Atlanta Braves listed 28th in preseason ESPN MLB rankings

The Atlanta Braves probably won’t be very good in 2015.

That statement isn’t exactly controversial on the heels of multiple “rebuilding” moves geared toward angling the roster for long-term success over short-term relevance. However, there are still faint expectations of respectability in most circles surrounding the club, and rumblings that the Braves could challenge the .500 mark for the season don’t appear crazy.

With that as the backdrop, David Schoenfield of ESPN’s SweetSpot blog is unveiling his preseason MLB rankings this week, and the Atlanta Braves fall in the 28th position. Yes, the Braves are ranked as the third-worst team in Major League Baseball, and Schoenfield predicts a lackluster final record of 68-94.

In the midst of the write-up, the “final word” on the Braves was as follows:

"The Braves haven’t had back-to-back losing seasons since the pre-dynastic seasons of 1989 and 1990, but that’s going to happen in 2015. The rotation could actually be pretty solid with Julio Teheran, Miller, Wood and a back-to-form Mike Minor, and funny things can happen with a good rotation. But the offense is going to be horrific. The Braves were next-to-last in the NL in runs last season and they’ve traded away three of the four good hitters they did have. They’ll head into 2015 with one good hitter in Freddie Freeman and one average-ish hitter in Markakis, who is coming off neck surgery. So good luck. But at least they won’t strike out as much."

In defense of Schoenfield and his premise, nothing he stated is out-of-bounds. The offense was mediocre (to be kind) in 2014, and with three of the best four hitters on the club in exile, it would be a stretch to refer to the 2015 collection of talent as anything but below-average.

Still, it will undoubtedly come as a surprise to some to see the Atlanta Braves projected in this lackluster fashion. The piece is worth a read (and it includes more positive thought on Andrelton Simmons and new starting pitcher Shelby Miller), but it will be interesting to see the reaction of dyed-in-the-wool members of Braves Country who simply haven’t come to the realization that this isn’t likely to be a competitive club.