It would be easy to write them off. The Braves have lost a future Hall of Fame third baseman (Chipper Jones) and an All-Star third baseman (Martin Prado) to season-ending injuries.
But the lineup is better than you think. And as good as the San Francisco pitching staff has been this season, it would be a mistake to assume the Giants will simply dominate in their best-of-five National League Division Series that begins Thursday.
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Atlanta, after all, still scored 738 runs during the regular season. Only four teams in the National League were better. Jones went out with an ACL tear Aug. 10. Prado promptly switched from second base, where he had been named an All-Star, but tore an oblique muscle Sept. 29.
Both players were solid offensive contributors. But while Prado was batting .307, his OPS was .809 — good but not a number that puts him among the league’s elite. Jones was at .806 when his season ended.
But the Braves still have their two best hitters — rookie outfielder Jason Heyward (.849 OPS) and catcher Brian McCann (.828 OPS). Also, first baseman Derrek Lee has an .849 OPS in 39 games since a trade from the Chicago Cubs.
“I don’t know if everyone in baseball knows Brian McCann and how good he really is,” TBS baseball analyst Ron Darling said. “Not only calling a game but as an offensive player, too.”
