Breaking down the Braves, position by position

The Atlanta Braves open their 2017 season Monday against the New York Mets. Here is a position-by-position look at the Braves entering the season.

Rotation

Last season, the Braves started the season with a rotation of Julio Teheran, Matt Wisler, Bud Norris, Jhoulys Chacin and Williams Perez. The rotation was a nightmare as 16 different pitchers made starts. Teheran is the only holdover, and the Braves want to pair him with Mike Foltynewicz, who led the team in wins last season. Foltynewicz had a great spring training, and the Braves feel ‘Folty’ is ready to break out and become a star. With young pitchers on the way, the Braves decided to bridge the gap with veterans Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey and Jaime Garcia. While there is some skepticism about having older pitchers, there is now stability. Young prospects like Sean Newcomb and Max Fried could put one of the veterans on the trade block. The rotation should be improved with the new pitchers.

Bullpen

Jim Johnson took over as the closer last season, and he was so effective the Braves decided to bring him back on a two-year contract. The Braves were thrilled with Arodys Vizcaino in spring training. He’s healthy now, and Vizcaino should be an effective setup man for Johnson and get some save opportunities. Ian Krol was a solid lefty last season, and one of the best stories of camp was Eric O’Flaherty. He was one of the best relievers in baseball several years ago, and now O’Flahery is healthy again. Chaz Roe was effective when he came over late last season, and the Braves love Jose Ramirez’s stuff. Josh Collmenter serves as the long reliever. This could be a work in progress as the Braves see how well Johnson does as the closer and let the dominoes fall into place.

Catcher

A.J. Pierzynski is finally gone, so Tyler Flowers returns as the primary catcher. Flowers had his best offensive season as a professional last season, hitting .270 with a .357 on-base percentage. Flowers will likely hit eighth in the new lineup, so can he handle that? Last season, Flowers hit eight home runs and had 51 RBI, despite playing in only 83 games. Flowers gets rave reviews from pitchers, who love his ability to properly frame pitches. That’s becoming more of an important statistic these days, and it helps Flowers since he has trouble throwing potential base stealers out. The Braves brought in 10-year veteran Kurt Suzuki as the main backup. Suzuki will be charged with catching Dickey’s knuckleball. The Braves feel this position is stronger, particularly if Flowers can be as effective on offense as he was in 2016.

First base

We’ve waited for Freddie Freeman to break out, and he did just that in the second half of 2016. Freeman’s numbers really improved after the addition of Matt Kemp on July 31. In his final 54 games of the season, with Kemp hitting behind him, Freeman hit .340 with 16 home runs, 49 RBI and an amazing .461 on-base percentage. Freeman is no longer the young prospect with the great smile who hugs everybody. He’s 27 now and makes more money than anyone on the team, so the Braves need Freeman to assume a larger role as a leader. Freeman is embracing the responsibility, and the Braves seem thrilled to build around their star first baseman. Give Freeman credit for surviving while the Braves were rebuilding. Now, it’s his turn to lead this team as it gets back on track.

Second base

The Braves envisioned Sean Rodriguez as the starter here, but a serious car accident in January has Rodriguez out for perhaps most of the season. So, the Braves basically stole veteran Brandon Phillips, who grew up in the Atlanta area as a Braves fan. Phillips is in the last year of his contract, and he’s now 35 years old, so can he still be effective? Well, after Aug. 1 in 2016, Phillips hit .346 with a .358 on-base percentage. Phillips should be an upgrade over Jace Peterson, the main starter the past two years. The Braves are thrilled with the energy Phillips brings the clubhouse, and he has been a great influence on the younger players. Phillips is keeping second base warm for Ozzie Albies, a 20-year-old sparkplug who could be ready by the All-Star break. Albies could be a future star.

Shortstop

There was panic 16 months ago when the Braves traded defensive whiz Andrelton Simmons to the Los Angeles Angels, but then weeks later general manager John Coppolella traded for his eventual replacement. Well, stole is the word used to describe how the team got Dansby Swanson from Arizona. Swanson was instantly compared to Derek Jeter, to Chipper Jones — a player who could become the face of the franchise. Swanson’s late-season debut in Atlanta last season was a success, as he hit .302 in his 129 plate appearances. Swanson’s defense is solid, and there’s little doubt he’s going to be a leader on this team. He seems to embrace that responsibility. Swanson will hit second in the lineup, between Ender Inciarte and Freeman. We are not only entering the SunTrust Park era of Braves baseball, but also the Dansby Swanson era.

Third base

In early May last year, then-manager Fredi Gonzalez sent Adonis Garcia to Gwinnett to play left field. A few weeks later, Garcia’s Triple-A manager was promoted to Atlanta to replace Gonzalez. Brian Snitker wanted Garcia back as his third baseman, and after getting the confidence from his new boss, Garcia took off. Garcia had seven errors in his first 21 games at third base before his demotion, and then when he returned Garcia made only 11 errors in 102 games. Offensively, Garcia became a dependable bat in the lineup. He finished with 14 home runs and 65 RBI and a respectable .273 batting average. Garcia will hit seventh in the lineup, and Snitker is likely only going to ask Garcia to repeat his 2016 production. The Braves have young third basemen on the way, but for now, Garcia will be adequate.

Left field

A year ago, the Braves were ready to have Hector Olivera play left field. That lasted two weeks, as Olivera was arrested in Washington on assault charges. Then in late July, the Braves somehow convinced the Padres to take Olivera’s contract in exchange for veteran Matt Kemp. Despite coming to Atlanta with a shaky reputation, Kemp was tremendous for the Braves. He hit .280 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 56 games. The Braves desperately needed a slugger, and Kemp filled the role perfectly. His presence elevated Freeman’s offense in the final two months, and it was a main reason the Braves finished strong. Kemp came to camp in better shape, and the Braves expect him to be a 30-home run, 100-RBI-type hitter. Kemp grew up a huge Braves fan, and he’s living a dream playing in Atlanta.

Center field

Ender Inciarte was the “other” player acquired from the Diamondbacks in the Shelby Miller trade. Most believed Swanson was the main piece, but not many knew what to expect from Inciarte. He didn’t overwhelm in the first half, hitting just .227. But then, after the All-Star break, Inciarte took off. He hit .341 in the second part of the season, with a .396 on-base percentage. The defense stood out in Inciarte’s game, including one of the best plays in decades when he robbed Yoenis Cespedes of a game-winning home run near the end of the season. Inciarte was rewarded with a long-term contract extension over the offseason, and the Braves are counting on him to be the anchor of the outfield. The Braves compare Inciarte to the way Martin Prado played the game, with a great attitude and tremendous work ethic.

Right field

Right after the Braves signed Nick Markakis two years ago, he had major back surgery. The injury impacted Markakis’ power, and he had a less-than-spectacular first season in Atlanta with a career-low three home runs. Last year, Markakis returned to the type of player he had been in Baltimore, hitting 13 home runs with 89 RBI. The Braves appreciated Markakis’ consistent play in right field as he was also solid defensively. Ronald Acuna is a 19-year-old star prospect that might push Markakis to the trade block at some point soon, but right now the Braves will rely on Markakis to be a dependable bat behind Kemp in the five spot of the lineup. Markakis is as steady and reliable as any player in the game, as you can count on him to play every day and provide consistency on offense.

Bench

This is the area of the team that could be a big problem. In fact, the Braves will continue to look around for potential additions to the bench up until the season opener. Not one of the projected reserve players has power. Suzuki will be the backup catcher, but he hasn’t hit double-digit home runs since 2011. The main infield backups will be Chase d’Arnaud and Peterson. They are both versatile, good baseball players, but they’re just not a threat off the bench with the bat. Then there’s Emilio Bonifacio, a good baseball player, but he relies on speed. The Braves seem set on going with an eight-man bullpen, which limits their options on the bench. This will likely be an area Coppolella continues to work on throughout the season. Expect changes, likely very soon.

Manager

Snitker took over last year when the Braves were a mess. They were 9-28 and on their way to a nightmare season. But then, things changed. Snitker improved the attitude of the team, and the players responded. The Braves were 50-47 in their final 97 games, 37-35 after the All-Star break and 20-10 in the final 30 games of the season. Freeman led the charge to have Snitker remain as the permanent manager, convincing the front office to retain Snitker for this season. Snitker has managed for 20 years in the minors, and got the major league experience last season going 59-65. The players love him, as Snitker allows them to have fun and doesn’t put too much pressure on anyone. The Braves will integrate more young players into the roster, and Snitker is the perfect man for this job.　　　　　　　

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Breaking down the Braves, position by position."