The Atlanta Braves: Rebuilding and Remembering

Baseball has faced its share of controversy throughout its rich history and many teams have been faced with having to provide a certain level of protection from the media in regards to the questionable acts with which their players have been involved. While the Atlanta Braves have not been totally immune to this controversy they have kept an eye on their players' on-field activities, resulting in 14 consecutive division titles, unmatched in modern sports history by any team in any sport.

The Atlanta Braves recently brought up veteran Willie Harris from AAA showing that they have the wherewithal to give him a chance whereas the White Sox gave up on him after only 56 games into the 2005 season and the Red Sox after 47 games in 2006. Willie has proven with the Braves that he can make the more difficult plays from center field; however, he still does not have the large drawing power among Braves fans along with the nine Golden Glove awards that have been earned by Andruw Jones. Willie has been extremely consistent at the plate, knocks the long ball occasionally, and recently has made some stellar catches in both center and left field. All of this could easily give Atlanta the chance to trade Andruw for better pitching prospects or even a mid-level salary pitching ace.

Should Atlanta try to keep Andruw Jones on the payroll? The first question you must ask yourself in answering this question is "do the Braves need a slugger in the 4-spot?" While many fans of the game believe that the clean-up batter consistently scores more runs that is truly a myth. A player is just as likely to score more runs in the 6, 7, and 8 spots as, historically, there tends to be more base runners while these spots are hitting. While home runs are exciting and attract a few fans to the game, winning baseball games is what fills the seats. Many teams have proven that you don't need a slugger batting clean-up as that is not a guarantee to scoring runs. While he may save 2 or 3 runs per week with his talents in center field he cannot make up those runs by hitting for a sub-.200 batting average.

The Braves, while in a rebuilding phase are no longer able to afford high-priced temperamental talent. With Andruw's current salary, the Braves could easily bring in two proven veteran pitchers that could mirror the likes of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz back in the '90s. Pitching is a large part of what won the Braves 14 division titles and a World Series win. While some people think that the Braves should have won more championships during that 14 year stretch, most experts would agree that they were one of the best overall teams in baseball, championships or not. How many other sports teams in modern history can say they won 14 consecutive division titles? None.

The Braves have been blessed with some of the greatest management ever brought together in baseball. General Manager John Schuerholz has the ability to bring together great management with young players and turn them into a winning baseball team. He not only has an eye for young talent but also slumping veteran hitters that can easily be turned around by batting coach Terry Pendleton. Terry's latest accomplishments include Edgar Renteria and Willie Harris, both who were basically told to take a hike from their former teams. Manager Bobby Cox is currently in fourth on the all-time wins list and is regarded by many to be the best in baseball. Cox manages with a firm hand and expects his players to be professional both on and off of the field. This has led to him being chosen as Manager of the Year four times during his 29 year career.

With all of the young talent in the Braves farm system, two players have proven themselves to be at the top of the heap. Like the rookies before them (including the likes of Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur), Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Yunel Escobar have shown that they belong in "the show". Saltalamacchia or "Salty" as he is known among announcers and players alike is a young 22 year-old batting .325 and his long-ball is coming around with the first multi-homer game of his career coming on June 26^th, 2007. Unable to take over the catcher's spot currently held by Brian McCann, Salty has moved to first base, taking over the spot most recently held by the sometimes inconsistent Scott Thorman. Yunel Escobar, while also in a similar predicament at third, will not be given as much playing time due to the talents of Chipper Jones at third base and Edgar Renteria at short-stop; however, manager Bobby Cox has been trying out Escobar at second base in place of the slumping Kelly Johnson. While going 4-for-5 on June 27^th, he has a total base count of 34 bases in only 23 games translating into an on-base percentage of nearly .345 (that's nearly 35 percent of the time). Both of these young talents have made the jobs of Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz just that much more difficult as they now have to decide whether or not to keep the young guns in the lineup while at the same time risking dropping morale and further slumping by two proven starters.

History in the faking: While Barry Bonds slowly approaches the 755 home run mark Hank Aaron sits in his office over the left-field stands at Turner Field surely wondering what has become of baseball. The new "Steroid Era" seems to be gaining acceptance among some fans and members of the media as they embrace a player who has nearly quadrupled his muscle mass since entering the game while also going bald prematurely, unlike his father who had a full head of hair into his 50s. Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record of 715 home runs as a Brave without any noted controversy and finally hitting his 755^th home run in the twilight of his active career going out like a gentleman, both in the eyes of the fans and the world. Mr. Bonds, on the other hand, will always be surrounded by a cloud of controversy and an invisible asterisk will always appear next to his name in the history books.

From the retired greats to the young rookies, the Atlanta Braves have continued to hold their heads high as they know that, even with all of the controversy surrounding many baseball teams, they are bring a fresh perspective to baseball with a team that not only displays professionalism on the field but respects their fans off the field. While Atlanta's payroll is well below that of larger market teams, they are still staying near the top of the standings with a group of young and talented players ready to make their mark on the Major Leagues.