Under their longtime general manager, the Braves always have been known for great pitching, but the acquisition of Gary Sheffield and Vinny Castilla has turned them into a good hitting ballclub as well.
General manager John Schuerholz has overseen the winningest team in the majors since 1991.
Since joining the Atlanta Braves from the Kansas City Royals in October 1990, Schuerholz has tried to fine-tune a club that has been rich in pitching but mediocre on offense.
That description changed two years ago when the Braves acquired right fielder Sheffield and third baseman Castilla.
“We made a conscious effort two winters ago, when we made the Sheffield deal and when we re-signed Castilla, to improve the offensive component of our team,” Schuerholz said. “We always have had success that has carried us through the postseason with deep pitching and good, solid defense. But when we got to the postseason in the past, we came up short offensively. That’s what prompted us to make the Sheffield deal with the Dodgers and to re-sign Vinny Castilla.”
The transactions did not pay immediate World Series dividends last season for the Braves, even though the team finished 101-59 during the regular season.
“Unfortunately, Vinny and Sheff sustained wrist injuries early in the year and never really had a chance,” Schuerholz said. “For hitters, that’s a real important part of their body. But this year they were healthy.”
Sheffield hit 39 home runs, drove in 132 runs and batted .330. Castilla added 22 homers as the Braves hit a team-record 235.
The Braves have won five NL pennants and one World Series during Schuerholz’s 12-year tenure. The franchise has surpassed the 3 million mark in attendance six times in the past 12 years.
Schuerholz is also proud of “the continued maturation process” of shortstop Rafael Furcal (.294) and All-Star second baseman Marcus Giles (.318 with 49 doubles) at the top of the lineup.
“The addition of Robert Fick’s left-handed bat (80 RBIs) and the comeback, finally, of Javy Lopez (43 homers) . . . all of those things combined made this as good an offensive team as we have ever had here.”
