Tomahawk flop

The Atlanta Braves struggled mightily in 2015, finishing fourth in the National League East at 67-95. The front office used the offseason to rebuild a barren farm system, and did so at the cost of many established players such as shortstop Andrelton Simmons and right-hander Shelby Miller. Although they brought in veterans such as Gordon Beckham, Jeff Francoeur and Kelly Johnson, the Braves have struggled mightily, off to a 9-29 start, the worst record in the Majors. Their struggles have extended to multiple facets of their game, and ultimately led to the dismissal of manager Fredi Gonzalez.

Inconsistent is the perfect word to describe Atlanta’s offense, who came into the day last in the Majors with 123 runs scored, last with 13 home runs and 28^th with a .233 team average. The offseason acquisitions of outfielder Ender Inciarte and shortstop Erick Aybar were thought to have been upgrades offensively, but both have stumbled out of the gate. Inciarte, coming off a left hamstring strain, has hit only .216 with one double in 13 games. The 25-year-old is coming off of a season in which he hit .303 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Aybar, 32, seems to be in decline, hitting a mere .180 while striking out 26 times in 128 at-bats. The Braves originally saw Aybar as an upgrade offensively over Simmons, but seems to have lost some of the bat-speed that allowed him to hit .270 or better in seven of the past eight seasons. Right fielder Nick Markakis was one of the few bright spots in the lineup until a recent slump that saw his average dip 38 points in the last 15 games.

A few hitters have turned it on of late, including first baseman Freddie Freeman, center fielder Mallex Smith and infielder Gordon Beckham. Freeman began the season 4-32, and seemed to be trying to do too much. He has hit .308 in his last 30 games including five home runs. Smith, having been called up on Apr. 11 to fill in for the injured Inciarte, has settled in nicely, posting a .311 average and three home runs in his last 15 games. Beckham, since being activated from the disabled list on May 9, is hitting .375 with four doubles and four RBIs. Over their last seven games, the Braves have averaged just under 4.5 runs per game, giving hope that they can be more consistent down the road.

Growing pains were expected with the young arms in the starting rotation, but it has been the bullpen that has really let the Braves down, currently owning the fourth-worst bullpen ERA in the Majors at 4.74. They also have the second-most losses (11) in addition to six blown saves. Veteran right-handers Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson have not been able to find their 2015 forms, and have ERAs of 7.30 and 7.90 respectively. Arodys Vizcaino on the other hand, has shown the Braves why he is the closer of the future, pitching to a 1.10 ERA in 16 1/3 innings.

The starting rotation, although combined to have a 4.68 ERA, has been decent of late. Julio Teheran, although winless so far, seems to be inching closer and closer to his 2014 form, pitching to an ERA of 3.17 over his first eight starts. Righty Matt Wisler has also pitched well, sporting a 3.24 ERA in eight games, seven of which were starts. 24-year-old Mike Foltynewicz has come back strong after being sent down before the start of the season. Over his last two starts, Foltynewicz is 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA. The big key for him has been limiting walks and keeping a lower pitch count. It seems that he has finally learned to pitch, instead of being just a thrower. He has walked none in his last two starts and also went seven or more innings in back-to-back starts for the first time in is Major League career. Aaron Blair and Bud Norris have not had the same success as these three, pitching to ERAs of 7.59 and 6.11 respectively. The back end of the rotation will have to be more stable, but Teheran and Wisler’s success is good news to the Braves so far.

The Braves defense has not helped the pitching staff, committing the second-most errors in baseball (33). Third baseman Adonis Garcia was responsible for seven of those errors, and has since been sent down to Triple-A Gwinnett to work on his defense. Aybar struggled early on defense as well, continuing to remind Braves’ fans that the Gold Glover Simmons is not roaming the infield. Tightening up the defense will be a key to winning more games down the road.

Although the Braves are scuffling, and might have over-evaluated the talent on their roster, fans need to remember that it is a rebuilding year and need to trust the process. The Cubs, Royals and Astros all went through rough seasons, but through building up their farm system, they were able to construct winning teams. Working out the kinks now can help Atlanta's young players grow while experiencing the daily life in the Major Leagues. It might be frustrating to watch, but when all said and done, the Braves should be back to competing in the NL East.