Javier Vazquez struck out 239 batters in 2010, second in the National League. Vazquez actually struck out more batters than the number of grounders he forced, 237.
Javier was the definition of a big-time strikeout pitcher last year, and this takes a lot of pressure off a defense.
The man replacing him in the rotation this year, Tim Hudson, is a notorious ground ball pitcher. Hudson has had four seasons in which he forced 400 or more ground balls, and his season high for strikeouts with the Braves is 141.
In addition to Hudson's low strikeout totals, he is also third on the active list on home runs per nine innings, at .717, and he is 39th on the active list for walks per nine at 2.8.
In Hudson's three full seasons with the Braves, he finished in the top seven in ground ball percentage each year. He is and always has been a contact pitcher; this should not be news to anyone.
Needless to say, the defense will have a bit more responsibility this year with Vazquez in New York and Hudson on the mound.
Hudson is not the only contact pitcher on the team either. The stress on the defense with Derek Lowe, second highest ground ball percentage in '09, and Jair Jurrjens, who posted the seventh highest ground ball percentage in '08, will be great this year.
There is a very good chance that three Atlanta starters who should pitch right around 200 innings finish in the top 15 in ground ball percentage this year. That should lead to a very active infield, probably the most active in the league.
The problem with this is that the Atlanta Braves' infield features a 38-year-old at third base, a first baseman with six major league games on that side of the infield, and a second baseman with a -15.2 UZR/150 after 101 games at that position.
Chipper Jones had a solid defensive year in 2008 but was dismal in the field last year, as he finished with a -11.6 UZR/150 and a career-low fielding percentage of .930. Expecting him to find the fountain of youth and improve his defense this year would be a reach. He will likely be pretty bad defensively this year again.
Troy Glaus has always had rather soft hands, and he has not been too far from an average third baseman defensively throughout his career. The transition to first base has gone well so far, but the Braves will not have the luxury of having a top-notch glove like Casey Kotchman's or Mark Teixeira's to start the season out this year.
Martin Prado has played at least 45 games at three infield positions throughout his career, but his defense at second base has been his worst. He has been increasingly better though, as he finished with just a -3.6 UZR/150 last year, which is not too far off being an average defensive second basemen.
Yunel Escobar is the strength of this defense. His career UZR/150 is almost dead average at -0.1, but his arm strength and glove work have been phenomenal since his arrival in Atlanta. He will have the opportunity this season to prove that he is the best defensive shortstop in the league as the Braves will likely force the most grounders in 2010.
With Jurrjens, Lowe, and Hudson being such ground ball threats, these players need to seriously step their games up if they want to have a successful season. Swapping 237 grounders and 239 strikeouts for roughly 400 grounders and 130 strikeouts will seriously test this infield throughout the season. Do you think they pass the test?
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