New look Atlanta Braves in need of left field help
By Terry Jenks
The Atlanta Braves have been wheeling and dealing this off-season under the direction of new GM John Hart, but they shouldn’t be done just yet. After trading Evan Gattis to Houston on Wednesday afternoon, the Braves are now in need of a starting caliber left fielder. Although Atlanta is admittedly not planning on being a contender until at least 2016 (more than likely 2017), they still need to fill a blatant hole in left. The left field free agent market is underwhelming to say the least, but the Braves can’t depend on their current roster to produce a suitable left fielder, so signing a free agent appears to be the most sensible path.
The way I see it, two free agent options would make sense for Atlanta in left field; Norichika Aoki and Jonny Gomes. Aoki, the former Kansas City Royals outfielder, would bring the Braves another player that excels at getting on base. Having already brought in Nick Markakis and Alberto Callaspo, the Braves and Hart are clearly placing a heavy emphasis on on-base percentage, and Aoki would fit the mold.
At age 33, Aoki got on base at .349 clip in Kansas City last season while hitting .285 in 132 games. The Braves could find a spot in the lineup for him, but Aoki would represent another top of the order guy who hits left handed, a fact that some view as problematic. Atlanta’s lineup against a right-handed pitcher would probably feature Markakis (left), Callaspo (switch), and Freeman (left) one through three. Adding Aoki to a lefty heavy lineup may prove to be counter productive, but thats not to say the Braves wouldn’t take a chance on him despite his hitting left handed.
Putting a high contact, high on-base guy like Aoki at the bottom of a lineup may work to improve the Atlanta base stealing efforts as well. Having Aoki behind Upton (say at 7 & 8) would mean the Braves have legitimate base stealing threats in every portion of the lineup. For a team that will likely struggle to reach the 100 home run mark, base stealing might be the best scoring option Atlanta has.
In contrast to Aoki, Jonny Gomes would give the Braves a right handed power option to (gulp) protect Freddie Freeman in the middle of a power-starved lineup. Gomes, 34, hit .234 last season in time between Boston and Oakland but still managed to post a respectable .327 OBP for the year. Boasting a career .442 slugging percentage, Gomes has also been known to be “a good clubhouse guy” for whatever that’s worth. Personally, I don’t subscribe to the “clubhouse guy” having value theory, but in this instance, I’ll play along.
The Atlanta Braves, perhaps more than any other team in the majors, need guys who have competed and won in big time situations because frankly, no one on their roster has won much of anything in the big leagues. The value of Gomes in the middle of the Atlanta lineup would at least give the Braves a better power threat than Simmons or Johnson hitting behind Freeman. Gomes does come with some handicaps however. His defense is, shall we say, subpar and his splits indicate he would be better suited for a platoon role over an everyday job. Gomes, for his career, has hit .222 against righties while hitting .277 against lefties.
Regardless of what the Atlanta Braves decide to do in left field, they cannot, and will not, go into April with what they currently have (Zoilo Almonte, Todd Cunningham, Joey Terdoslavich, etc.) on the roster. Aoki and Gomes provide different options to say the least, but they would both be assets in Atlanta, and with John Hart at the helm, a move may be made sooner rather than later.