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Pain in the ace Braves' luck runs out, Smoltz lost for season
Posted: Thursday March 09, 2000 08:39 PM
By Lee Sinins, special to CNNSI.com One thing the Braves could always count on has been the health of their starting pitching. Greg Maddux labored at times last season and Tom Glavine had an off year, but at least the Braves could be optimistic one of the greatest pitchers who ever lived and a fellow potential Hall of Famer could return to prominence, as their health has never been a question. In John Smoltz's case, the Braves haven't always been so lucky. Smoltz has battled injuries in recent years, but he was still able to make 26 and 29 starts in 1998 and 1999, respectively. Any team would consider themselves fortunate to have their most injury prone pitcher still be available for that many starts. After all, only three other teams in the National League got at least 55 starts over the past couple of years from a trio of pitchers -- the Astros, Dodgers and Mets. But, unlike those teams, the Braves didn't merely have three such pitchers, they had four -- Tom Glavine (68), Greg Maddux (67), Kevin Millwood (62) and John Smoltz (55). Unfortunately for the Braves, their luck has run out.
Smoltz was one of the best pitchers in baseball during the 1990s. During the decade, he ranked among the leaders in starts, hits per nine innings, strikeouts, wins, innings and ERA. Meanwhile, Smoltz has started to emerge on the all time leader lists. His 7.8 hits per nine innings ranks 24th, his 2,098 strikeouts are 47th and his .581 winning percentage puts him 82nd. Meanwhile, his 3.35 ERA ranks 65th among non-dead ball era pitchers. But, the one number that stands out above the rest is his seventh place ranking in strikeout per nine innings. Don't be surprised if the Braves make a trade for a starting pitcher. GM John Schuerholz has never been afraid to trade for pitching. Even when there appeared that the Braves had no need for another starter, he pulled the trigger on the Denny Neagle deal. Maybe we will see Brad Radke end up in Atlanta.
There is no team whose pitching is so deep that they could survive the loss of John Smoltz without feeling the effects. Other than the Yankees, no team in baseball is even close to the Braves in terms of being equipped to soften the blow. But, while the Braves are still formidable without Smoltz, if they wish to grab the championship that eluded them so often in the past decade, they need to make a trade. Expos manager Felipe Alou has expressed an interest in John Rocker. So, maybe instead of the hot rumors being a Rocker and Bruce Chen for Ugueth Urbina deal, we will start to hear about Rocker for one of the Expos's young arms. It's a long shot for this trade to happen, but if contract talks between the Orioles and Mike Mussina break down, maybe the Braves will try to trade for him.
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