Category: Ozuna

Braves Opening Day Series Wrap

With MLB FINALLY back… its time to enjoy some Braves baseball!

The Braves started the 2020 season in New York City against the New York Mets.

Game one: Mike Soroka vs. Jacob DeGrom

This game was an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel. With both teams’ aces on the mound, we expected a low scoring game and that’s what we got. Mike Soroka was excellent on the mound through his six scoreless innings, but one little slip up by Chris Martin gave the Mets’ designated hitter, Yoenis Céspedes a solo home run. This was the winning run for the Mets in the bottom of the seventh inning. Overall, even without a Braves win, it was just good to have baseball back!

Game two: Max Fried vs. Steven Matz

With the opening day loss on the Braves players and fans’ minds… the Braves gave us something to cheer for in this game! Adam Duvall was the FIRST Braves player of the 2020 season to hit a home run. It was a solo shot that hit a cardboard cutout in the top of the second inning to let the Braves score first to make the game 1-0. The Mets ended up taking the lead 2-1, and then Marcell Ozuna came up to the plate in the 9th inning. Down to his last strike in a 3-2 count, he let his bat do the talking. Crushing his first home run of the season to right center field, he tied the game and brought it into extra innings. With the new extra innings rule that the last batter to hit in the previous inning be placed on second, it did not take the Braves long to score. The Braves ended up winning this game 5-3 taking game two of the series.

Game three: Sean Newcomb vs. Rick Porcello

After coming off their first win of the season the night before, the Braves had winning on their minds again! Starting the game off with a bang, Ozzie Albies doubled and scored on a single by Matt Adams, then Dansby Swanson singled, and Freddie Freeman (reached base on a walk) scored to give the Braves a lead of 2-0 in the top of the first. The Braves didn’t stop there! Scoring Five more runs in the third inning, one in the fourth on a Dansby Swanson dinger, and one in the fith on a RBI double by Ozzie Albies, the Braves couldn’t lose. They had momentum, and it kept them hot for the rest of the game! Leading 10-1 in the top of the sixth inning, the Braves still weren’t done. Marcell Ozuna and Austin Riley both homered, giving the Braves a 12-1 lead. Austin Riley’s home run was SMOKED to left field going a whopping distance of 458-feet. And to make things worse for the Mets, Ozzie Albies CRUSHED a two-run shot to straight away center giving the Braves a winning score of 14-1.

This series for the Braves didn’t start out the greatest, but ended it a winning fashion!

GO BRAVES!

Braves 2020 roster perdictions

With Major League Baseball finally starting back, I’m going to share my 2020 lineup, starting rotation, and bench for the Atlanta Braves.

LINEUP:

  1. Ronald Acuña Jr.-RF
  2. Ozzie Albies -2B
  3. Freddie Freeman -1B
  4. Marcell Ozuna- LF
  5. Dansby Swanson -SS
  6. Nick Markakis -DH
  7. Johan Camargo -3B
  8. Travis d’Arnaud -C
  9. Ender Inciarte -CF

With the Designated Hitter coming to the National League I think it gives more depth to the team’s lineup and gives veteran players a chance to play everyday without having to play defense. I think that the braves will play Ozuna in left field to start off the season, and if his offensive numbers aren’t very good they might place him in the roll as Designated Hitter and give someone like Nick Markakis or Adam Duvall a chance to play Left Field.

STARTING ROTATION:

  1. Mike Soroka
  2. Cole Hamels
  3. Max Fried
  4. Mike Foltynewicz
  5. Sean Newcomb

While Felix Hernandez showed great potential in the beginning of Spring Training before the baseball season was postponed, I still think that the Braves will go with Newcomb because he stepped up in his roll in the bullpen last season and improved his walk-to-strikeout ratio. I also believe that, given the time that it has taken baseball to come back, Cole Hamels’ shoulder will be fully healed and he will be ready to pitch for the Braves in 2020.

BENCH:

  1. Charlie Culberson
  2. Adam Duvall
  3. Austin Riley
  4. Adeiny Hechavarria

With the 2020, 60 game season staring off with a 30 man roster, I think the Braves will put Austin Riley on the bench. However, when the roster goes down to a 28 man roster I think he will not be on the bench after that. I definitely think that Hechavarria will be on the bench given his defensive abilities.

At the end of the day, even if my predictions aren’t correct, Braves baseball is back! Even though the games are fanless, and there is no high fiving, the most important thing to celebrate in the MLB is that there will be baseball!

What we need in a new Third Baseman

With Josh Donaldson out of the picture, what’s next for the Atlanta Braves? 

Now that Josh Donaldson is with the Twins, the Braves have two spots to fill: a third baseman and a power batter to protect Freddie Freeman. 

The Braves signed Marcell Ozuna to a one year, 18-million-dollar contract. It looks like he may fill the middle-of-the lineup void, but is he the right man for the job? He produced four seasons with around 29 home runs. Ozuna is a left fielder, so while signing him gives us hope for a power hitter, it doesn’t give us a third basemen.  

What do we need in a third basemen? We need someone who can play every single day, that can play good defense, and can put up good numbers. 

It is most likely that Johan Camargo will begin the season as our third baseman. He played third base for the Braves in 2018 and put up good numbers and defensive stats. As for Austin Riley, he will most likely start the season in triple-A Gwinnett. If Austin can produce the numbers he did when he came up to the big leagues in 2019 and put up good defense, he will probably get a shot at third base, since that is his natural position. 

Unless the Atlanta Braves do a big Trade to get a top of the line Third basemen, I see Camargo and Riley as our only two contenders for third base.