So...what now?

A Disappointing End to a Magical Season

Hopefully, I'm not too late with this.

Everyone has already gotten their hot takes in about why the Atlanta Braves, after a dominating 104 wins during the regular season, fell flat on their face for the second consecutive season in the National League Division Series. The high-octane offense that tied the major league record for home runs in a single season was shut down (except for you, Austin Riley). Spencer Strider mostly did his job, but injuries once again wrecked the top of the rotation with Max Fried looking shaky in his first start off the IL and Charlie Morton's absence forcing the Braves to start Bryce Elder. That was less than ideal.

But in the wake of another terrible ending that Braves fans have become far too used to, the rush to find a big reason for the failure has been exhausting.

Oh, it was the lack of leadership after defections by Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson in consecutive seasons. Freeman, by the way, went 1-for-10 with an infield single and two walks in the Dodgers' sweep by the Diamondbacks. Meanwhile, over the last 32 games this season, Swanson hit .238/.307/.373. That included a 1-for-10 effort in a crushing sweep at the hands of the Braves in late September that put the final nail in the coffin that was the 2023 Cubs' playoff hopes. Swanson also went 2-for-16 at the plate in last year's NLDS. But for some media types, it was their leadership that the Braves did not replace. Weird how both players had down playoff runs prior to 2021, though.

Okay, maybe leadership was overblown, but the problem was that Alex Anthopoulos didn't upgrade the roster enough. While both you and me - and hey, Anthopoulos, too - would have loved to add some good starting pitching depth plus maybe a big power bat, the market wasn't giving it. Outside of Jordan Montgomery and Justin Verlander (who the Braves were never getting), the rotation targets have been a big bag of nothing. Michael Lorenzen, a guy Braves fans threw a fit over after his random no-hitter that followed his trade to the Phillies, was so bad down the stretch that the only way he got into a game during the NLDS was for the Phillies to be up 9-1. As for hitters, of the four teams still alive, none were boosted by a big bat in a trade. Instead, getting guys back healthy and young prospects delivering on their promise was the way.

So, maybe the lack of leadership and the failure to make a big move weren't the reasons. But you know what was? Orlando Arcia. Yep, he had some mild trash talk after the Braves' magical - and lone - win in Game 2 and that was the difference. Somehow, that's why Elder and Brad Hand threw the meatiest of meatballs right down the pipe for Harper to crush to Lake Erie.

Right.

The Braves' season is over and it's not hard to figure out why - especially when you are less worried about building a narrative and more focused on the actual results. Pitching injuries cost the Braves their #3 starter, two of their best relievers in Nick Anderson and Jesse Chavez, and also had their #2 starter look very rusty. That's not even getting into Tyler Matzek missing the season. But the biggest culprit is that, over a four-game sample in October, the Braves bats - again, you're excused, Austin - failed to deliver.

The numbers are horrific. Ronald Acuña Jr. was 2-for-14 with a double. Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson each had four hits, but all were singles. Marcell Ozuna, talked up as the second coming after power displays during the Braves' simulated games before the NLDS and during batting practice prior to playoff games, went 2-for-13. Both singles. In fact, of the 24 hits the Braves did manage, the only four that went for extra bases were Acuña's double, Travis d'Arnaud's homer, and Riley's two longballs.

Bad at-bats were contagious with the bottom of the order looking especially pitiful. Arcia had two singles, d'Arnaud's homer was his only hit, and Sean Murphy had a pair of singles to match the Braves’ shortstop. The left-field platoon of Eddie Rosario and Kevin Pillar, a concern coming in, was 1-for-12. And Michael Harris II had two outstanding catches and zero hits. In fact, he's now 1-for-27 in his short playoff career with zero walks.

If there was something lacking, it was an edge. The team looked tight, disinterested, and frankly not in rhythm. The first game was remembered for whiffing on fastball-after-fastball. A team that had four of the top 13 players in Fastball Runs Above Average, including the best player in Olson, couldn't hit a fastball in the middle of the zone in the NLDS opener.

Of course, many will say that the layoff between the end of the regular season and the NLDS, while the Phillies played a series against the Marlins, was a big reason for the ineptitude, but by Game 4, the Braves were still not hitting the ball with a ton of authority so I'm not sure if that excuse really matters that much. Sure, the bye teams haven't faired extremely well in the new playoff structure, but at some point, the guys gotta show up. And the Braves, besides Austin Mothertruckin’ Riley, just did not show up.

All of the rest of the reasons thrown out by writers are just building a narrative for clicks. If I was smart, I probably would do the same. And certainly, the team probably needed a Joc Pederson type who could fire up the crew. And yeah, would it have been nice to find a couple more fireballers for the bullpen? Probably. And maybe, just maybe, was the whole Arcia thing a dumb distraction? Possibly.

But as the line goes, history is made by those that show up.

The Phillies certainly did. As did the Diamondbacks, who blitzed the Dodgers into submission. The Astros and Rangers? They showed up, too. And in 2021, the Braves absolutely came to play.

As far as changes go, they aren't so simple. Much of the team, including nearly the entire offense, is locked up for the foreseeable future. Bringing back Joc seems like an option in left, though. The rotation has a lot of depth, but an arm is definitely needed as the depth includes just as many questions. And the bullpen could use more help as well. Hopefully, Pierce Johnson is brought back, but more is required.

But at the end of the day, the playoffs are so random it's really hard to build for them. Instead, you put together the best team you can and hope the right mix of luck, getting hot, and incidental ridiculousness goes your way. Regardless, the Braves are, pardon the phrase, built to win for a long time. They will be back in 2024 and the smart money is on them being good for much of the rest of the decade at the very least.

In the meantime, lick your wounds. Avoid social media if it's too much. When you get to the point, if you already aren't there, to enjoy what was the absurd 2023 Braves regular season, do so. It was pretty crazy and deserves to be praised. And then, move on with me into the winter and prepare for spring. Plenty of rosterbating, arguing, and dreaming to be done. As bad as the ending of the 2023 season may have been, life does move on, and with it, so shall the Braves.

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Blog news - Hey, just wanted to mention that I do plan on blogging more now that the season is over. It helps me stay engaged from the start rather than feel like I'm always catching up. My current loose plan is to start what I call exit interviews. Basically, this will be a quick rundown of each player's season who ended the year with the Braves or was still in the organization after spending time in the majors. I also will be beginning work on a Top 30 prospect list. I'll keep my other series - Transaction of Today, Random Prospect Sunday, and Random Brave Wednesday - for added content. I'll, of course, try to also follow transactions and rumors for current material.

Looking forward to it. Please subscribe to the blog to keep up. Thanks for reading!