Is Cameron Maybin the Answer for the Braves in the Two-Hole?

It looks like Fredi Gonzalez is starting to figure out how to best construct his batting order for this new-look Atlanta Braves team in 2015.  Nick Markakis has moved down in the order to collect RBI’s and protect Freddie Freeman in the heart of the Atlanta order.  Jace Peterson has looked promising in the leadoff spot for the Braves in recent games.  He’s still a rookie so he may go through growing pains but I still like him batting first for the Braves.

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Another lineup adjustment Fredi Gonzalez has made is moving CF Cameron Maybin into the two-hole in over Andrelton Simmons.  Maybin has played well for the Braves this season, but is he the right man to hit second for the Atlanta ball club?

Ideally, Fredi would probably prefer to hit either Andrelton Simmons or Alberto Callaspo second because neither infielder strikes out often.  That is an imperative quality of a Major League two-hole hitter.  Batting second requires optimal contact to move runners over.  But Callaspo has struggled this season at the plate for the Braves with a sub-.300 OBP and Andrelton Simmons is consistently inconsistent at the plate.  He rarely sees more than three pitches per at bat.

Maybin has improved immensely at the plate by working with new Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer.  These two men have been on the same page even before Maybin came over to the Braves in the Craig Kimbrel Trade from San Diego.  Cameron Maybin strikes out a little more often than Simmons or Callaspo but I believe that he is seeing the ball better under Seitzer’s tutelage.

He’s hitting the ball hard to all parts of the field.  Maybin has shown some power this season with four home runs already.  He could hit double-digit homers for the Braves and set a career high in the process.  For the time being, it feels right to see Cameron Maybin hitting second in the Atlanta Braves batting order.  If Atlanta can find consistency at the top of the order, with the way the team is able to manufacture runs, Atlanta can definitely stay in playoff contention throughout this summer.