of Flowers and Suzuki, who can both be free agents next winter. Both are right-handed hitters, so this is not a platoon, but rather a shared position.

FIRST BASE

Freddie Freeman is still the best player on the Atlanta team. He played in only 117 games last season, missing time with a broken left wrist. Then Freeman returned and played third base, but that experiment is now over. Freeman was hitting .341 with 14 home runs in his first 37 games before his injury, so he was on his way to MVP-type numbers. If Freeman is healthy, the Braves have one of the most productive hitters in the National League. Freeman’s power numbers shot up after the arrival of Matt Kemp two years ago, but now that Kemp is gone Freeman must get protection from others in the lineup. The Braves could have traded Freeman during the rebuild but elected to keep him and build around him. No one is more prepared for Atlanta to start winning than Freeman.

SECOND BASE

Ozzie Albies takes over for Brandon Phillips full-time after getting a 57-game audition late last season. Albies, who turned 21 on Jan. 7, is a spark plug who has had a great spring. The Braves have long-compared Albies to Houston’s Jose Altuve, who is also a diminutive second baseman and is now one of the best players in the sport. Albies did not hit a home run for the entire season two years ago in Low-A Rome, but last season he had nine bombs in Triple-A and then six more in Atlanta. He also had 30 stolen bases, so Albies is a running threat at the top of the lineup. The Braves will hit him behind leadoff man Ender Inciarte to hopefully get a few on base for Freeman. For a youngster, Albies could develop into a team leader early on.

SHORTSTOP

Dansby Swanson probably knows it as well as anyone – if he hits .232 again, his job will be in serious jeopardy. Don’t give up on Swanson yet. He still has a very good skill set, and the Braves now realize he was rushed to the big leagues by the previous front office. Perhaps the spotlight being on Acuna this spring will put less pressure on Swanson. But the presence of Johan Camargo, who is a better defender than Swanson, could make Swanson know he must produce or else. Swanson did do better in Atlanta last season after his demotion to Triple-A Gwinnett, and the Braves still hope Swanson can combine with Albies to form a long-term double-play partnership. Albies can likely handle batting second better than Swanson did, pushing Swanson down in the order. Expect an improved season for Swanson.

THIRD BASE

With Johan Camargo starting the season on the disabled list with a strained side and back, the Braves will turn to 23-year-old Rio Ruiz to get playing time at third base for the first few weeks. Ruiz played in 53 games last season and hit only .193 with four home runs and 19 RBI. Camargo is the better defensive player, and after hitting .299 in his debut last summer the Braves want him back in the lineup. Austin Riley is a 21-year-old third base prospect who will likely go back to Double-A. Riley has hit 20 home runs in each of the past two seasons, and many scouts believe he’s Atlanta’s future third baseman. If Riley gets ready sometime this summer, the Braves would again have a power threat at the hot corner. This position is somewhat unsettled, for now.

LEFT FIELD

Many publications have 20-year-old Ronald Acuna as the best prospect in baseball. He came to big league camp and hit .432 with a .519 on base percentage, four home runs and 11 RBI in 44 at bats. Acuna was still sent down to the minors due to a weird rule that allows the Braves to retain an extra year of control of his contract if he is in the minor leagues for 16 calendar days. So, on April 14 the Acuna era will begin. He’s a legit five-tool player who is compared to Andruw Jones. Until Acuna arrives, Preston Tucker will get most of the playing time in left field. Tucker is a question defensively, but he’s hit well in the spring. There will be two opening days this year – March 29 against the Phillies and the day Acuna arrives.

CENTER FIELD

When the Braves acquired Ender Inciarte two years ago from the Diamondbacks, they weren’t exactly sure what they were getting. However, teams immediately called the Braves to try and trade for him. Now, after two impressive seasons that include two Gold Glove awards, we all know why Inciarte was so popular. Inciarte is a tremendous fielder, and when Acuna arrives not many balls will hit green grass in the left-center field gap. For now, Inciarte is still the leadoff man. He could switch places eventually with Albies, but the Braves like his leadership and experience at the top of the lineup. We’ll see if he can once again hit 11 home runs, which was a bit of a surprise last season. Inciarte may be developing a little power, just like Martin Prado did, just because he’s such a good hitter.

RIGHT FIELD

Nick Markakis is in the final year of his four-year contract. He’s 34 now, and Markakis is not the player he was once. But this spring he was rejuvenated by analytical information provided by the new front office that has Markakis thinking about having a 200-hit season. He was encouraged to be more aggressive early in the count, and the results have been positive. Markakis is a quiet leader on the team, one the young players look to for advice. He will likely hit fifth in the lineup, and the Braves really need Markakis to be a solid bat. He’s averaged just under 10 home runs a year in his three seasons, so it’s unrealistic to expect more power from him. But if Markakis can get his batting average closer to .300, the Braves will have a solid offensive player.

BENCH

Last year’s bench was awful to start the season but improved as the season evolved. This year Charlie Culberson, one of the Dodgers’ heroes from last postseason, could be a top pinch-hitter. Culberson can play all spots in the infield and the corner outfield. Ezequiel Carrera was signed a few weeks ago from Toronto after hitting .282 last season in a part-time role. Once Acuna arrives, Tucker could be a big bat off the bench. Lane Adams had 12 RBI as a pinch-hitter last season for Atlanta. Danny Santana showed great versatility last season, playing second and third and in the outfield. Ruiz can play both corner infield positions, and he can provide some power off the bench. The Braves may look at the waiver wire to see if another veteran could be added to the roster for the bench.

MANAGER

Front office executives John Hart and John Coppolella were fired amid the scandal that rocked the Braves over the winter, but manager Brian Snitker remains the constant in the dugout. He has yet to have a very talented team to manage, but this year’s roster could be his best yet. The players went to bat for Snitker to lobby for his return, and there is tremendous respect for his leadership. Now, with less pressure than last year to win a certain number of games, Snitker will be charged with helping graduate more young prospects to Atlanta and, at the same time, inch closer to the .500 mark. This is year four of the rebuild, and the hope is gradual improvement. Snitker will depend on young players, like Albies, Acuna and more young pitchers, to get the Braves closer to contender-status.

This story was originally published March 23, 2018 at 8:33 PM with the headline "A look at how the Braves stand by position."