Patience still required for third year of the Braves’ rebuild

There is nothing more challenging to a fan base than a rebuilding project. It can cause many fans to re-evaluate their commitment to cheering for a team, as lean years can make it tough.

The Atlanta Braves are in the third year of their process. The current season, particularly the past month, has been frustrating. The ups and downs of a team trying to get to .500 have made it difficult to watch.

Some may not care about a process. Some may just want to win, period. But that’s foolish. When a team tells you, even not directly, that it is starting over, fans must buy in and be patient. Fans must realize it’s not going to happen overnight and that there will be bumps along the way.

Maybe since I remember the late-1980s my patience level is higher. I saw what the Braves did when Bobby Cox, then the general manager, scrapped all that had ever been done and started over. It likely made is easier that Cox’s plan, later taken to the next level by his replacement John Schuerholz, resulted in a championship in 1995.

The third year of Cox’s rebuild was the 1988 season. Unlike this year, there was no new stadium to fill. There was no need to bring in veterans to get fans through the turnstiles. The only veteran brought in was second baseman Damaso Garcia, who had been great with Toronto but flopped with Atlanta.

The Braves didn’t pad their roster with veterans to try and make the record better that season. They simply told fans, “Look, we’re going through this to try and make things better. We think it will work. Be patient.”

Since it had rarely worked in the 20 years the Braves had been in Atlanta, fans were skeptical, especially when the Braves went 54-106 that season. Fans wondered if the young talent that had been brought up was really as good as the Braves thought they were, especially when the record was so horrible.

Tom Glavine was 7-17 that season. John Smoltz made his debut and was 2-7 with an ERA of 5.48. Thank goodness no one made a conclusion about their potential after that season. Thank goodness the Braves were patient and just let them get better, even at the expense of having the record suffer.

No one is comparing anyone to Glavine and Smoltz, who became Hall of Famers. But the point matters. Patience is required with young players. You can’t make conclusions based on the struggles they have early in their careers. You must give them time to learn and to get better.

Just because players graduate to the major leagues, it does not mean they are a finished product. Do you think when all of Atlanta’s top prospects get called up they’ll be done with their development? Heck, it’ll basically start over. They will take time.

Freddie Freeman took time. He was a good player in his first five seasons in the big leagues. He averaged 21 home runs and 85 RBI, with a .286 average and a .368 on-base percentage. Freeman has become a star in the past two seasons.

Yes, Mike Foltynewicz may drive us all crazy. He had the best game of his life three weeks ago (11 strikeouts, no walks in a win over Miami) and has been awful ever since. But this is the time for him to go through this. This is the time for Foltynewicz to learn. The same for Sean Newcomb.

Dansby Swanson has been better since he returned from Triple-A. Ozzie Albies is going to make mistakes, but he’s 20 years old. And when Ronald Acuna, the top prospect in baseball, gets up next season I can bet you he will make mistakes.

If the talent is there, the potential to get better is there, you simply must give them time.

The Braves are rebuilding. It’s not always fun, but it makes you be patient whether you want to or not.

This story was originally published August 22, 2017 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Patience still required for third year of the Braves’ rebuild."