MLB teams
Mark Simon, ESPN Staff 7y

Ultimate Standings: Players, coaching and ownership rank in triple digits

MLB, Atlanta Braves

This story is part of ESPN The Magazine's Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!

Atlanta Braves

Overall: 104
Title track: 58
Ownership: 113
Coaching: 115
Players: 104
Fan relations: 109
Affordability: 64
Stadium experience: 99
Bang for the buck: 85
Change from last year: -22

The Braves dropped 22 spots in these rankings, which is not surprising for the team spent most of 2016 hovering around "worst in baseball" status. But despite a disappointing season (and this triple-digit ranking), there are positive signs upon which to build as management ends the "tear down" phase and enters a transitional period.


What's good

For one, Braves tickets average just $19.13 per seat, the second-cheapest in the league and $12 below MLB average. Even if you won't get to see a win (the team won just 31 home games last year), at least you can afford a few beers, though they, at least, will cost you $7.75 each. Although the Braves dipped 21 spots in players, they made notable acquisitions to provide players around whom they can build. The best among those are outfielder Ender Inciarte, a defensive stud who can hit, and shortstop Dansby Swanson, who might just be the next Derek Jeter. The Braves are also well-positioned with superstar first baseman Freddie Freeman locked into his deal until 2021 and top pitcher Julio Teheran, who has shown occasional ace capability, signed through 2019.


What's bad

It isn't so much what's bad as it is what's uncertain. The combination of Fredi Gonzalez (who started the season 9-28) and Brian Snitker earned the team a 115th-place ranking in coaching. Gonzalez managed the team to 94 and 96 wins in 2012 and 2013 but was sub -.500 the next two seasons. Snitker, now the Braves' 2017 manager after the team removed his interim tag, is an unknown commodity over a full season. The Braves finished the season strong, highlighted by a seven-game win streak comprised entirely against the Marlins, Nationals and Mets. The question is whether that was a fluke or a future reality.


What's new

Unsurprisingly, even with the second-cheapest tickets in baseball, a 68-win season dropped the Braves hard in bang for the buck, down 56 spots to 85th overall (seventh-worst in baseball). More changes are to come next season. The Braves are abandoning Turner Field after only 20 seasons and moving to SunTrust Park in the suburb of Cobb County, with claims that the fan experience will be considerably better (Less traffic! Great parking! Better restaurants! Intimate seating!). We won't know if it lives up to its billing until next season really gets going.

Next: San Diego PadresĀ | Full rankings

^ Back to Top ^