St. Louis Cardinals against the National League: Atlanta Braves

Atlanta won just 67 games in 2015, the organization’s lowest total since 1990. The Braves will look to pull from their resurgent farm system and build on an established nucleus to rebound in 2016. Atlanta and the St. Louis Cardinals will face off six times this year.

2015 Record: 67-95

Notable Departures: SP Shelby Miller, OF Cameron Maybin, SS Andrelton Simmons

Notable Newcomers: 2b Kelly Johnson, C Tyler Flowers, 2b Emilio Bonifacio, OF Ender Inciarte, IF Gordon Beckham, SS Erick Aybar, RP Alexi Ogando (Minor League contract)

Against St. Louis in 2016: 3 games April 8-10 @ ATL, 3 games August 5-7 @STL

The Outlook:

Much like the Philadelphia Phillies, the Braves fell to new lows for an organization with a proven track record of success. The Braves finished below the .500 mark for the second consecutive year in 2015, something that had happened just two times since 1994. Again, it feels strange to talk about the Braves being a 95-loss team when the same organization averaged 99 wins a year from 1997 through 2003.

There is no more Jason Heyward (obviously) in Atlanta, and Shelby Miller was shipped off to Arizona this offseason. Still, the Braves show bounce back potential when considering the core that they have in place as well as the talent that they are developing at the minor league level.

Freddie Freeman will be the anchor in the middle of the Atlanta lineup in 2016, and the Braves figure to fill in with a combination of speed and defense. There is proven talent across the diamond in Atlanta. They are going to need productive years out of guys like Michael Bourn, Nick Markakis, Tyler Flowers and Kelly Johnson if they want to contend in 2015.

The pitching staff will be led by Julio Teheran, who sports a 40-30 career record with a 3.44 ERA. Bud Norris figures to be a solid number two starter. However, the rest of the rotation shows much less certainty. Projected 3-5 starters Matt Wisler, Williams Perez, and Mike Foltynewicz have a combined career ERA of 5.04 as starting pitchers.

Arodys Vizcaino figures to get first shot at closing ballgames in 2016 after finding success last September in that role. Former closers Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson will give the Braves bullpen depth as well as second and third options in the closer spot should Vizcaino struggle.

Alexi Ogando experienced big league success with the Rangers from 2010 through 2013, highlighted by an All-Star selection in 2011. He will begin 2016 on a minor league contract, but could break into that Atlanta bullpen at some point in the year.

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Speaking frankly, the Braves are going to have to have an uptick in production both offensively as well as from their pitching staff. They finished last in runs scored in 2015, fourth-worst in runs allowed, and last in run differential. Shelby Miller got the worst of it, finishing with a 6-17 record despite making the National League All-Star team and sporting a 3.02 ERA in 2015.

The Braves turned in half of a respectable season in 2015. On July 7, the Braves sat at 42-42 with realistic wild card aspirations. They then proceeded to finish the season with a 25-53 record, easily the worst mark in baseball during that stretch.

I am looking for a 2016 record much closer to the .500 mark for Atlanta, quite the bold prediction, I know. A lot will depend on the kind of pitching they get, but I could see them in contention for a Wild Card spot down the stretch. If the pitching doesn’t show up and the Braves tank again in 2016, I see them unloading many of their core guys to make room for the likes of Dansby Swanson and the other four MLB.com top 100 prospects that they have in their system.

Next: St. Louis Cardinals against the National League: Philadelphia Phillies

The St. Louis Cardinals won just two of the six ballgames they played against Atlanta in 2015. Granted, two of those were part of a Sunday doubleheader on the last day of the regular season when the Cards had already clinched the Central. I would be happy with St. Louis winning four of the six against Atlanta in 2016, especially if the Braves show the type of improvement that I expect from them.