Atlanta Braves: Five Reasons They Are Ready To Compete

Don’t rush the process. 

A common theme of the 2016 season for the Atlanta Braves consisted of the front office calling up players who seemingly were not ready for the major league level. While Aaron Blair,Matt Wisler  and other prospects did nothing but gain experience pitching on the grandest stage in baseball, it cannot happen this season if the Braves want to be taken seriously.

Don’t get me wrong, Blair is one of the brightest pitchers in the Braves minor league arsenal, but this is why the Braves signed veterans like R.A Dickey and Bartolo Colon. Signing veteran pitching options will allow both Blair and Matt Wisler to start out in the minor leagues if needed and further develop their pitches.

It is important to not destroy a young pitcher’s confidence for obvious reasons. The Braves know this and have put pieces in place to hold spots in the rotation until the young pitchers can prove themselves ready. If the Braves want to be surprise contenders they are going to have to stay content with veteran pitchers pitching a lot of games and not rushing young talent into the big leagues like they did on several occasions last season.