2006 Atlanta Braves Predictions & Season Preview
June 5, 2008
All signs point to the Atlanta Braves being a solid team to back in 2006 with our Atlanta Braves predictions. They have gained their backers an impressive 57 units over the past 4 seasons. One important situation to note is that the Braves have absolutely dominated left handed starting pitching over the past 7 years outscoring their opponents by nearly a run per game on average. You can expect this trend to continue this season as the Braves have a solid right handed hitting lineup and Chipper Jones’ ability to switch hit gives them another big right handed stick. The only situation when you may want to think twice before backing the Atlanta Braves is when they are facing interleague teams. They don’t have quite the same success against left handed starting pitching against the American League mainly because they’ve never put as much emphasis on interleague play.
The Braves starting pitching has been the staple of their organization for more than a decade. It perhaps, isn’t what it was when John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine were all in their prime, but they still have a respectable staff which will continue to be successful with Smoltz still leading the way and Tim Hudson following right behind. The Braves bats have more than made up for anything they may be lacking on the mound. Andruw Jones is coming off an MVP caliber season in which he jacked 51 homeruns, and Chipper Jones continues to produce as one of the elite switch hitters to ever play the game. If Jones can boost his mediocre .263 average and turn some of the strikeouts he endured while trying to hit homeruns into base hits, the Braves will be that much better. I think you’ll see him improve his average simply by being more selective at the plate. There were times last season when he was red hot and pitchers were trying to pitch around him, and he would help them out by swinging at their pitches. I think you’ll see a much more disciplined Andruw Jones in 2006.
The Braves have now captured 14 straight National League East division titles and they appear to be a lock for number 15. The New York Mets are off to a fast start and the Philadelphia Phillies may be able to stay with the pack for awhile, but both the Mets and the Phillies are as synonymous with choking down the stretch as the Braves are win winning the NL East. Because the Braves play in such a weak division, you can bank on them winning the majority of their division games. They are virtually unstoppable within their division when facing left handed starting pitching. You are going to want to follow this trend early on in the season, but we expect it to continue as most of the pieces of the Braves are the same and the rest of the division doesn’t appear to have gotten much better. Make sure you make the Atlanta Braves part of your sports investing this summer.