Kuzul

MLB’s second season gets underway Wednesday. 

While the Yankees, Twins and Phillies have been postseason mainstays recently, the Giants, Rangers and Reds are back for the first time in years; the Braves are making their first appearance since 2005 and the Rays are looking to complete some unfinished business from 2008.

Every October provides a chance for young guys and traveled veterans that spent their careers with historically poor teams to get a shot at MLB’s postseason for the first time.  Some can’t handle the pressure of the sport’s biggest spotlight, while others step up to new heights.

Young guys like Andruw Jones (1996), Derek Jeter (1996), K-Rod (2002), Josh Beckett (2003), Bobby Jenks (2005), Adam Wainwright (2006) and BJ Upton (2008) instantly made a name for themselves with breakout postseason performances in their first trips.

Meanwhile, veterans like Scott Brosius (1998), Carlos Beltran (2004) and Matt Holliday (2007) paved the way for big payouts by making breakout first impressions in October.

The following slideshow will include my 15 candidates for breakout performers in their first appearance in the postseason.  These are in no particular order.  Leave a comment if you disagree with my choices or think I missed someone.

Begin Slideshow

Whatifsports.com presents Bobby Cox and the Braves. From a World Series title to holding the record for most ejections, Atlanta Braves skipper Bobby Cox has blessed Braves nation with memories to last a lifetime. To celebrate his impending retirement, we have created this 16-team tournament of Bobby’s best Braves ballclubs.

Each best-of-seven series was played out using our “MLB Simulation Engine.” Final win/loss tallies for each series are provided in the main bracket. Below the main bracket is a summary of Bobby and the Braves championship series.

You can simulate any game in the tournament yourself by clicking on the underlined team name in the main bracket. In addition, you can create your own “Atlanta Braves Dream Team” by drafting past and present players. It’s all free!

Bobby Cox‘s career as a major league third basemen lasted two seasons with the New York Yankees. His 29 seasons as manager of the Atlanta Braves will last the test of time.

Much like you and I wake to see the sun in the sky, Braves nation expects to see Bobby in the dugout. His bench is a throne to which he sits and remains humble until an umpire ignites a fire in his belly. His players, sandlot samurais, are happy to do the dirty work on the field. Eric Hinske recently told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that Cox is like a mob boss. People fetch him things whether it be a chair, coffee, or water.

That’s respect.

In turn, Whatifsports.com and Fox Sports South have partnered up to honor Bobby Cox in his final season with the Atlanta Braves. We have created Bobby and the Braves: A 16-team Tournament featuring some of Cox’s best rosters.

As you can see in the bracket above, we’ve whittled the field down to two. The 1997 Braves versus the 1993 Braves in the championship series is no big surprise. The two ball clubs combined for 205 wins. In both seasons though, neither captured the National League pennant.

The ’93 Braves featured a starting rotation that caused many owners to drool. Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Steve Avery won 75 games for the Braves that season. The pitching staff as a whole possessed the lowest ERA in the majors at 3.14. Atlanta also had a little pop to their bat leading the NL in home runs that season with 169 led by David Justice‘s 40 dingers.

Fast forward four seasons to 1997. Gone was Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium as the Braves moved across the street to Turner Field. But constants remained within the organization. Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine, and Denny Neagle anchored the rotation and once again the Braves led the majors in ERA at 3.18.

The other constant was Bobby Cox. The skipper was 52 and 56 years old, respectively, when he led these two teams to 100+ wins and deep into the postseason.

As you may have guessed, this series took seven games to crown a champion. But in the end it came down to, of all things, pitching. So, cliche.

Game 1 Summary

Greg Maddux threw a complete game two-hitter for the 1993 Braves and drove in two runs on a RBI double en route to a rout 9-0. Ron Gant and Jeff Blauser chipped in two ribbies apiece. The 1993 Braves led the series 1-0.

Game 2 Summary

This time it was Tom Glavine for the 1997 Braves handcuffing hitters. The southpaw threw seven scoreless innings while his Atlanta teammates built him a five-run cushion. Michael Tucker provided the offense, beating up John Smoltz and driving in four runs on the night. The 1997 Braves win 5-1.

Game 3 Summary

OK, 1997 Glavine good, but 1993 Glavine bad. Tommy Boy didn’t make it out of the fifth inning of Game 3, allowing six earned runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings pitched. Andruw Jones led the way on offense for the ’97 Braves (4 RBIs) and Denny Neagle did some work on the mound, only giving up three hits in his seven innings of work. The 1997 Braves take a 2-1 series lead, winning 9-1.

Game 4 Summary

It’s a good thing the Braves traded for Kenny Lofton before the 1997 season because they really benefited from his services in Game 4. The speedy leadoff hitter smacked four base hits and drove in two runs. Greg Maddux 1997 matched his Game 1 counterpart by locking down the 1993 Braves for seven innings. He struck out six, walked none, and scattered six hits. Ron Gant crushed his second homer of the series for the 1993 Braves, but in a losing effort. The ’97 Braves need one more win to win the best-of-seven series, winning 6-2. 

Game 5 Summary

In a must-win Game 5, the 1993 Braves dealt with an early deficit, but rallied to send the game into extra innings tied at five. In the top of the 12th, Rafael Belliard smoked a double to the gap in right. Ron Gant scored, but Sid Bream was gunned down at the plate. Clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom half of the 12th, the 1997 Braves moved the tying run into scoring position. Mark Lemke had a chance to be the hero, but ended up a zero. He flew out to end the ball game. The 1993 Braves force a Game 6, winning 6-5 in 12 innings.

Game 6 Summary

If the 1993 Atlanta Braves truly wanted to win the Bobby and the Braves tournament, they had a funny way of proving it. In their second win or go home elimination game, the ’93 Braves fell behind 4-0 though five innings. But they did not panic and rallied back in the top of the seventh, behind a three-run burst, all with two outs in the inning.

Once again these two ball clubs would need extra innings to decide a winner. Tied at four in the top of the 10th, and again with two outs, the 1993 Braves come up clutch. Otis Nixon hit a single back up the box and into center plating Bill Pecota.

Then with the bases loaded, Ron Gant was hit by a pitch. The 1997 Braves needed two runs in the bottom of the 10th to further the game, trailing 6-4, but their bats fell silent. The 1993 Braves were one win away from the improbable. The series was all square at three games apiece.

Game 7 Summary

>>Game 7 Boxscore

Two harmless solo home runs in the first two innings of an epic pitching duel ended up being the difference in Game 7. Jeff Blauser‘s first inning dinger barely cleared the wall and David Justice hit a long ball to center the following inning for the 1993 Braves.

Denny Neagle did all he could to keep his 1997 Braves in the ball game. Besides the two home runs, he only rendered two more hits in his seven innings of work.

Tom Glavine just happened to be in the zone on this night. He pitched 8.2 innings of scoreless baseball, making way for Mike Stanton to close the door on the game and complete an incredible comeback in the best-of-seven series.

The 1993 Braves win Game 7, 2-0.

The 1993 Atlanta Braves rally back to win the title and Bobby Cox exits baseball’s grand stage the way he should: a winner.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

During the 2010 Spring Training, the Atlanta Braves startlingly announced that rookie Jason Heyward would be the starting right fielder on Opening Day. This announcement set the baseball world on fire as not only did Heyward not have any major league experience prior to the 2010 season, but he was also only 20 years old.

As we enter the final ten games of the major league season, we can begin to take stock of the season Heyward has had. It has been a roller coaster, no doubt, but at the end of the day the J-Hey Kid emerges as the favorite for the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year, and as one of the elite ballplayers in all the land moving into this young decade.

I hope you’re holding onto your hats, because I’m about to blow your minds.

Begin Slideshow

The Atlanta Braves got on the board early last night, but a two-run fifth inning for the Philadelphia Phillies sunk the Braves, with the Braves losing 3-1.

Brandon Beachy, who made his major league debut last night, had a decent game, striking out one, walking three, and giving up three runs, only one earned.  He performed decently against one of the best offensive teams in the league. 

In fact, Bobby Cox said that he was the best option given the short notice.  When asked if Kenshin Kawakami could have filled that spot, Cox replied by saying, “Kawakami hasn’t pitched in a long time.  This kid is better prepared than he would be going out there right now.”

What sunk the Braves was a costly fielding error on a slicing liner off the bat of Shane Victorino.  That led to a two-run fifth that cost the Braves the game and, possibly, the National League East title.  With the Atlanta Braves now trailing by four games, they would need to take the next two games from the Phillies and play above .500 ball while the Phillies would need to have a serious downturn. 

I have two things to note here.  First, I believe they have finally given up on Kenshin Kawakami, as they should have awhile ago.  Kawakami isn’t worth his weight in wonton.  He has simply been ineffective, has only won one game, and, when he started against the Marlins in a test of his capability, he failed.  Miserably.  Kawakami is running this team’s budget up for nothing.  I would rather him just be hurt.  We would save money that way.

Secondly, I don’t think the Braves care enough.  They haven’t shown me that they want it that bad.  Either that, or they are trying too hard.  Hitters aren’t being patient at the plate, pitchers are getting too comfortable with the strike zone, and our rotation is starting to lose its ability to get the job done. 

Jurrjens is a good pitcher, but, as of yet, he hasn’t shown me the ability to last a full season.  Losing Kris Medlen seriously hurt this team, but Mike Minor has stepped up and shown his talent.  He had a similar game to Beachy in his debut, but dazzled with 12 strikeouts in his next start.  I think Beachy will be a good replacement if Jurrjens will be out longer. 

I hope this team wants it as much as its fans do.  As a Braves fan, I am fairly confident in saying that I speak for the majority of the Braves’ fan base in saying this: we want to see Bobby go out with a ring.  We have held Bobby Cox in such high esteem all these years and he has become family, in a way.  Seeing Bobby retire without a ring would seem disrespectful to the legacy of one of the bets managers in Major League history.

In any event, the Braves need to seriously step it up.  There is much to do and little time.  I hope to see the Braves atop the NL East when the final bell tolls.  If not, they have a man’s legacy to answer to.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With just a few weeks to go, the year of the rookie is set to come to a close in baseball, and what a year it was. So many great rookies appeared on the scene, many of whom would win the Rookie of the Year Award no problem most years. Of course, this is not most years. We have the performers, the hyped stars, and Stephen Strasburg this year, among all the other rookie to sneak on the scene that you may not have heard of.

The top five candidates in the AL and Nl, in my opinion, are listed. Some names included and excluded will probably surprise you; I’m looking past any hype and just looking at how well they have performed this year. There are so many names in the NL to choose from that many will be left off, even some that others may consider frontrunners. There are fewer in the AL, yet it is just as difficult to pinpoint a winner.

Begin Slideshow

Call-ups can make or break your team, and that’s why they are so important.

Injuries in the MLB are not a given, so any player at any time could be called up to replace a roster spot.

Here is a look at the five biggest call-ups of the 2010 baseball season.

Begin Slideshow

2010 has blessed Major League Baseball with a memorable rookie class.

Fantasy owners in Dynasty and Keeper leagues were quite familiar with this cast of characters long before they arrived in the show.

In commemoration of their foresight, let’s take a gander at the top ten positional keepers for 2011.

Begin Slideshow

Over the season, I’ve had to hear the media lament over key injuries. Surprisingly, when the unlucky injury-bugged teams are mentioned, the Atlanta Braves are normally overlooked.

For most baseball fans, they would look at you as if you were crazy if you mentioned that Braves have battled through several key injuries.  The Braves are believed to be lucky when it comes to the injury bug, with the exception of Chipper Jones.

I can’t blame them, since little has been mentioned about the Braves’ injuries. So far, they’ve lost Chipper Jones and Kris Medlen to season-ending injuries.  Jair Jurrjens, Eric O’Flaherty, and Matt Diaz have spent over a combined five months on the DL.  Those are pretty big losses for a team that relies heavily on pitching and situational hitting. 

Don’t forget that the Braves have lost production from players playing through injuries as well.  Jason Heyward and Troy Glaus are the best examples in this regard.  Key support players, such as David Ross and Takahashi Saito, have had to take time to heal as well.

This loss of quality pitching and offensive production is a pretty big challenge for any team. How well a team deals with these challenges is normally what separates great teams from good teams.

The 2010 Braves have faced these types of challenges better than anyone else in the NL.  That’s why they’ve been sitting in first place for the past two-and-a-half months.  It’s also why I feel we’ve yet to see the Atlanta Braves play their best baseball. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Atlanta Braves are once again looking like a championship-caliber team. The Braves have held first place in the National League East for nearly three months and show no signs of slowing down. In fact, they are showing signs of improvement. (see: Derrek Lee)

Atlanta’s success has undoubtedly been a 25-man effort, but that does not mean that the incredible individual performances should go unnoticed. Here are the handful of Braves that are amongst the top candidates to win some of Major League Baseball’s most coveted awards.

Begin Slideshow

Despite being home to the all-time home run king, the Atlanta Braves have never been known for their ability to hit the ball out of the park. They are somewhat better known as the “Anti-Yankees,” if you will. They have country accents, less money, and very little power, but they have still found ways to to win.

However, the recent surge of power from the Atlanta Braves’ offense has proven that this team can hit the long ball just as well as the next squad and, with Atlanta’s dominating pitching staff, sometimes the Braves only need one or two of these home runs to win ball games. 

Braves hitters have combined for 11 homers in their last six games, while the pitching staff has limited opponents to one homer in that same span. All of a sudden, the Braves have found that power that they have been searching for the whole season.

Jason Heyward finally reminded us that he can hit the ball over the fence while veterans Chipper Jones and Brian McCann have finally returned to their true form. Alex Gonzalez has three home runs as an Atlanta Brave and 20 for the the whole season. Meanwhile, Troy Glaus is once again showing signs of life, and hitting-machine Martin Prado will be returning from the DL any day now.

Suddenly, the Braves are looking powerful.

The Braves will be an even harder team to beat if they can continue to successfully combine great pitching and explosive offense. This month of August is a crucial month. The Braves must keep on finding ways to win baseball games and separate themselves from Philadelphia. This will be no easy task, but if Atlanta can continue to hit the ball well and shut down opposing offenses, they will be virtually unstoppable.

The long ball is an aspect of the Braves game that has seemed to be lacking for many years. If the Braves batters can stay healthy, that ball will continue to fly out of the park and the Braves will continue to win series.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com