Kuzul

It all ended tragically for the Atlanta Braves in 2012, but they’re heading into 2013 knowing that they were right there with the best teams in the National League last season.

They’re also heading into 2013 knowing that they’re a much-improved team. The Braves aren’t just a legit postseason contender. They’re a legit World Series contender.

Braves GM Frank Wren made two bold moves this winter. One was signing B.J. Upton to play center field. The other was acquiring Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks to play left field. With the two Uptons and Jason Heyward lined up, the Braves have an outfield that just about every team in the majors wishes it had.

The Braves are strong elsewhere too. From top to bottom, here’s a look at how they’re shaping up for the 2013 season.

2012 Record: 94-68

Key Arrivals: C Gerald Laird (FA from Detroit), OF B.J. Upton (FA from Tampa Bay), RHP Jordan Walden (Trade from Los Angeles Angels), 3B Chris Johnson (Trade from Arizona), OF Justin Upton (Trade from Arizona).

Key Departures: OF Michael Bourn (FA to Cleveland), OF Matt Diaz (FA to New York Yankees), RHP Chad Durbin (FA to Philadelphia), OF Eric Hinske (FA to Arizona), C David Ross (FA to Boston), SP Tommy Hanson (Trade to Los Angeles Angels), OF/INF Martin Prado (Trade to Arizona), RHP Randall Delgado (Trade to Arizona).

Projected Starting Rotation (Record, Innings, ERA, WHIP and K/BB from 2012)

1. Kris Medlen, R (10-1, 138, 1.57, 0.91, 5.22)

2. Tim Hudson, R (16-7, 179, 3.62, 1.21, 2.13)

3. Mike Minor, L (11-10, 179.1, 4.12, 1.15, 2.59) 

4. Paul Maholm, L (13-11, 189, 3.67, 1.22, 2.64)

5. Julio Teheran, R (7-9, 131, 5.08, 1.44, 2.26 at Triple-A)

Depth: Brandon Beachy, R (5-5, 81, 2.00, 0.96, 2.34)*

*Recovering from June Tommy John surgery.

In the Bullpen (Appearances, Innings, ERA, WHIP, K/BB)

Closer: Craig Kimbrel, R (63, 62.2, 1.01, 0.65, 8.29)

Eric O’Flaherty, L (64, 57.1, 1.73, 1.15, 2.42)

Jonny Venters, L (66, 58.2, 3.22, 1.52, 2.46)

Jordan Walden, R (45, 39, 3.46, 1.36, 2.67)

Cristhian Martinez, R (54, 73.2, 3.91, 1.34, 3.42)

Luis Avilan, L (31, 36, 2.00, 1.03, 3.30)

Cory Gearrin, R (22, 20, 1.80, 1.10, 4.00)

Analyzing the Starting Pitching

The 2012 season fell in line with Atlanta’s track record of pretty much never having poor starting pitching. Braves starters compiled a 3.75 ERA that ranked seventh in MLB.

Atlanta’s starting pitching should be just as good in 2013, especially if Kris Medlen picks up right where he left off.

Medlen, as you’ll well remember, was unhittable after he was inserted into the Braves’ starting rotation in late July. In 12 starts, he compiled a 0.97 ERA and held hitters to a .483 OPS.

It’s all about control and changing speeds for Medlen, and he does these things very well. He walked only 1.5 batters per nine innings last year, and his 53.4 ground-ball percentage (see FanGraphs) and .286 opponents’ slugging percentage go to show just how soft the contact against him was.

Medlen has his changeup to thank for much of his success. PITCHf/x data shows that he threw it 20 percent of the time in 2012 and that hitters swung and missed at it 26 percent of the time. In all, opposing hitters managed a microscopic .087 batting average against Medlen‘s changeup.

That’s a hard feat to repeat, but it wasn’t necessarily a fluke. Medlen had great success with his changeup back when he was healthy in 2010, and he showed promise as a starter that year too. It’s not fair to expect him to be as dominant as he was late last season over a full 30-start slate, but he certainly has the potential to be one of the NL’s top starters.

Behind Medlen, the Braves will be hoping for more of the same from Tim Hudson. Par for the course for him is a BB/9 in the 2.0-3.0 range and a ground-ball percentage over 50 percent (FanGraphs). He’s been doing his thing for so long now that I figure it’s pointless discussing what he has to do to achieve an ERA in the 3.00s and 15 or so wins. Hudson can achieve those numbers in his sleep.

The only real concern with Hudson is his health. He’s had Tommy John and back surgery since 2009, and he’s not getting any younger. This will be his age-37 season, and he has an awful lot of miles on his right arm. He may not make it to 200 innings.

If Hudson does have health issues in 2013, Mike Minor will have a chance to establish himself as Atlanta’s second-best pitcher behind Medlen. He may be ready to do that after the way he finished the 2012 season, as he rebounded from a rough first half to post a 2.16 ERA in 14 starts. 

The key for Minor in the second half of the season was a huge decrease in walks. He walked 40 in 92 innings in the first half of the season and only 16 in 87.1 innings in the second half. He’ll need to find that control again in 2013, as he doesn’t want to put too many runners on base via the walk, with his .252 BABIP from 2012 likely to come up a bit (FanGraphs).

Fellow left-hander Paul Maholm proved to be a fine addition to the Braves last season. He came over from the Chicago Cubs and compiled a 3.54 ERA in 11 starts with a 3.11 K/BB. That had much to do with an increase in strikeouts, as his K/9 went from 6.1 with the Cubs to 7.7 with the Braves.

That increase likely isn’t sustainable given Maholm‘s track record. He’s more likely to keep his K/9 in the 6.0-7.0 range, meaning he’ll need a low BABIP to find success. That’s not a fool’s hope given that Maholm has had a BABIP under .290 in each of the last two seasons.

Julio Teheran is the wild card in the No. 5 spot of Atlanta’s rotation. He’s been a highly-regarded prospect for a couple years now, but his forays into the big leagues haven’t been impressive. In seven appearances spanning 26 innings, he’s given up 15 earned runs.

Still, the book on Teheran is largely positive. Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has him down as Atlanta’s top prospect, praising Teheran for featuring a good fastball/changeup combination. He’s still somewhat raw, and he took a step back in 2012, but it bodes well for him that he’s in the hands of an organization that has proven it knows what it’s doing with pitchers.

If Teheran can’t cut it in Atlanta’s rotation, then the Braves will just bide their time for Brandon Beachy‘s return from Tommy John surgery. He was on pace to have a fine season in 2012 before his elbow gave out, posting a 2.00 ERA through 13 starts.

Don’t expect similar dominance from Beachy when he returns. He’ll have some rust to shake off, and the numbers suggest he was a little too dominant in 2012. He was succeeding with a decreased strikeout rate and an increased walk rate, mostly because his BABIP was an even .200 (FanGraphs). ERA estimators like FIP, xFIP and SIERA say that Beachy‘s ERA should have been higher.

All the same, Beachy will be a mere back-end starter when he does return, so there won’t be too much pressure on him to perform. Atlanta’s starting rotation will feature plenty of talent around him, and the rotation as a whole should be a key ingredient to the team’s success in 2013.

Analyzing the Offense

After scoring only 641 runs in 2011, Atlanta’s offense managed 700 runs in 2012. The team’s plus-100 run differential was among the best in baseball.

Atlanta’s offense should be even better in 2013, but much will depend on the Upton brothers.

Justin Upton is the bigger mystery between the two. The talent is there, but the production has come and gone. It went in 2012, as his OPS fell all the way from .898 in 2011 to .785, and he produced only 17 home runs.

The good news is that Upton’s approach at the plate last year wasn’t that much different from 2011, as his strikeout rate increased only slightly while his walk rate increased from 8.8 percent to 10.0 percent (FanGraphs). His BABIP increased as well, from .319 to .327.

His problem was a decrease in power, which is reflected in the drop of his ISO (Isolated Power) from .240 to .150. The hope for the Braves is that this was related to an early-season thumb injury that Upton was able to play through but unable to ignore. He should be more like a .200 ISO guy. If he gets back to that level in 2013, the Braves should get between 25 and 30 home runs out of him.

The Braves will be looking for 25-30 home runs from B.J. Upton as well, but they’ll also be looking for him to improve his approach at the plate. He’s typically been a patient hitter throughout his career, but the 2012 season saw him cut down on his walks because of plate discipline struggles.

Upton chased over 30 percent of the pitches he saw outside of the strike zone and finished with a career-high 14.9 swinging-strike percentage (FanGraphs). His BABIP didn’t suffer too much, but his walk rate and OBP did. 

Upton’s track record over the last four seasons suggests he’s not about to be a .300 average/.380 OBP guy like he was earlier in his career, but the Braves will take .240/340. They’re only going to get that if Upton gets his plate discipline back on track.

That’s an area where Jason Heyward could stand to improve as well. He was more aggressive in 2012 than he had been in 2010 or 2011, swinging at more than 30 percent of the pitches he saw outside the zone and lowering his walk rate to 8.9 percent (FanGraphs). The bright side is that he got his BABIP up over .300 again and his ISO up over .200, allowing him to enjoy a successful season.

Heyward should be a .300 BABIP and .200 ISO guy with his talent, but he’ll be a downright lethal hitter if he gets back to taking his walks while also cutting down on his strikeouts. If he gets his walk rate up over 10 percent and his strikeout rate closer to 20 percent while maintaining a .300 BABIP and a .200 ISO, he’ll be in line for a very, very special season.

The Braves haven’t seen Heyward‘s best, and they haven’t seen Freddie Freeman’s best yet either. His production in 2012 was largely similar to his 2011 production, but he did make some encouraging strides at the plate.

Freeman saw more pitches per plate appearance in 2012, and he upped his walk rate from 8.3 percent to 10.3 percent while also cutting down on his strikeouts (FanGraphs). He hit for more power as well, as his ISO shot up from .166 in 2011 to .196 in 2012.

Freeman’s batting average dropped from .282 to .259 because of a major BABIP regression from .339 to .295. This happened despite an increased line-drive rate, meaning bad luck was largely to blame for his average regression. The fact that he had vision problems as well obviously didn’t help. 

If Freeman can maintain the more patient approach he showed off last season while combining better luck with better vision, he’ll be in line for a big season. 

Dan Uggla only hit 19 home runs in 2012, but the bright side is that he got back to working the count. He went from seeing 3.88 pitches per plate appearance in 2011 to 4.17 pitches per plate appearance in 2012, and his walk rate spiked from 9.2 percent to 14.9 percent (FanGraphs).

Uggla’s power outage in 2012 was curious. He didn’t stop hitting fly balls at his usual rate, but his HR/FB tumbled from over 18 percent to 11.4 percent. His career norm is in the 15 percent range. 

Uggla’s not as young as he once was, as he’ll be 33 on Opening Day. Age could be starting to take its effect. Or maybe he just had a down year with his power that will prove to be a fluke. As long as he maintains the patience he showed off last year, I like his chances.

There’s less certainty about Brian McCann bouncing back in 2013. His approach didn’t suffer that badly in 2012, as he maintained a respectable 9.0 walk rate and a 15.6 strikeout rate (FanGraphs), but his shoulder issues did a number on his hitting. His BABIP tumbled down to .234, and his ISO went down to .169.

McCann had surgery to repair his right shoulder early in the offseason, but I hesitate to forecast a return to form in 2013. He should at least be able to give the Braves 20 home runs again, but his body may have too much mileage on it for him to come back all the way.

Just as McCann is a question mark, there’s something of a question mark hanging over the left side of Atlanta’s infield. What are the Braves going to get out of Andrelton Simmons and their third base platoon?

Simmons’ production should be solid. He didn’t walk much either in the minors or in his rookie campaign, but he’s proven that he has the ability to put the ball in play and to maintain a BABIP over .300 (FanGraphs). He’s shown off some decent pop as well, so it’s not out of the question that he’ll flirt with a .300 average and a .400 slugging percentage in 2013.

There’s less certainty with Chris Johnson and Juan Francisco at third base. Both of them have a history of being high-strikeout, low-walk guys, and the Braves won’t be doing Johnson that big of a favor by playing him against only left-handed pitchers. He actually hit right-handed pitchers significantly better than he hit southpaws in 2012.

Still, Johnson and Francisco have a fair amount of power between them. Platooning them may result in as many as 25-30 home runs for the Braves, and they’ll take those, even if they come with low OBPs.

The Braves are going to have average or above-average producers at every other position on the diamond beyond third base. After managing 700 runs in 2012, they should be able to flirt with 750 or maybe even 800 runs in 2013.

Analyzing the Fielding

The Braves lost one of the game’s elite fielders when Michael Bourn left town as a free agent to ultimately sign with the Cleveland Indians, but their defense should still be a primary strength in 2013.

Atlanta’s outfield defense, in particular, should be excellent. The Braves have three great athletes in the Upton brothers and Heyward, and all three of them can flash some leather.

Heyward is the best of the bunch. He led all right fielders in UZR last season, and he finished behind only Josh Reddick in Defensive Runs Saved (FanGraphs). He moves well for a guy who goes 6’5″ and 240 pounds, and he has a very good arm to boot.

The advanced metrics aren’t sold on B.J. Upton as an elite defensive center fielder (FanGraphs), but he has the speed and the long strides to cover a lot of ground in the outfield and an above-average arm that runners have to be cautious of. 

Justin Upton rates a little better on defense than his older brother (FanGraphs), and he shouldn’t have any trouble making the move from right field to left field. It’s the easier of the two fields to play.

Atlanta’s infield defense is just OK at first, second and third (FanGraphs). Freeman is about an average defensive first baseman. Uggla is at best an average defensive second baseman. Francisco is an average defender at third, but Johnson rates as a horrible defender (FanGraphs).

But Simmons is different. He hasn’t been in the majors that long, but it’s already clear that he’s one of the game’s elite defensive shortstops. He managed a UZR of 10.4 last year, as well as a plus-19 Defensive Runs Saved in only 49 games (FanGraphs). Those are insane numbers for such a small sample size.

If Simmons lives up to the promise he showed in the field last season, if Atlanta’s outfield defense is as good as advertised and if McCann is able to hold it together defensively as he usually does, defense shouldn’t be an issue for the Braves this season.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Get ready Atlanta Braves fans.

Pitchers and catchers, along with early arrivals (Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Freddie Freeman, Chris Johnson, Dan Uggla and Ramiro Pena), have reported to spring training.

The season doesn’t officially begin until April 1, but spring training games offers fans an early glimpse of the 2013 squad and wets their appetites in anticipation for baseball.

Now that the Braves have begun to report to camp, here’s a few things the team needs to do before their first spring training game against the Detroit Tigers on Feb. 22.

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The Atlanta Braves‘ lineup with newly acquired outfielder Justin Upton has been analyzed to the 10th degree.

Consequently, It is time to break down the team’s pitching rotation as we head closer to spring training. 

The Braves made many moves this offseason, as the team shipped Tommy Hanson to the Los Angeles Angels for flame-throwing right-hander Jordan Walden in November. Randall Delgado was among five players sent to Arizona in the Upton blockbuster nearly a week ago.

Both were part of the team’s rotation in 2012. 

With the spark Kris Medlen brought to the pitching staff in the second half of the season, general manager Frank Wren had some flexibility to play with the rotation in the open market. He knew that by trading Hanson, he would save the team around $4 million to put to another resource.

It didn’t seem like the right move initially, as trading a starting pitcher could be, in a sense, like playing with fire. Ask the 2008 Atlanta Braves, who struggled to put together a consistent pitching staff and therefore only won 72 games.

Yet, with the depth Atlanta currently has in their minor league system, Wren felt more comfortable making the move. 

Four obvious names should break camp as members of Atlanta’s starting rotation: Medlen, Tim Hudson, Mike Minor and Paul Maholm.

The fifth spot, however, is a little up in the air. Most believe the favorite is top prospect Julio Teheran, but that is no guarantee.

Teheran had a stellar 2011 campaign, as he posted a 15-3 record with a 2.55 ERA in 24 starts in Triple-A Gwinnett. Fortunes changed in 2012 when he produced a 7-9 mark with a 5.08 ERA in 26 starts at the same level. In four career major-league starts, moreover, Teheran has a 5.19 ERA.

After the right-hander’s major-league debut against the Phillies and a start 11 days later in Arizona, which both resulted in losses, the Braves tinkered with his delivery.

His velocity dipped from the mid-90s to the low-90s, and the Braves saw that as a red flag. These changes led to many of his struggles in the 2012 season.

In the offseason, the Braves allowed him to go back to his original throwing motion, which led to winter-ball success. If Teheran can regain the form that he enjoyed in the minor leagues in 2011 and bring it to the big leagues, the sky is the limit for his potential in the Braves’ rotation. 

There are other candidates, though, who could take over in the back end of the rotation if Teheran were to falter in spring training. Prospect southpaw Sean Gilmartin and right-handed pitcher J.R. Graham could grab the opportunity and run with it.

Gilmartin, who was selected 28th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2011 draft, spent time between Double-A Mississippi and Gwinnett and posted a 6-10 mark with a 3.84 ERA in 27 starts last season. 

The 22-year-old played his college ball at Florida State and is similar to the lefty Minor. Gilmartin possesses a fastball, curveball, changeup and slider. He isn’t overpowering but can be a crafty pitcher.

Many scouts have compared Gilmartin to Tom Glavine, but we will see how he handles the majors first. 

Graham was deemed untouchable by Wren in the trade talks involving Upton. The 23-year-old is a flame thrower who can get his fastball up to 98 MPH. He is undersized, as he is just above 6’0″ and under 200 pounds.

Graham also has a slider as his complimentary pitch. He mixes it well with his fastball and can induce ground balls with the pitch. If he can control it in the big leagues consistently, the slider will grade out well.

He needs to develop a third pitch, however. He does currently throw a changeup, but will need to improve it enough to translate it to the big leagues. He hasn’t needed the pitch as much in the minors but will need it in the majors to compliment the fastball and slider. 

Teheran is the current favorite to win the fifth spot as we near spring training, but it is possible that Gilmartin or Graham could out-pitch the top prospect for an opportunity. 

Whomever wins the spot will need to pitch well to stay in the rotation with the impending return of right-handed pitcher Brandon Beachy from Tommy John surgery.

Atlanta has a luxury with the talent they possess in their top four rotation spots, plus the organizational depth to make a wise decision for the back end. 

While their lineup has gotten all the accolades recently, the Braves project to have one of the better rotations in baseball in 2013.

Listen to Outside Pitch MLB Radio & follow me on twitter @Andrew_Vig.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

They were taken in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft. Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman consider themselves best friends on and off the field. They are expected to do big things again for the Atlanta Braves in 2013.

Atlanta’s two core players helped lead the team to their second playoff appearance since 2005. It was a short stint as they were defeated by the St. Louis Cardinals in the inaugural National League Wild-Card game. Heyward and Freeman have the experience to help take the Braves back to the playoffs this season. 

Jason Heyward

After an abysmal sophomore campaign in 2011, Heyward felt the pressure of having to bounce back with a better 2012 season. At the beginning, the concerns grew as he batted .232 with six home runs and 23 RBI through the first two months of the season, which included a .200 average in May. 

The concerns reached a boiling point after a Bryce Harper base hit to right field that was played casually by Heyward. The Nationals‘ outfielder took an extra 90 feet and slid safely into second base. The play was ruled a single and error. Not only were fans worried about their right-fielder’s production at the plate, but they were also frustrated with his lack of effort on the field.

That play changed the whole season for Heyward as he heated up in the month of June. Heyward then hit an astounding .348 with six homers and 15 RBI in June. He made spectacular plays in the field including some incredible home run-saving catches in the second half of the season. 

Heyward finished 2012 with a career-high 27 home runs, 82 RBI and 21 steals, and is looking to build on his success in 2013. He is a year older, mature and adjusted well to pitchers who tried to pitch him in last season. He drove the ball to all fields, which made him more of a power threat.

Heyward needs to improve on a .200 average with runners in scoring position in order to increase his RBI total. If he can do that, expect to see a .280, 30 homer and 100 RBI season as he continues to develop his game.  

Official 2013 Projection: .283 BA, 31 HR, 102 RBI, 22 SB in 157 games.

Freddie Freeman

Freeman showed signs of greatness at different points last season. The Braves’ first baseman won multiple N.L. player of the week honors.

Although an eye and left index finger injury sidelined him for 15 games, Freeman had a solid 2012 campaign with a career high 23 homers and 94 RBI. He is considered one of the better defensive first baseman in the game and saves a lot of badly thrown balls that hit the dirt. 

Freeman is the man who officially clinched the Braves their postseason birth with a walk-off two-run homer over the center field wall against the Marlins.

This season, Freeman has a chance to show everyone around the MLB that he is among one of the best first baseman. He doesn’t get a lot of the spotlight other players at his position receive. Of course, Freeman is still young, but 2013 could be the year he receives the recognition he deserves. 

Official 2013 Projection: .279 BA, 27 HR, 105 RBI in 155 games. 

Follow Andrew Vigliotti on twitter @Andrew_Vig & his Outside Pitch MLB radio show.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Spring training is approaching and the Braves have yet to replace Chipper Jones or the leadoff spot in the lineup, but they do have plenty of talent to work with.

This article takes a look at five potential lineups for the Braves to put together this season. 

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Atlanta Braves fans should be mad that a former player is not getting enough votes to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

However, that player is not Dale Murphy.

While he had good numbers, Murphy’s numbers aren’t worthy of the Hall.

Instead, fans should be looking at the numbers put up by former first baseman Fred McGriff and wonder why he isn’t getting more consideration.

Some writers have called Murphy’s non-election a historic injustice. Really?

We’re not talking about human trafficking or child soldiers in Africa. We’re talking about a baseball hall of fame, which means very little in the grand scheme of things.

While Murphy not getting the call in his 15 years on the ballot is somewhat disappointing for Atlanta fans, what’s a bigger disappointment is the ‘Crime Dog’ hasn’t gotten more than 23.9 percent of the vote.

What’s done is done and Murphy can only hope the Veterans Committee eventually elects him. However, let’s compare McGriff and Murphy and see which player is more deserving.

Dale Murphy

It’s true, Murphy does have two league MVPs and five Gold Gloves to his credit. He batted .265 with 2,111 hits, 398 home runs, 1,266 RBI and scored 1,197 runs.

From 1982-87, Murphy was arguably one of the best players in the game with a .289 average, 218 home runs and 629 RBI. He deserves credit for those six years.

However, a great six years doesn’t make a player worthy of the Hall of Fame.

From 1988-93, Murphy batted .234 with 88 home runs and 339 RBI. That’s not exactly the way to go out in retirement if you want to make it into the Hall of Fame.

Among all center fielders to ever play the game, Murphy’s wins above replacement (42.6) ranks 36th. That’s just among center fielders. His seven best WAR years totaled 39. So, over the course of the 11 other years he played baseball, he had a total WAR rating of 3.6.

Compare that to all center fielders in the Hall of Fame and the average of the seven best WAR years was 42.5, with a career average of 67.1. That’s an average of 24.6 for the 18 center fielders over the rest of their careers.

Murphy was a great player for Atlanta and likely is the reason the Braves still call the city home.

Fred McGriff

McGriff spent five years in Atlanta and his career got off to a fiery start…literally.

Most fans remember the press box catching on fire at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on McGriff’s first day in Atlanta.

Over the course of his career, McGriff hit .284 with 493 home runs and 1,550 RBI.

The Crime Dog may have never won an MVP or Gold Glove, but you also have to remember he played in an era where many players were linked to steroids.

His 493 home runs are often overshadowed by what Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and Jose Canseco did.

McGriff’s numbers don’t look like much compared to those five mainly because he wasn’t taking steroids. Had he taken steroids, he likely would have had close to 600 home runs over the course of his career.

He had a total WAR of 48.2, with his seven best years totaling 33.2.

Fan-dom

Many fans have distorted opinions because this is an argument pertaining to their hometown guy. A guy that was the face of their franchise.

However, would you think Alan Trammell is worthy of the Hall of Fame? He was the hometown guy for the Detroit Tigers. Many Tiger fans think he’s worthy of Cooperstown, but we all know that he isn’t.

He totaled more hits (2,365), a better average (.285), more runs scored (1,231) and one less Gold Glove.

Or what about Larry Walker, who is the hometown guy for the Colorado Rockies?

He scored 158 runs more runs, had 49 more hits, had 45 more RBI, hit .313 in his career and won seven Gold Gloves.

But he’s not a Hall of Famer. Most Atlanta fans would agree with that.

So why is it a player with numbers less than these two is more worthy of the Hall of Fame?

Does the fact that he played for Atlanta play a role in that thinking for Atlanta fans?

McGriff, on the other hand, surpasses all three in most categories. However, he doesn’t have a hometown base to cry foul because he was traded five times over the course of his career.

The Fan in Me

As a life-long fan of the Braves, I used to side with those who believed Murphy deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. I was blind to the facts because of my passion for a team I grew up loving.

However, once I became a writer, I had to force myself to look at things from an unbiased perspective in anything I wrote. My love for a team could never show through in my writings.

Sitting back, I looked at this issue again and just looked at the numbers. After all, the Hall of Fame is based on numbers for the most part.

Looking at everything from an unbiased point of view, I would be more inclined to think McGriff should get the call before Murphy ever does.

There may be no league MVPs or Gold Gloves to his credit, but McGriff performed better over the course of his career.

If you’re going to be furious about a former Braves player not getting elected to the Hall of Fame, it shouldn’t be over Murphy. It should be over McGriff.

Murphy wasn’t overshadowed by steroid users; McGriff was.

Now tell me which is a bigger shame?

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It’s no secret that the Braves are looking for a left fielder—preferably one with a good OBP and some speed that could hit leadoff. 

Coco Crisp is the obvious option, but with his $7 million dollar contract, he might prevent Atlanta from making any deadline moves (unless Wren were to move Maholm).

Lately the rumors surrounding Michael Bourn have heated up, and ESPN’s Jim Bowden tweeted that he may yet return to Atlanta. However, unless Liberty Media opens up its checkbook, Bourn will still be an expensive purchase.

While these two remain options, but there’s one player potentially on the market that would fit Atlanta’s roster perfectly.

Debuting in 2010 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jose Tabata quickly proved to be an asset at the top of the order, hitting .284 with a .348 OBP over his first two years in the league while collecting 35 stolen bases. 

Pittsburgh believed in Tabata so much that he was signed to a six-year contract extension in 2011.

But then 2012 happened.

Through July 1, Tabata was hitting .230 with a .295 OBP. He had been benched for not hustling to first base, and his poor performance was clearly affecting him psychologically. 

Soon, the frustrated Tabata was sent to Triple-A, where he was supposed to iron out his problems at the plate and renew his focus.

Unfortunately, while he played moderately well for Indianapolis (his stats can be found here), he didn’t exactly set the world on fire with his .707 OPS. 

Regardless, it was good enough for Pittsburgh to call him up in time for their (hopeful) stretch run. From August 19 to the end of the season, Tabata hit .284/.376/.370 in a part-time role, and will look to make his closing performance a launching pad for the 2013 campaign.

However, whether or not Tabata still has a full-time role in Pittsburgh is yet to be seen.

Andrew McCutchen is quickly etching himself into Pirates lore and Starling Marte looks to patrol an outfield spot for a long time coming.

That leaves one spot for Tabata, but he’ll have heavy competition for it. Garrett Jones will be getting full-time at-bats, but if Gaby Sanchez performs well enough, he could force Jones to either split time at first and right field, or simply move into right field for good. 

Travis Snider is also in the conversation for Pittsburgh’s right field spot. Snider mauls Triple-A pitching, and the Pirates have taken it upon themselves to work with him and try to develop him into an offensive threat. 

Alex Presley will look to act as a fourth outfielder for the Pirates. Should Snider fail to develop, Presley would be splitting time with him in a platoon.

In the big leagues alone, that’s three players (Sanchez, Snider, Presley) who will either be taking at-bats from Tabata or competing for a full-time spot in the Pirates lineup.

That’s not even mentioning the outfield prospects the Pirates have stashed in the minors. Gregory Polanco, Josh Bell and Barrett Barnes are all high-upside players in the low-minors who could be knocking on the door to the big leagues in just a couple years (according to Jonathan Mayo, their major league ETAs are all 2015), especially the advanced bats of Polanco and Bell.

Needless to say, Tabata‘s future in Pittsburgh is pretty cloudy.

Enter Atlanta.

Tabata‘s fit with the Braves is pretty unquestionable. His speed and on-base skills would allow him to hit atop the Atlanta lineup, and his athleticism would allow him to play left field pretty well (especially with BJ Upton covering a fair amount of ground in center). 

Frank Wren would be taking a small gamble that Tabata would return to his performances of 2010 and 2011, but it’s one worth making, especially considering Tabata‘s long-term contract.

Tabata is owed just $1 million dollars in 2013, and still only $11.5 million from 2014-2016. After that, Atlanta would have two club options in 2017 and 2018.

Basically, if Tabata performs as he did in the closing stretch of 2012, he’ll be an absolute steal financially, and he could potentially bat leadoff and play left field for Atlanta for six years.

And at just 24 years of age, it’s very likely that Tabata and his right-handed bat bounce back better than ever.

He might not even cost that much in terms of prospects. Pittsburgh needs pitchers, and if he’s fallen out of favor in the Pittsburgh organization, he could probably be had for a mid-level arm, be it a starter or a reliever.

If the Pittsburgh brass still looks at Tabata the same way it did when Tabata was extended for six years, I’m not sure it would be out of line to dangle Randall Delgado. At worst, Atlanta could nab another prospect in addition to Tabata in return for Delgado.

Regardless, though, Tabata needs to be brought to Atlanta. He’s criminally affordable, under control, and a perfect fit atop the Braves lineup.

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Dale Murphy has once again been left out of baseball’s Hall of Fame, and this time for the Atlanta Braves great, it’s for keeps.

Or, well, sort of.

A few days have passed since the BBWAA offered its ruling on this year’s MLB Hall of Fame class (or lack thereof).  And in that time, much has been made of the writers’ silent protest against allowing steroid users, alleged or admitted, into baseball’s holy land.  Yet so little has been made of the snub of Murphy in the national media.

This was the 15^th and final try at being elected via the BBWAA ballot for The Murph, who, according to Baseball Reference, hit .265 with 398 home runs over the course of a career that lasted 18 seasons, including 15 in Atlanta.  

And while his career average may not turn many heads, his home run totals are respectable, especially for a former catcher-turned-centerfielder in a time when “offense” and “catcher” were rarely used in the same thread.  Combine that with back-to-back MVP awards in 1982 and 1983, and the Hall of Fame exclusion puts Murphy in rare and historic company.

As it stands now, Murphy is the only player in the history of the game to win multiple National League MVP awards and not earn election into the Hall of Fame.

This, of course, does not include Barry Bonds, who won seven NL MVP awards during his career and still has 14 chances to secure the BBWAA vote.  Bonds earned 36.2 percent of the votes in this, his first year eligible for selection. 

Nor does it include the still-active Albert Pujols, who won three MVP awards while with the St. Louis Cardinals.

But the history stands.  According to Baseball-Reference.com, 29 players have won multiple MVP awards in their careers between both leagues.  Of those, 22 are in Cooperstown.  Of the remaining seven, two are still active (Pujols and Alex Rodriguez), one is still on the ballot (Bonds) and one will be on the ballot for the first time next year (Frank Thomas). 

That leaves Roger Maris, Juan Gonzalez and Murphy as the only three players to win multiple MVP awards in either league and not get voted into the Hall.

For Murphy, though, there is another way to be elected. 

Each year, the Veterans Committee, composed of Hall of Famers, executives and select members of the media, votes on special inductees for the Hall who are no longer eligible for the BBWAA vote. 

According to Baseball-Almanac.com, Hal Newhouser stands as the only current multi-MVP Hall member elected by the Veterans Committee.  Not many have traveled that path, but Murphy seems to be a leading candidate for selection.

Given Murphy’s longtime image as one of baseball’s good guys, it’s astounding that he’s been left out yet again.  In an era which has ceaselessly considered character nearly equal to skills in determining Hall of Famers, one would think for his public persona alone Murphy would be given a significant boost in voting compared to the rest of this year’s class.

But in a disappointing bit of irony, with this year’s vote so focused on keeping the cheaters out, Murphy, founder of the iWontCheat Foundation for children making a pledge against cheating in sports, has been left out and lost among these alleged cheaters.

The Veterans Committee has an opportunity next year to right this wrong, but for now, for whatever reason, and for at least another year, Dale Murphy will remain on the outside of baseball’s greats looking in.

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Will Justin Upton be traded or won’t he be traded? That is the question.

Just when it appeared that Upton trade rumors had flatlined, reports that the Arizona Diamondbacks are still interested in dealing away their 25-year-old right fielder again have a pulse, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi.

D-Backs general manager Kevin Towers wanted a young shortstop included in any trade package for Upton. He focused on the Texas Rangers, who seem to have a surplus at the position with Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar. Yet Rangers GM Jon Daniels doesn’t want to deal either player. The Atlanta Braves weren’t keen on trading Andrelton Simmons either. 

However, once Towers got his man in Didi Gregorius through a three-team deal with the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds, it looked like the D-Backs were finally done with trying to trade Upton. The team and player could both move on and prepare for the upcoming season.

But then Arizona made one of the most puzzling signings of the offseason, inking outfielder Cody Ross to a three-year, $26 million deal. Suddenly, the D-Backs have more outfielders than they can put in the lineup at the same time. Towers now has to make a trade.

The initial thought was that Arizona would try to deal away Jason Kubel in something of a sell-high move. Kubel is coming off a season in which he hit 30 home runs with 90 RBI, but only batted .253 and is a defensive liability. He would be a fine addition to any team looking for left-handed outfield pop.

Besides, the D-Backs were no longer interested in trading Upton, right? 

But according to the Fox Sports report and ESPN’s Buster Olney, Arizona is open to the idea again. Perhaps it’s because Towers has discovered that he can’t get much in return for Kubel, who’s affordable at $7.5 million but may have had a career year last season.

Additionally, MLB teams seem more interested in versatile, athletic outfielders these days and Kubel doesn’t really fulfill those criteria. Ultimately, he might be best utilized as a designated hitter, which severely reduces his market. 

That’s not a problem with Upton, however.

At 25, he’s young enough to still improve significantly and has already shown himself capable of putting up MVP-caliber numbers. He also has a club-friendly contract, due $38.5 million over the next three years. No MLB team could get a player like Upton at those terms on the open market. 

The two teams that could have the best chance of landing Upton, according to Rosenthal and Morosi, are the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves. Personally, I think the Texas Rangers would have to be in the mix as well, since they haven’t landed an impact hitter to replace Josh Hamilton. 

Seattle has to trade for a power hitter because the past two years have demonstrated pretty clearly that free-agent sluggers aren’t going to sign with the Mariners. Maybe after seeing how Safeco Field’s new outfield distances play, that could change. But Upton has the M’s listed on his no-trade clause and presumably has no interest in playing in the Northwest.

The Braves are a different story, Atlanta isn’t as isolated from the rest of MLB as Seattle is. The team is a playoff contender and made it to the postseason last year as a Wild Card. Perhaps most importantly, B.J. Upton—Justin’s brother—just signed a five-year, $75 million contract to play with the Braves. 

Could the brothers Upton play side-by-side in the Atlanta outfield? As you might expect, it’s a subject the two siblings have discussed in the past.

“It’s been a big conversation of ours,” B.J. Upton said to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. “Obviously, he’s got another three years [before he’s a free agent]. Is it a possibility? Yes. Is it going to happen? We don’t know. But it’s definitely something that we are going to talk about.”

Maybe the Uptons are talking about it now, with rumblings that Justin is available on the trade market again.

Regardless of where he goes, Justin is surely weary of the frequent trade rumors. He said as much on Twitter, calling the most recent trade buzz “nonsense.” For whatever reason—whether it’s how he plays, a perceived attitude or the opportunity to get a load of prospects in return—Towers doesn’t seem interested in keeping Upton. 

Playing alongside his brother, along with a change of scenery in Atlanta, could be what Upton needs as well. He suffered a regression in his performance last season, batting .280 with a .785 OPS, 17 home runs and 67 RBI. Those are not MVP numbers. However, a thumb injury surely contributed to the dip in production. 

If playing together is something the Uptons have always talked about, the two would presumably be happy on the same team.

Would that make B.J. get on base more? His on-base percentage was .298 last year. Getting to play with his brother probably couldn’t make that much worse. But Martin Prado hitting in front of him, with Jason Heyward batting behind him will likely help more with that.

If Justin were able to hit between Heyward and Freddie Freeman as the Braves’ cleanup hitter, that could have a positive effect on his game. Yet Aaron Hill and Paul Goldschmidt both had fine seasons for the D-Backs and Upton struggled batting between those two.  

Both Justin and B.J. Upton struggled on defense last season, according to FanGraphs‘ Ultimate Zone Rating. Playing next to each other could help both of them improve, as they’ve shown excellent defensive range in the past. 

But would Justin play right field or left field? He’s never played anywhere but right field before, yet Heyward had an elite year defensively at the position, saving 23 runs more than the average right fielder. Do the Braves really want to mess with that? Or, is Heyward versatile enough that he can be moved to left, giving Atlanta three strong defenders in the outfield? 

Two brothers in the same lineup would certainly be a fun story to follow. It would be like watching Bill and Cal Ripken, Jr. play together with the Baltimore Orioles. OK, maybe it wouldn’t be exactly like that. Actually, it could be much better, considering how young both Upton brothers are and their potential to both hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases. 

Does Braves GM Frank Wren have the resources to make a deal like this happen? Can he build a package around Julio Teheran or Randall Delgado? Would he have to include both pitchers? That seems unlikely. But for another powerful right-handed outfield bat, Wren might consider parting with those prospects. 

Follow @iancass on Twitter

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A left fielder, a leadoff hitter and replacing Chipper Jones are the biggest challenges facing the Atlanta Braves in 2013.

A year after losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the one-game playoff, the Braves are looking to win their first playoff series since 2001.

However, there are some issues that still have to be worked out.

Here’s a look at the eight biggest questions facing the Braves in 2013.

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