What a season so far for Martin Prado. It is just a shame it took Bobby this long to realize he had an ideal #2 hitter on his bench. Prado has been outstanding since taking over for Kelly Johnson and established himself as the 2-hole hitter. Only 3 players in the majors this season have 200+ plate appearances and fewer than 20 strikeouts (Prado, L.Castillo, Y.Betancourt). Prado is the only one of these 3 with a batting average over .285 (.330 thru Friday). He puts the ball in play, doesn't swing at bad pitches, and has some pop. He reminds me of Placido Polanco of about 4 years ago with more power. If eligible (Prado is currently 61 AB's shy) for the batting average lead, he would be 5th in the NL.
The key to this season may be the emergence of a solid all-around hitter at the top of the Braves order. How many times in the first 2 months of the season did the Braves lose a close game because of an ill-timed strikeout or bad at bat (cough, Francoeur, cough, KJ)? The pitching has been consistent all year (for my money, Jurrjens has been the best) and 1/2 to 1 run more per game would really make this a pretty good team.
I just hope it isn't too late...
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