The Atlanta Braves Need to Make Changes to Get Back on Top

The season is nearly two months in, so you have a good feel about where your team is right now. And for me, I get the feel that the Braves are about what their record reflects. They are 23-22, so about a .500 club. They aren't any worse than that, not any better either. They don't do anything great, nor do they do anything terrible. The good news is there is plenty of time to make changes to the club. I think some changes can be made on their own roster, some can be fixed by bringing up guys from the minors, and there is plenty of time to make some trades.

The Braves are right in the middle in runs scored in the NL; they have scored 206 runs in 45 games (4.57 per game). For awhile there it was pretty bad, but the coaching staff made a change and benched the Melky Cabrera (.220 BA) and Matt Diaz platoon (.178 BA) in favor of Eric Hinske who is hitting .361 on the year with 4 HR, 9 2B, and 20 RBI in just 72 at-bats. He has been a huge spark for the Braves offense.

Two other hitters are really struggling that can be replaced. I love Nate McLouth, I really do. His defense nearly gives him a pass alone, but his offensive production has just been too bad for too long. McLouth is hitting just .194 on the year and his problem dates back even further than the first two months. He had 6 hits in 51 at-bats in the spring (.117). That makes him 32-185 since the spring (.172 BA). That is just too long of a drought.

So how do we replace McLouth? I think Jordan Schafer is a guy Atlanta needs to look at again. Last year you might recall he hit a HR on opening day, in his first at-bat. He was supposed to be the starting CF last year. The only problem was he struck out a lot and hit for a low average at the big-league level, and that is why the Braves traded to get McLouth. But hang in here with me, he was playing through a wrist injury while up in the big's. It required surgery and he is back in triple-A now. He isn't tearing it up (hitting .231 combined in the minors in 2010) but maybe it would at least get McLouth going. Gregor Blanco is the other option, and maybe the safer one as he hit .294 in triple-a this year and was just called up to the big-leagues yesterday.

Yunel Escobar is, in my opinion, the most underachieving player on the roster. After hitting .304 in the previous three seasons, how can Escobar be hitting .174 this year? It's one of the biggest mysterious the Braves have right now. He hits into double play after double play. He has made terrible base running mistakes, even once failing to tag up on a deep fly-ball at third, going half-way down the line instead of tagging. He has made terrible errors in the field. Meanwhile, Omar Infante filled in very well for Escobar when he was on the DL, and is hitting .311 in 90 AB. I see no reason why Escobar should be the starter at this point over Infante. I'm a firm believer in starting who is hot, and that is Infante, not Escobar.

The Braves starters haven't been that great. Hudson is revived but everyone else has been disappointing. Everyone was hoping for a bounce back year for Lowe, his 5.30 ERA tells a different story. Tommy Hanson has been smoked in his last two starts (13 ER in 8.2 IP) and is now 3-3 with a 4.18 ERA after a much hyped rookie season. Jair Jurrjens went from 14-10 with a 2.60 ERA in 2009 to a 6.58 ERA and 0-3 record couple with a trip to the DL in 2010. Kenshin Kawakami is 0-7 and hitters are hitting .284 off him and slugging .500%.

The fix? I heard a guy named Roy Oswalt wants to be traded. Sure, his contract is huge, but don't forget the Braves have done nothing with that near $10 million they saved when they traded the Braves ace, Javier Vasquez, to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera.

Cliff Lee? The Mariners are already sellers and I am sure every GM has their number on speed dial; Lee is in the last year of his contract. Wouldn't it be fun to watch Cliff Lee try to pitch the Braves over the former Phillies team that traded him when they picked up Roy Halladay? If they can't land either I suggest keeping Medlen in the rotation and benching Kawakami or Lowe, whoever is doing worse by the time J.J. is ready to come off the DL. And don't say they can't send Lowe to the Pen, Zambrano's huge contract went there!