Atlanta Braves: Is the Team Tanking to Get No. 1 Pick?

The Atlanta Braves are in the midst of a historically bad stretch, losing 12 consecutive games, losing 19 out of their past 20 games, and having only won 2 games on the road since July 7th.

The Braves are now only 1 game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for the worst record in baseball. To many Atlanta Braves fans, this rough stretch can be attributed to a myriad of different factors: the players have mentally checked out, the coaching staff does not possess the leadership capability to get a hold of their team, maybe the team is too young and inexperienced or perhaps the are just worse than we all thought they would be this season.

Let me set the record straight right now. Despite the Atlanta Braves front-office telling us the fans that the Braves are a young team, nothing could be further from the truth. When you are fielding a team that includes players like Nick Markakis, Hector Olivera, Nick Swisher, Cameron Maybin, Adonis Garcia and A.J. Pierzynski, while your youngest players are 26 year old Freddie Freeman, Andrelton Simmons, you are not a young team. With the exception of Christian Bethancourt (who has seen time at the major league level for a couple of years now), the only position player who is in fact young is Jace Peterson.

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Granted the pitching staff of Matt Wisler, Mike Foltynewicz and Manny Banuelos are inexperienced; but regardless of their youth, the fact remains the Atlanta Braves front-office (who is so insistent of shoving the idea that we have a young team down our throats) has been disingenuous with us because this team is not young. Nothing could be further from the truth. This team could easily win 80 games with the personnel it has on the roster.

Regardless of why the Braves have struggled so much over the past two months — which could be one of the reasons outlined above or a combination of all of them — John Hart and John Coppolellas’s vision for the team is still at the forefront. One possible reason for the Atlanta Braves struggles of late that I purposefully did not outline before may anger some Braves fans if true. What if the Atlanta Braves are intentionally tanking, making a pre-meditated decision to get the number 1 pick in the 2016 MLB Draft?

Aug 11, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves manager

Fredi Gonzalez

(33) prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a reasonable question to ask. How can a team with a reasonable amount of talent on the field at one time with players that have won in the past struggle so much? How can a team that was 42-42 and within striking distance of first place in the division before the All-Star break suddenly fall of a cliff and lose so many games? Why did the front-office trade two of their best hitters in Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson in the midst of a playoff race for two mediocre pitching prospects from the Mets?

How can Fredi Gonzalez and his coaching staff be signed to an extension and have job security amidst this horrendous stretch of games? If they are not being held accountable, who is protecting them and why?

Freddie Freeman, Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher, A.J. Pierzynski are all former All-Stars. Though Bourn and Swisher have seen better years, both could be valuable contributors on a contender. Freddie Freeman has been injured, but is still one of the better hitters in the game. A.J. Pierzynski has had an excellent year at the plate and Cameron Maybin has experienced a career renaissance this season in Atlanta. So what gives? It begs the question as to why is the Atlanta Braves offense entrenched in such futility at the plate?

The bullpen has been horrific for the Atlanta Braves, and yes other than Shelby Miller and Julio Teheran (who at times has been bad himself) the starting rotation of Foltynewicz, Wisler, Perez and Banuelos has struggled, but the Braves overcame growing pains in the beginning of the season and should be a better team than the are now.

“I don’t want to believe it is true, but the more the Atlanta Braves lose, the more I begin to think the front-office has become so consumed by their belief in stocking the system with young talent that they would make the team tank in order to accomplish their goals.”

Could it be that John Hart and his desire to stock the farm system with young talent has his eyes on prospects like Texas A&M outfielder Nick Banks, Lambert High School OF Seth Beer, or RHP Austin Bergner out of Windermere, FL? Could his vision for the club all along have been to get as much talent as quickly as possible, and in order to do so he would allow the team to intentionally tank?

I sincerely hope this is not the case. Tanking does not always work, as fans of the NBA can attest to. For the fans of the Atlanta Braves, it is a great disservice to put a product on the field that is intentionally losing for the hope of winning in the future. It is not fair to fans who pay good money to see the team play and have been loyal for decades, watching on TBS and Fox Sports South game after game. It is simply unacceptable if the Braves are tanking.

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Atlanta Braves: Is the Team Intentionally Tanking to Get No. 1 Pick?

By Jonathan Savitske | Sep 6, 2015

The Atlanta Braves are in the midst of a historically bad stretch, losing 12 consecutive games, losing 19 out of their past 20 games, and having only won 2 games on the road since July 7th.

More from ATL All Day