Question: so when is the appropriate time to panic if you are a Braves fan

[BamaNation]

Other teams would be smart to give the Braves $100m to pay to a player and sign to a long contract. That's the recipe for disaster.

 

[AWRTR]

My take on the Braves at this point: The talent is still there. It’s not wishful thinking to believe they can still win the division. Naturally the hitting needs to improve so the pitching doesn’t have to only give up one or two runs a game. We haven’t reached the midpoint of the season yet all goals are still on the table. In spite of all the injuries the Braves are one of only eight teams in baseball to have thirty wins right now. The month of June will tell us a lot about what kind of year the Braves will have.

If the line up just plays to their career norms they easily make the playoffs. They don’t need to the 1927 Yankees. They just need to be themselves but they haven’t been that for most of the season.

 

[TexasBama]

More reasons to be glad you’re a Braves fan.
Astros pitchers Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier are out for the season with Tommy John’s surgery.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

Well, that was pathetic. 1 hit shutout from a meh Red Sox pitcher. This lineup is a joke right now.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Well, that was pathetic. 1 hit shutout from a meh Red Sox pitcher. This lineup is a joke right now.

every single time the talking heads say the Braves might have turned things around, they have a game like this

 

[BhamToTexas]

We are really on a bad stretch. I still believe we will turn it around but they need to start.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

We are really on a bad stretch. I still believe we will turn it around but they need to start.

I'm leaning more towards the early great stretch was the fluke and this is really who this team is. For whatever reason, offensive production is down across the board this year with BA, HR, SLG, OBP all seeing their lowest marks in years. A year like this has always been my fear once the Braves' offense was reworked to be a HR or bust mindset. When the ball isn't flying out, this team will always struggle since most of our lineup just swings for the fence all the time. You can't just flip a switch and suddenly be a small ball hitter, it is not who they are, they've spent a lifetime swing for the fences and can't change now.

The Phillies are playing better small ball, and it shows. One striking stat is stolen bases. When the Phillies get on base, they are making things happen, when the Braves get on, nothing is happening. The Braves have been caught stealing an MLB leading 21 times. The Phillies have only been caught 10 times. The Phillies have 72 stolen bases (#4 in MLB), the Braves only have 29 (#28).


I'm past panicking and have just come to terms that this is just probably what they will be this year. Probably still good enough to nag a wild card spot, maybe get past the WC round and get bounced by the Phillies for the third straight year (won't that be fun!).

 

[Tide&True]

I'm leaning more towards the early great stretch was the fluke and this is really who this team is. For whatever reason, offensive production is down across the board this year with BA, HR, SLG, OBP all seeing their lowest marks in years. A year like this has always been my fear once the Braves' offense was reworked to be a HR or bust mindset. When the ball isn't flying out, this team will always struggle since most of our lineup just swings for the fence all the time. You can't just flip a switch and suddenly be a small ball hitter, it is not who they are, they've spent a lifetime swing for the fences and can't change now.

The Phillies are playing better small ball, and it shows. One striking stat is stolen bases. When the Phillies get on base, they are making things happen, when the Braves get on, nothing is happening. The Braves have been caught stealing an MLB leading 21 times. The Phillies have only been caught 10 times. The Phillies have 72 stolen bases (#4 in MLB), the Braves only have 29 (#28).


I'm past panicking and have just come to terms that this is just probably what they will be this year. Probably still good enough to nag a wild card spot, maybe get past the WC round and get bounced by the Phillies for the third straight year (won't that be fun!).

I think the Braves need to play “small ball” awhile instead of swinging for the fences all the time.

 

[B1GTide]

I think the Braves need to play “small ball” awhile instead of swinging for the fences all the time.

Amen, but that is the way this team is coached and managed.

 

[Tide&True]

Amen, but that is the way this team is coached and managed.

As Dr Phil says, “How’s that working for you?”🤣

 

[CrimsonNagus]

I think the Braves need to play “small ball” awhile instead of swinging for the fences all the time.

That's my point. I don't think these guys can play small ball. They've spent their careers, probably since high school, swinging for the fences. It's all they know. The organization has not been going after small ball hitters for a while now.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

That's my point. I don't think these guys can play small ball. They've spent their careers, probably since high school, swinging for the fences. It's all they know. The organization has not been going after small ball hitters for a while now.

This ^^^^

The youth and HS level rarely bunt anymore and even less spend time on bunt coverage. So when they're asked to do it they can't. They spend their entire amateur lives being told bunts and groundballs are bad. While launch angle and swinging for the fences is the way to go.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

There has been something off with this team all year. The whole team seems down and just not having fun. This was the case before anyone got hurt too. I also think this current streak is who they really are. The exciting run was bound to come to an end sometime. I canceled Fubo today because of the lackluster effort by the Braves. If they don't care, why should I? Well Ozuna cares but no one else does.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

I think the Braves need to play “small ball” awhile instead of swinging for the fences all the time.

Double Amen.

Been asking for it for a while but today’s players and the Braves especially just refuse.

The majority of MLB players today only care about ‘Launch angles’ and hitting Majestic Homers.

My favorite players to watch are the Ones who still care about hitting for Avg and getting on Base.

There are only 13 players in all of MLB hitting over .300 right now.

That feels extremely low compared to MLB’s history.

I really miss guys like Gwynn and Boggs who went out there every year and hit for a high Avg.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

That feels extremely low compared to MLB’s history.

It is, hitting stats are down this year across the entire league. League BA is around .240 so far, the lowest since 1968. In early May (can't find % that includes all of May/June) HRs were down 15%. OPS is at .699, lowest since 1989. SLG is currently .388, lowest since 1992.

There is already speculation that MLB has messed with the baseball again.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

It is, hitting stats are down this year across the entire league. League BA is around .240 so far, the lowest since 1968. In early May (can't find % that includes all of May/June) HRs were down 15%. OPS is at .699, lowest since 1989. SLG is currently .388, lowest since 1992.

There is already speculation that MLB has messed with the baseball again.

there are some pretty meh pitchers having great abnormal years

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Double Amen.

Been asking for it for a while but today’s players and the Braves especially just refuse.

The majority of MLB players today only care about ‘Launch angles’ and hitting Majestic Homers.

My favorite players to watch are the Ones who still care about hitting for Avg and getting on Base.

There are only 13 players in all of MLB hitting over .300 right now.

That feels extremely low compared to MLB’s history.

I really miss guys like Gwynn and Boggs who went out there every year and hit for a high Avg.

Several years ago I did an informal search via ESPN's database to see if my eyes were deceiving me and there simply weren't as many .300 hitters as it was in 80's 90's and early 00's. Long story short my eyes were right. In alot of those years there were over 20 players hitting .300 or better for the year and in down years it was 18 or 19.

People say the pitching is "better" but if that's the case then why are there more homeruns being hit than ever? The pitching is faster but it isn't better. If it were better batters wouldn't be hitting the insane amount of homeruns they have the past 10 years or so. It's the style of hitting that has changed, causing more strikouts, flyouts and low batting averages, not the pitching.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

Several years ago I did an informal search via ESPN's database to see if my eyes were deceiving me and there simply weren't as many .300 hitters as it was in 80's 90's and early 00's. Long story short my eyes were right. In alot of those years there were over 20 players hitting .300 or better for the year and in down years it was 18 or 19.

People say the pitching is "better" but if that's the case then why are there more homeruns being hit than ever? The pitching is faster but it isn't better. If it were better batters wouldn't be hitting the insane amount of homeruns they have the past 10 years or so. It's the style of hitting that has changed, causing more strikouts, flyouts and low batting averages, not the pitching.

I just took a quick look at MLB's stats leaders page for 1979-1989 and there were only 3 seasons where there were less than 25-30 Guys who ended the year .300 or over.

It's been talked about a few times in various threads but both the Art of Hitting and the Art of Pitching are all but extinct now.

Baseball has been around a long time now but for Modern Baseball it's never been worse than the last 10-15 years or so.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I just took a quick look at MLB's stats leaders page for 1979-1989 and there were only 3 seasons where there were less than 25-30 Guys who ended the year .300 or over.

It's been talked about a few times in various threads but both the Art of Hitting and the Art of Pitching are all but extinct now.

Baseball has been around a long time now but for Modern Baseball it's never been worse than the last 10-15 years or so.

Yes, "max effort" pitching is ruining a lot of great arms and the promotion of launch angles and exit velocity has diminished the art of hitting. Granted we're seeing more homeruns but we're seeing less quality of hitting.

 

[CB4]

Double Amen.

Been asking for it for a while but today’s players and the Braves especially just refuse.

The majority of MLB players today only care about ‘Launch angles’ and hitting Majestic Homers.

My favorite players to watch are the Ones who still care about hitting for Avg and getting on Base.

There are only 13 players in all of MLB hitting over .300 right now.

That feels extremely low compared to MLB’s history.

I really miss guys like Gwynn and Boggs who went out there every year and hit for a high Avg.

Let us not forget the all import “exit velocity”. Can’t talk baseball with talking “exit velocity”.

Baseball was already on a decline in terms of fan interest. This “new” all or nothing approach is killing any possibility of reviving that interest. Kids come to watch players “hit”, not make a left turn towards the dugout. Even if players are bunting or advancing the runner from second to third by hitting the ball to right, it is still “action”.