My Goals for the 2016 Braves

75 Wins– Reasonable amount of wins for this team, 8 more wins than last year. An improved bullpen may yield more.

Shelby Miller Wins 10 Games– Enough said, get the man some support.

Julio Teheran has an ERA under 3.00– In 2014, his ERA was 2.89. That’s about what I expect from him.

Matt Wisler has a 3.50 ERA or less– I want to see Wiz make strides and become more consistent.

Mallex Smith hits .270 or above– Expect Mallex to start slow and catch fire, he has done this at every minor league level so far. His speed will help, and I’m not worried about his power numbers.

Jace Peterson hits .260 or above– Jace started off hot last year and regressed, even though his numbers with RISP are still good. Jace hit .239, which will not be acceptable with his low HR numbers.

20 Home Runs for Olivera– Olivera had an okay short season last year, but I want to see more balls leave the yard. He hits the ball very hard, but needs to translate that power to more home runs. He should lead the team in homers.

Freddie Freeman plays in 150 games- In 2014, Freddie played in all 162 games. I want to see him stay healthy and avoid an injury plagued slump like in 2015

Nick Markakis Hits 10 HRs– Nick will have a full offseason to fully recover from neck surgery, and should return to his usual, which is about 15 Home Runs a year. I’ll set the bar a little lower.

Maybin hits above .275 before break– Maybin needs to play well before the break to drive up his trade stock, his contract will have other teams tantalized as well.

Bullpen ERA below 3.00- This one is key. With many relievers returning (Simmons, Winkler, Withrow, Grilli), this team should be improved by simply doing nothing. These guys have to do well, as Atlanta was last in bullpen ERA in 2015.

Daniel Winkler pitches 50 innings- Many of you haven’t heard of Winkler, but we claimed him in the Rule 5 draft from Colorado. He was the AA pitcher of the year in 2014, but he was left unprotected (they protected Yohan Flande??), and the Braves snagged him. He’s coming off of Tommy John, but could be a REALLY nice piece in the pen. He made 2 appearances last year.

Trade For A Suitable Catcher- AJ will be turning 40 soon, and Bethancourt just won’t do. We don’t have to trade for the next Yadier, but getting a good prospect like Carson Kelly (St. Louis), Austin Barnes (LAD) or a solid, veteran starter like Nick Hundley (Colorado) who will be cheap would be ideal.

Cut One Man Loose From The Rotation– This will be tough. Whether it be Teheran or Folty getting traded or the team opting not to bring back Minor, we will have to make room for Tyrell Jenkins by the All-Star Break. Expect us to sell again at the deadline.

Tyrell Jenkins has an ERA below 4.00– Tyrell doesn’t have to go out there and strike out 11 in 9 IP in his debut (it would be nice) but seeing a decent ERA is key to his confidence. Roger McDowell can work on him, and a nice rookie season would be ideal for Tyrell.

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