1 Atlanta Braves
John Smoltz, erstwhile Big Toe of the Braves' bullpen, never did tread softly. Smoltz--"We nicknamed him Big Toe because he anchored all us Little Toes," explains reliever Kevin Gryboski--would moan about his role as the closer several times a week, more if the former starter was missing a matchup against another team's ace. Now after 31/2 years of vintage whines and 154 saves, Smoltz, one of the great big-game pitchers of his era, is back atop the Atlanta rotation along with the latest gem to join the staff, fellow righthander Tim Hudson.
For the Braves, this isn't about winning the NL East anymore; after 13 consecutive titles, it has become less a streak than a birthright. This is about October. "The one thing that puts us over the top, that makes us better than our last couple of teams, are our Number 1 and Number 2 starters," third baseman Chipper Jones says. "That's something we've been sorely missing. We didn't have guys who could match up with [the Cubs'] Mark Prior and Kerry Wood or [the Astros'] Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt. We were one game away from moving on in the playoffs the past three years, and now we have Hudson and Smoltz in the rotation."
There are some who have doubts about Smoltz's effectiveness as a starter because no one, at least no one of his stature, has done something like this before: A former 24-game winner who turned into a lights-out closer, at least partially because of elbow problems, is retracing his steps at age 37. Pitching coach Leo Mazzone, however, calls the move "a no-brainer." As for Smoltz, he looks leaner, more muscular, after a winter of training that helped him drop 10 pounds. "I think I would've embraced being a closer if we'd won a [World Series] with me in that role," says Smoltz, who has had four elbow operations, including one Tommy John surgery, and has not started full time since 1999. "I went to the bullpen by mutual agreement, although it was almost a Heisman [Trophy] approach--you know, a bit of a stiff-arm. I know having me there for 162 games made us a better team, but I'd argue in a best-of-five [playoff series] it didn't."
If nothing else Smoltz's move was cost-effective. For G.M. John Schuerholz it was more economical to acquire a closer, Dan Kolb, than to pay eight figures for another high-end starter to join Hudson in a rotation the general manager calls his best. Hardly the prototypical ninth-inning strikeout pitcher, Kolb, a sinkerballer, had 39 saves with only 21 strikeouts in 571/3 innings for Milwaukee last season. Of course finishing for the grim Brewers and being entrusted with a lead in Atlanta are hardly the same. Says Mazzone, "It all depends on the mental toughness of the individual." Kolb will have 55 or so opportunities to prove his.
While the Braves return to their classic 1990s model built around dominant starters, a staple of that era--former owner Ted Turner's open wallet--went the way of shag carpeting. Working for Time Warner (also the parent company of SI) with an $80 million payroll, Schuerholz again has demonstrated estimable creativity, resuscitating the apparently flatlined career of Raul Mondesi, who at $1 million is an affordable replacement in rightfield for departed free agent J.D. Drew. After being released by two teams in 2004, Mondesi wasn't the subject of much Hot Stove chatter until the Braves summoned him from the Dominican Republic. The other corner outfielder is 38-year-old Brian Jordan, who had 51 RBIs in 436 at bats with the Dodgers and the Rangers over the past two years. But with Andruw Jones (32 home runs and 98 RBIs per season since 1998), Chipper Jones and a healthy Marcus Giles, Atlanta should cobble together enough runs to provide its pitchers with a typical Braves sense of entitlement.
"Last year a lot of people said we were done, but this organization took the field expecting to win, and [that attitude] got us through," Chipper Jones says. "I get the feeling from other teams that they're hoping to win this year, and that's the difference right there. Teams in our division think they can beat us, but can they beat us time after time? I don't think they can." --Michael Farber
In Fact
John Smoltz is one of three pitchers ever to log 100 wins and 100 saves for one team. The others are Elroy Face, for the Pirates, and Bob Stanley, for the Red Sox.
Enemy Lines
an opposing team's scout sizes up the Braves
"Tim Hudson is very much a Braves-type pitcher. He's very cerebral and gets an A plus in the art of pitching. He's going to perform well in the NL, where he'll have no DH to deal with.... John Smoltz is unhittable. His fastball is topping out at 97 mph, and he has so much leverage it's as if he's pitching from a six-foot-high mound.... They need another proven arm in the bullpen. I'm not convinced that Kevin Gryboski's partially torn labrum is healed.... Tom Martin has been disappointing. Gabe White has a finesse style that won't blow anyone away. This team has pulled off some of the best trades of any club, and I can see the Braves making another one to help the pen.... Danny Kolb is a sinker-slider guy who does not strike out hitters. The defense will need to get behind him because he's not a prototypical closer.... Andruw Jones keeps getting better, and he had some great offensive games this spring.... If Brian Jordan or Raul Mondesi plays up to his capabilities, they won't miss J.D. Drew too much. But Jordan has played in only 127 games the last two seasons. He'll have to be watched."
The Lineup
projected roster with 2004 statistics
Batting Order
SS Furcal
2B Giles
3B C. Jones
CF A. Jones
C Estrada
RF Mondesi
LF Jordan
1B LaRoche
ANDRUW JONES
B-T R
PVR 38
BA .261
HR 29
RBI 91
SB 6
BRIAN JORDAN [New acquisition]
B-T R
PVR 206
BA .222
HR 5
RBI 23
SB 2
RAUL MONDESI [New acquisition]
B-T R
PVR 197
BA .241
HR 3
RBI 15
SB 0
RAFAEL FURCAL
B-T S-R
PVR 58
BA .279
HR 14
RBI 59
SB 29
MARCUS GILES
B-T R
PVR 95
BA .311
HR 8
RBI 48
SB 17
CHIPPER JONES
B-T S-R
PVR 32
BA .248
HR 30
RBI 96
SB 2
ADAM LAROCHE
B-T L
PVR 164
BA .278
HR 13
RBI 45
SB 0
JOHNNY ESTRADA
B-T S-R
PVR 106
BA .314
HR 9
RBI 76
SB 0
BENCH
JULIO FRANCO
R 341 .309 6 57 4
B-T R
PVR 341
BA .309
HR 6
RBI 57
SB 4
RYAN LANGERHANS (R)*
B-T L
PVR 240
BA .298
HR 20
RBI 72
SB 5
EDDIE PEREZ
R 371 .229 3 13 0
B-T R
PVR 371
BA .229
HR 3
RBI 13
SB 0
2004 RECORD
96--66
1st in
NL East
MANAGER
Bobby Cox
16th season with Atlanta
ROTATION
[originallink:10808636:720496]
44
0
4
39
1.13
2.98
RH Chris Reitsma
143
6
4
2
1.37
4.07
RH Roman Colon ®
232
2
1
0
1.37
3.32
New acquisition (R) Rookie B-T: Bats-throws IPS: Innings pitched per start WHIP: Walks plus hits per inning pitched *Triple A stats
PVR: Player Value Ranking (explanation on page 69)
COLOR PHOTO
JOHN IACONO
STARTING OVER
Come playoff time, the Braves believe Smoltz can have a bigger impact in the rotation than as a closer.
COLOR PHOTO
TOM DIPACE
Andruw Jones