Braves Season in Review: Third Base

Before the 2016 season began, it was widely accepted that the Braves would once again struggle through a lost season as the team’s rebuild continued. The core of the roster, Freddie Freeman and Julio Teheran, remained intact, but the pieces around them were anything but imposing. One position expected to be a weakness, as it has been since the retirement of Chipper Jones, was third base.

The Braves opened the season with Adonis Garcia penciled in as both the team’s third baseman and cleanup hitter, obviously believing there was some legitimacy to the power displayed by the 31-year old in 2015. Garcia was impressive down the stretch last season, finishing with a 112 WRC+ in just under 200…