Our 2017 season preview series continues with another roundtable discussion. Today’s topic is who will be the Atlanta Braves position player MVP?
Which Atlanta Braves Position Player will be the team’s MVP?
(Scott Coleman): It’s the easy answer, and I’ll say Freddie Freeman. Freddie went nuts during the final four months of last season and should continue to terrorize opposing pitchers. A full season of Freeman and Matt Kemp batting 3-4 should be fun. And the Braves’ lineup should be pretty decent if Ender and Dansby do a good job getting on base in front of them.
(Kris Willis): I think Freddie Freeman is the easy answer here especially when you factor in the more hitter friendly dimensions of SunTrust Park but I’m going to go against the grain and go with Ender Inciarte. His defensive prowess in center alone makes him one of the most valuable players on the team. If he can stay healthy and continue to produce at the top of the order, then I think he could be in for a big season.
(Brad Rowland): The only rational answer here is Freddie Freeman, simply because he is the best player on the roster. If we want to get wild and project a non-Freeman answer, my candidate would be Ender Inciarte. It would require Inciarte to replicate his second-half offensive explosion to propel him beyond Freeman, but his baseline is (very) high based on defense and, to a lesser extent, speed and I’m a big fan.
(Ivan): Yeah, it’s Freddie. Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson might give him a run for his money in total player value, but ultimately his offensive production is going to be very difficult for them to overcome.
(Garrett Spain): Freddie Freeman. No player on the team can even approach what Freeman can produce offensively, and he should run away with team MVP barring injury.
(Matt Powers): I'm going with the surprise choice of Dansby Swanson. Freeman is an easy choice and will likely have the better overall numbers, but I just feel as though Dansby is going to be guy who makes everything go. Whether we're talking about his bat, glove, baserunning, and leadership, I believe that a full year of him is going to make quite a difference for the Braves.
(Demetrius Bell): I’m not going to say that Freeman’s going to repeat what he did last year -- though it would be lovely if he did -- but he’s still by far the best offensive player on this team and his defense is good enough to make him elite at his position. I’d say that unless Kemp has a magical breakout season or Swanson has a rookie campaign to end all rookie campaigns, this is Freeman’s “award” to lose.
(Dillon Cloud): As tempting as it is to nominate Dansby Swanson here, I will have to go with Freddie Freeman. Coming off a career year that saw him finish sixth in the NL MVP balloting, Freddie looks primed to make another run at the award this season. He is killing the ball this spring and looks to be in mid-season form after participating in the WBC. Having Kemp (as opposed to Adonis Garcia) behind him for the entire season should be a plus as well, making Freeman the logical choice.
(Jeff Jones): I predicted the best record out of everyone so far but I’m not totally crazy so I will have to go with Freddie. I think he has a shot at winning NL MVP with Ender and Dansby getting on and running in front of him in the lineup he will have plenty of chances to pad his baseball card stats which we know all the voters still love. I know there’s no such thing as lineup protection but don’t tell him that.
(Eric Cole) I’m going to go deep here and say Ender Inciarte here. Freddie Freeman is a legitimate NL MVP candidate and Dansby could be special at shortstop so both of those are very reasonable and likely answers. However, if this team meets or exceeds expectations, it will be because Ender puts together a good offensive season, but somehow manages to fully half the outfield with Nick Markakis and Matt Kemp out there. With defense, it is often hard to see tangible evidence of how much value a guy gives a team with the glove. With Ender having two statues on either side of him, it will be readily apparent and I expect him to perform well in that regard. The Braves were wise to lock him up.
(Kyle Parmley): Matt Kemp. If the Braves are going to reach that stretch of an 81-81 record I predicted, Kemp will need to provide a full season’s worth of the production he showed in the final month last season. He’s more than capable, as his track record shows, and all indications out of camp are that he’s in shape and seems ready for the year. Him being able to provide Freddie Freeman protection will go a long way.
(Gaurav Vedak): Freddie Freeman. Absolute monster. If he can come close to replicating those numbers with some added help of a full season of Dansby Swanson he will be in the MVP race again. With a potentially extremely young infield (Ruiz, Swanson, Albies), a strong 2017 season from Freeman is needed if the Braves have any shot at making the playoffs.
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