1. Jordan Schafer - CF
2. Justin Upton - RF
3. Freddie Freeman - 1B
4. Evan Gattis - LF
5. Brian McCann - C
6. Chris Johnson - 3B
7. Andrelton Simmons - SS
8. Elliot Johnson - 2B
9. Julio Teheran - P
It should be pointed out that Andrelton Simmons leads the team with 4 wins produced to this point of the season. While most of that is due to his otherworldly defense, I want to also talk about the strides he's made on offense.
- In 371 first half ABs, he hit .243/.282/.348 (74 wRC+). In 171 second half ABs, he's hit .263/.319/.474 (118 wRC+).
- 5.3% BB rate, 8.5% K rate in first half. 7% and 7% in the second half.
- LD% has gone from 18% to 22%.
He's currently hitting .249/.294/.387, which is good for an 88 wRC+. An 88 is below the league-average, but it's not bad for a 23-year old shortstop, especially one who provides elite defense. Obviously, players go on to have good halves and then never again, but Simmons has shown some real signs of improvement in the second half. It shouldn't be surprising to see a young player make adjustments, and that's hopefully what we're seeing from Simmons. Even a little offense makes him a monster player.
Tom Koehler
Scouting Report: Tom Koehler is mainly a two-pitch pitcher. He'll come at you with a low-to-mid-90s fastball and a decent curveball. Against lefties, the righty pitcher will add a change-up as well, but when he's ahead in the count, look curveball. Not much to see here.
Analysis: Koehler does a better job of striking out hitters - 17% - than yesterday's starter, but he's also apt to walk quite a few more - 9%. He remains viable by keeping the ball on the ground, but he's been a bit homer-prone in his first 130 innings of MLB pitching. This isn't a guy the Braves should struggle against.