Coming into 2016, Braves management and fans alike knew they were in for a rough year. The club was in the midst of a complete overhaul. They had made several dual layered trades that were geared towards future contention at the expense of being really bad right now. However, through a week’s worth of games, it looks thus far as if Atlanta may have even overshot their low expectations for this season. They are one of two winless teams left in the Majors, along with Minnesota, with little acumen shown at the plate, on the mound, or in the field. This year could be historically bad for the Braves in the scope of the franchise, as well as the league.
Now you have to take into account that Braves have faced two pretty damn good teams to start the year. Washington and St. Louis both are pennant contenders by all means. Atlanta has also made them look even better than they could have imagined with their approach at the dish. Atlanta is tied with the Phillies for the fewest walks in the NL with 17. This provides a double pronged problem for the club as they can’t hit for power, or much at all to be honest. It also gives them fewer opportunities to display one of their few strengths as a team, their speed. No patience mixed with no pop makes for some ugly results. 0-8 is the worst start for the Braves since 1988, when they went 54-106.
It is still early, but the massive shift in responsibility has taken a toll on Freddie Freeman. He is hitting just .080 through eight games. The few times he’s come to the plate with men on base, he’s hit just a shade over .100. When your best bat can’t get a groove going the offense around it sputters even further. Unlike his counterparts though, at least Freeman is keeping himself relatively afloat by drawing 7 of the team’s 35 total walks, making him the only everyday starter with at least an even K/BB ratio.
But as was stated before, it isn’t just the lack of offense creating an air of incessant conquerability. The combination of woeful pitching and defense in clutch situations has left them shooting themselves in the foot on more than one occasion. No bullpen has lost more games than the Braves (4) and only the Rockies have a worse ERA from their relievers. They are equal opportunity terrible against both lefties and righties and have blown all three potential save opportunities they’ve had in this early part of the season. The defense hasn’t helped.
Gordon Beckham committed a tenth inning error that led to the winning run scoring on Opening Day. A Freddie Freeman error in the seventh inning of the second game led to the tying and go-ahead runs being scored. A poorly executed shift led to a five run ninth inning in a loss to the Cardinals. A bullpen without a set closer coming into the year has been made to look exponentially worse via a bungling defense.
And while there is hope in the Minor League system producing stars, none of those reinforcements are coming this season. Manny Banuelos floundered in camp, missed out on the rotation, and eventually landed on the 15-day DL. Dansby Swanson, the prized bounty from the Shelby Miller trade, is tearing up Single-A Advanced, but the club has made it fairly clear that he won’t see the Majors until 2017 at the earliest. In their defense, why would the Braves subject any of their high ranking prospects to the disaster of a season they are about to endure.
The worst team in the “modern era” of baseball was the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics. They went 36-117 for a .235 winning percentage. For an even closer comparison, the 2003 Tigers, one of the youngest and poorly constructed single season squads in MLB history, went 43-119. The Braves are on pace, both in record and statistically, to do worse than both of those all-time losers. Their cohorts in winlessness, Minnesota, also lost this evening. But unlike Atlanta, there is promise for a brighter tomorrow. The Braves are in for some dark days this year, even with some of the league’s worst sitting right next door. They could potentially be one of the worst teams in the history of America’s pastime. And the sad thing is that the final season of Turner Field will look just as empty as it was during their heyday. History will be made this season, but not the type you would want to brag about.