In some regards, this kind of start was unexpected. Sure, it’s in all likelihood not going to last, but for what it’s worth, it’s amusing to see at any point in the season, that the Atlanta Braves are sitting up in first place, undefeated much less.
And in other regards, it’s also not that much of a surprise that the Braves are off to this kind of good start; yes, me and everyone else had pretty much written the Braves off and chalked them in for a billion losses this season, but the team isn’t completely putrid. It’s more like, there are very glaringly putrid components and segments of the team, but that’s not to say that there are individuals who are not all bad either.
Namely the starting pitching. It’s only been three games, but the starting pitching have all done their jobs in holding a Marlins squad expected to compete for second or third place in the division, with slim playoff aspirations once Jose Fernandez returns and if he proves to be capable, to three runs over three games. Julio Teheran, Alex Wood and Shelby Miller have all delivered in their first starts of the year, and there’s plenty of reason to feel positive if they can keep up this kind of performance for an extended duration of time.
However, someone forgot to tell all the old recruits and veteran acquisitions that they weren’t supposed to be good anymore. I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t the least bit enthused when I found out the team had picked up Nick Markakis, Jonny Gomes, A.J. Pierzynski, Jim Johnson and Jason Grilli; this is now a young man’s game, and age is the biggest knock on any single player, regardless of their past accolades and achievements. But each and every one of those guys came out and took the field and played as if they were on the champion teams or contenders they all once were on at points in their careers, and it was impossible to see that the Braves were the jobbers they were destined to be this season.
This has been a fun team to watch, even if it’s been just three games. The television commentators alluded to this particular train of thought, that the Braves, as an organization had been a little stuffy, a little too corporate, and frankly not really that fun of a team. Any team with Jonny Gomes on it is no longer not-outspoken, and the mere existence of A.J. Pierzynski is going to get under the skin of people out there. Jason Grilli might not be the robotic destroyer of the 9thinning from the future like Craig Kimbrel, but he pitches with intensity and actually allows himself to show some emotion. This is not the same team from years past, and I do think that that’s a good thing.
Nonetheless, it’s just three games, and baseball is a long and arduous season. Nice as it is now to be in first place, the game of numbers tends to win out most of the time, the synchronicity of team success doesn’t always continue, and losses will inevitably happen, occasionally mount, and everything results in a true average.
90~ losses is still the expectation, 100~ losses is still my desire, but I’ll also state that it’ll be enjoyable watching the Braves do whatever it takes to defy both from coming to fruition. They may be amongst the worst teams in the league when the season ends, but as contradictory as it sounds, it is possible to be the best-worst team in the process.
