I apologize for the delay in getting you the remainder of the 7 keys for the Atlanta Braves. There has been some technical difficulties that has been remedied now. Thanks for your patience.
Expectations are high for Nate McLouth headed into 2011. The Atlanta Braves’ organization is expecting (probably hoping and praying as well) McLouth to rebound from an abysmal 2010. McLouth was one of the signature moves that Frank Wren has made in his brief tenure as the Braves’ General Manager. Wren acquired McLouth in 2009 from the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and pitchers Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke. The trade was seen as a steal at the time. Many considered the Braves as the victor in the trade.
Initially, that was the case. McLouth hit .257 with a .349 OBP and .470 slugging percentage in 2009. He had 11 home runs, 36 rbis, scored 59 runs and 12 stolen bases in 84 games. He had a 3.4 WAR in 2009, which is wins above replacement. His overall numbers were slightly down from his breakout 2008, but his WAR was pretty close to his 2008 numbers. Those numbers were not fantastic, but they were good. Considering last season, they were exceptional.
For some reason, McLouth never got going in 2010. He looked uncomfortable in Spring Training and this carried over into the regular season. He struck out at a whopping 23.6% rate. This was his worse K rate of his career. He also put up career lows in average (.190), slugging % (.322), runs scored (30)*, and stolen bases (7)* excluding 2005 when he only appeared in 45 games. He had his lowest home run total (6), OBP (.298) and RBI total (24)*, excluding his rookie campaign. His WAR in 2011 was -1.3. which is also a career low.
McLouth looked like he was crumbling under the mental pressures of hitting. He over compensated when he would swing at a pitch, he would let good pitches go and chase bad pitches. He just couldn’t get it together. 2010 brought about a low-point in his career, when he was demoted to AAA to work on his mechanics and try to get out of his funk. He handled that demotion with great dignity. He never complained or said he was above that. He took it as an opportunity to fix himself in a non-pressured situation.
McLouth has had the offseason to clear his head and work on regaining the stroke he lost in 2010. So, expectations are high. Wren has said that he supports McLouth and that he is confident that he will rebound from 2010.
The reality is that McLouth doesn’t have much of a choice. He cannot get off to another poor start. The Braves will move quickly, like they did in 2009, to fill his void if he is unable to regain his hitting stroke. McLouth has the center field job headed into 2011. That is a luxury. The Braves owe him more than $6 million in 2011. They need him to respond.
There is optimism in the organization that Jordan Schaefer is finally healthy again. He won the CF job outright in 2009, before breaking a bone in his hand. He played with that injury and his production plummeted. He was never healthy in 2010 and was finally shut down late in the season. He seems to have righted the ship and now seems poised to push for the job he once lost to McLouth. Another young CF is also pushing to be noticed, in Matt Young. McLouth has Schaefer and Young to look at over his shoulder. He also knows that time is not on his side.
More than anything, the Braves cannot afford to carry a dead-weight bat in their lineup any more. The Philadelphia Phillies have improved their starting rotation and the Braves are going to have to play at a high-level to push them for the division and wild-card.
McLouth is an important key to the Braves’ success in 2011.
Original Story:
http://www.tomahawktalk.com/2011/02/7...
