The Atlanta Braves were eliminated from the postseason on Sunday, but to their credit, they were without their ace and many others
The Los Angeles Dodgers completed the come back in the NLCS to defeat the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers were favored to start the series, and the Braves put up a fight against the loaded Dodgers.
Despite the disappointment, fans cannot forget that the Braves starting rotation was shorthanded in 2020. And even going into the postseason, there were many question marks about the Braves rotation.
In early August, Mike Soroka tore his achilles creating a large void. The young 23 year old and 2019 All-Star was set for a big season.
Soroka was the opening day starter and the clear ace for the team. To my amazement, the Braves finished in first place in the NL East without Soroka.
It is amazing to consider how Brian Snitker and the Braves organization managed to be one of the teams to beat in the National League.
On top of missing Soroka for most of the year, the Braves were without Felix Hernandez and Cole Hamels.
Felix Hernandez was a potential option for the 2020 Braves but he opted out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns before the season started. Hernandez signed a minor league deal with Atlanta hoping he could return to his All-Star days, after struggling the past few years in Seattle.
Cole Hamels started 2020 on the injured list and was set to return midseason to bolster the rotation. But after his 2020 debut in September, he experienced shoulder fatigue and would not pitch again in 2020.
As you could imagine, without Soroka, Hernandez, and Hamels, fans were wondering what the postseason rotation would look like for the Braves.
Not to mention, several other players who were expected to perform well in 2020 did not produce. These players include Sean Newcombe, Touki Toussaint, and Mike Foltynewicz.
Max Fried had an amazing year which helped fill the void for Mike Soroka. But imagine having the second place finisher in the 2019 Rookie of the Year voting, and Max Fried’s 2.25 ERA in 2020.
Snitker put his trust in the young pitchers, Ian Anderson and Kyle Wright at the beginning of the postseason which paid off. He would later call on Bryse Wilson to pitch against the Dodgers who did great as well.
Since Anderson’s call up, he was outstanding in his season debut. He had a 1.95 ERA in six starts in the regular season and continued his outstanding pitching in the postseason.
Wright did well until his blow out game against the Dodgers in the NLCS.
The Braves did a great job dealing with the numerous injuries and lack of performances from the revolving starting rotation. It is amazing how far they came and how competitive they are making the NLCS against one of the World Series favorites at the start of the season.
A starting rotation with Soroka, Fried, Anderson, Hernandez, and Hamels is a lot more intriguing than what the Braves came into the postseason with.
The Braves’ young pitchers showed up in 2020 and I am looking forward to seeing how these pitchers will grow into 2021.
The Braves could recreate another deadly trio like the 1999 Atlanta Braves who had Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz.
A Fried, Soroka, and Anderson trio looks very similar to the 1999 rotation with one southpaw and two right-handers.
This does not serve as an excuse for the Atlanta Braves not defeating the Dodgers, but as a reminder that they went through adversity and made it all the way to game seven of the NLCS.