The Braves won 14 straight division titles before missing October baseball the past two seasons. Will the familiar face of Tom Glavine and the added power of Mark Teixeira put the Braves back in division contention? Find out in Jeff Alexander’s 2008 Atlanta Braves Predictions for Point-Spreads.com. SportsBetting.com has the Atlanta Braves at 30 to 1 odds to win the 2008 World Series Championship.
Starting Rotation/Bullpen – The Braves may have won 84 games last season, but there is no denying that the rotation was a mess at times. Strong starting pitching has been a staple at Atlanta and looked like it would be again in 2007 with John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Mike Hampton, Chuck James, and Kyle Davies toeing the rubber. The oft-injured Hampton never made it out of spring training, Davies was a bust, and James was inconsistent as a number three starter. Atlanta is hoping that the return of Tom Glavine will be the remedy. If Hampton can stay healthy and Glavine can stay durable, Atlanta’s starting rotation will be a major strength.
40-year-old John Smoltz continues to amaze . He went 14-8 with a 3.11 ERA last season and shook off any pain that came knocking. Hudson went 16-10 with a 3.33 ERA and Glavine brings a 13-8 2007 into town. With three guys capable of 15 wins, the Braves should be in good shape. Without Bob Wickman, Rafael Soriano will take the closer role again. With 70 Ks and just 15 walks in 72 innings last season, he looks to be awfully tough. Peter Moylan was the Braves workhorse out of the pen last year and one of the better setup men in the league. The rest of the guys will likely let the Braves down.
Batting Order – Shortstop Yunel Escobar will be filling the big shoes of Edgar Renteria, but if the scouts are right, he could be the game’s next big shortstop. Kelly Johnson will bat second and play second. The Braves will take another season of 16 homeruns and 68 RBIs out of him. Third baseman Chipper Jones still swings one of the best bats in the game. He slugged 29 homeruns in 2007 and added 102 RBIs. Mark Teixeira will hit fourth and play the other corner. In 54 games with the Braves at the end of last season, he hit .317 with 17 homeruns and 56 RBIs. Look for a breakout year from him.
Right fielder Jeff Francoeur is putting up solid numbers (19 homeruns and 105 RBIs last season), but the organization is waiting for this guy to hit 40 bombs and 135 RBIs. Catch Brian McCann proved his 2006 numbers were no fluke with 24 homeruns and 93 RBIs last season. He clearly is among the game’s best power hitters at his position. Matt Diaz looks like he will bat seventh and play left field with Mark Kotsay in center and batting eighth.
The Braves will look a little different without Andruw Jones roaming centerfield and slugging homeruns, but I don’t think you’ll see a big drop off. Mark Teixeira can pick up the slack and the addition of Glavine gives Atlanta another quality starter. Expect the Braves to slug it out with Philadelphia and the Mets for the top two spots in the East.
SportsBetting.com has posted the following MLB betting odds on various 2008 Texas Rangers Predictions:
Odds to win NL East: 5/1
Odds to win 2008 NL Pennant: 11/1
Odds to win 2008 World Series: 30/1
