For a baseball rich town like Atlanta Braves , 2006 was not the baseball betting season that anyone had hoped for. But then again when winning the baseball betting division pennant becomes routine and making the baseball bet playoffs is something you’ve done for the past 14 baseball betting years, well, sometimes disappointment just can’t be avoided. No matter how good a team or franchise is; it just simply can’t make the baseball betting playoffs every year, no matter how ingrained that idea may have become for Braves and baseball bet fans. 2006 baseball betting season was a wake up for this storied franchise and it will be interesting to see how it responds.
For the first time since 1991 baseball betting season, when George Bush senior was still president of the United States of America, this team failed to win the NL east crown. Some of that was injury and bad luck, but much of it had to do with the fact that the Braves just didn’t perform up to their potential. On paper the pitching staff is one of the best in the NL and has the stuff to live up to the legendary Braves’ pitching staffs of the 1990’s baseball betting season. But in 2006 baseball betting season there were plenty of injuries to their top hurlers like Tim Hudson and Mike Hampton. Also, with the departure of long time pitching guru Leo Mazzone, coach to Cy Young winners Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux, many Braves think that might have something to do with the fact that they didn’t make the post season. However, more likely than not, if healthy, this rotation should be able to pitch this club to a minimum of a baseball bet wild card playoff birth.
In 2006 baseball betting season that was also a very real possibility but injuries seemed to keep them down at every step of the way and the Mets were simply too talented for the Atlanta Braves to catch at less than 100% healthy. For the baseball betting season the team ended with a 79-83 mark in one of the worst baseball betting divisions, the NL East. With a .488 winning percentage this was hardly the Braves of old but they still managed to finish third place in the baseball betting division and 18 games back from a surging New York team. Home or away it didn’t really matter as they posted nearly identical records, going 40-41 at home and going 39-42 on the road. However, on paper the Atlanta Braves were a much better baseball bet team than this and if healthy there is no reason why this team shouldn’t be at least 10 games over .500.
The rotation is one of the best in the NL on paper at least and with starters like Mike Hampton, Tim Hudson, John Smoltz and the surprise on the staff, Chuck James, there is no easy night when you face the Braves. Hampton had some major injuries in 2006 baseball betting season and will have to work on his finesse pitching instead of relying so much on the power as in the past when he returns in 2007 baseball betting season. Smoltz is an ageless beast who seems to just get better and better with age. Hudson had a disappointing finish to 2006 baseball betting season and got into a bad slide in the end of the baseball betting season and couldn’t keep the ball down in the zone. The bull pen was tough in 2006 baseball betting season with Bob Wickman coming over from Cleveland half way through the season and putting up some big numbers, going 33-37 in save opportunities.
At the plate and in the field Atlanta Braves has some decent players and they put up solid numbers in 2006 baseball betting season, but nothing too outstanding. Chipper Jones has long been the poster boy of this franchise and is an incredible talent but he had only mediocre number by his high standards in 2006 baseball betting season. Jones batted .324 with only 26 homers and 86 RBIs. The baseball bet average was high and the homers were down which makes since as there’s usually a direct correlation between the movements of the two however the decrease in RBI’s had much more to do with the people in front of Jones not getting on base than any fault in his own performance. And some of the drop in numbers could be the fact that he was moved a bit last baseball betting year and played in the outfield.
The other Jones, Andruw, had another stellar baseball betting year as he is an extraordinary talent. He heads a very solid baseball bet lineup in the outfield that didn’t quite live up its potential with Jeff Francour struggling at the plate.