Atlanta Braves 2004 Season Preview

by Paul Wysard

Can this elite defender reach that same level on offense?

MAUI, HAWAII - March 2.   The unilateral fan club of Paul Lawrence Wysard has announced renewal of its Rooting Agreement with the Braves for the 59th consecutive season.  Reporters caught up with Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Secretary-Treasurer, and majority (and only) stockholder Wysard shortly after the disclosure.  When asked about the overall record of 2 World Series titles, 8 NL Pennants, and 14 Division firsts throughout those decades, Wysard replied, "I'd really be very happy, almost satisfied, with one more Series win.  They just missed out in '91, should have won in '96, and then, last year, I thought they had the stuff to do it - pitching, power, some helpful new faces.  I credit the Cubs, but the hitting slacked off and Smoltz was really hurting at the end.  All in all, I'm sure it could be worse.  I think St. Louis, Oakland, the Dodgers, the Reds and, of course, the Yankees, are about the only franchises with better histories since 1946.  And some clubs haven't won the biggest prize since the Dead Ball Era - you know who they are."

Asked about the upcoming season, Wysard frowned. "It's not that promising.  As a fan, I'm angry with the AOL people.  They don't have to pay Glavine, Maddux, Sheffield, and Millwood anymore, but they didn't use the savings to pick up a big bat or strong arm to help Cox and Schuerholz.  I'd like to see them sell off the club, back to Ted Turner. A murmur has been heard that he's interested.  He'd spend to win.  You have to do that. The AOL people are not baseball people, and it's showing.  Meanwhile, look at what the Phillies have done!  And the Marlins and the Mets are very competitive."

A reporter mentioned J.D. Drew.  "I really like Drew," Wysard replied. "A joy to watch when he's hitting and not hurt.  I wrote a small article for The Diamond Angle naming him a recipient of the Pistol Pete Reiser Award for being injured so much.  If he can play a full season, he could be .315, 28, 110, 105.  And if the Jones boys can kick it up a notch, repeating on top is not out of the question."

Did Wysard believe the two Jones could ring up the necessary numbers?  "Oh, yes. Chipper tailed off a little in parts of 2003, but he finished strong, reaching 100 RBI for the eighth straight season.  Last year, I asked whether Andruw could do a star turn - .300, 40, 120, 100.  He ended up very close in the power side of the equation, his average has risen 25 points in the past two seasons, but his walks and on-base-percentage dipped, so he's really still a work in progress."

  First Base has been a sore point with Wysard over the past several years. "And it still is," he said. "Maybe Chipper should play there, but I'm not sure he wants to go back to the infield.  There's much talk about this kid LaRoche, but, really, that is a heckuva unknown quality.  Sure, I hope it works, but we've been down that road before."

Last season, Marcus Giles was the pleasant surprise almost every ball club has.   Who does the long-time fan think will be that man this year?  "Watch Mark DeRosa. The guy can hit, he works hard, and he's a versatile athlete.  He gets the shot at Third and I really believe we could see .300, 20, 80, 90 from him, 'though he'll bat lower in the order, so 90 runs might be too high a projection.  But the tools are there."

When asked about the pitching, Wysard replied positively.  "The rotation is not up to that of the '90s, but Russ Ortiz and Mike Hampton are a solid one-two punch, with Hampton seeming to have stopped the slide of a couple of years ago.  Maddux says Horacio Ramirez is a future ace, and he should know.  I think John Thomson was a nice addition with no hoopla, so he could sneak up on opponents.  His ERA was a little high, but that was in Texas, and he did finish 13-14 over there.  The 5th slot will be a battle among kids, but that's good for the future, and Leo Mazzone will bring one or two of them along.  They must feel good about the youngsters because they let yet another one, Adam Wainwright, go in the deal for Drew.  Finally, there's John Smoltz.  He just has to be fully recovered; if he is limited - or worse - this could be a 3rd or 4th place team.  The set-up crew is adequate, but could use a Mazzone massage."

Will Wysard miss Javy Lopez?  "Yes and no.  He had a wonderful power year, but he's reached that 1,400 game barrier that almost always slows catchers down.  John Estrada is better defensively, and it looks like he can hit.  Eli Marrero is a nice player when he's not hurting.  It'll be OK."

He was asked if he had any ideas about the lineup. "Spring Training has just started, but I guess I'd like to see something like this:
Furcal, ss
Giles, 2b
Drew, rf
CJones, lf
AJones, cf
LaRoche, 1b
DeRosa, 3b
Estrada, c
and the pitching would be set up as we discussed earlier."

Prediction?  "The Division Title string will finally end and the Wild Card will come out out of the Central group... but please do prove me wrong."