The 2012 Atlanta Braves season was the Braves' 16th season of home games at Turner Field, 47th season in Atlanta, and 142nd season overall. After a late season collapse in 2011 kept the Braves from the playoffs, the team returned to the postseason for the second time in three seasons as a Wild Card team, with a record of 94–68. They lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLWC Game.
Offseason
Areas of interest
Following the conclusion of the 2011 season, Braves general manager Frank Wren highlighted several important areas to improve during the offseason. Since most players were committed contractually to the team in 2012, Wren acknowledged that he would likely make few major changes. One spot that was mentioned for a major overhaul was the shortstop position, where Alex González had played since the Yunel Escobar trade with Toronto in July 2010. González entered the offseason as a free agent and proved too expensive for the team. Wren ultimately allowed prospect Tyler Pastornicky the starting duties in 2012, until he was replaced by Andrelton Simmons in mid-June. When Simmons was hurt in July, Jack Wilson, Paul Janish, and Martín Prado filled in for him. While center fielder Michael Bourn returned to his position in 2012, Wren also suggested that the corner outfield positions were areas of contention. In 2011, the Atlanta outfielders finished the season last in the National League in on-base plus slugging and slugging percentage. Wren stated that right fielder Jason Heyward and left fielder Martín Prado had no guarantee of getting the starting jobs in 2012. On the day after the Braves were eliminated from the playoffs in 2011, Wren said that veteran starter Derek Lowe was unlikely to have a spot in the starting rotation in 2012, due his poor performance in 2011 and a plethora of rookie pitching talent in the Braves farm system. With Lowe guaranteed $15 million in 2012, Wren projected that any of Lowe's salary picked up by another team would significantly assist his efforts to find a shortstop or outfielder. By the end of October, Lowe was traded to the Indians.
Country Caravan The Braves organization announced the third annual "Braves Country Caravan" on December 19, 2011. Players, coaches, and personalities of the Braves organization who participate in the Caravan will travel to twenty cities throughout the southeast United States, including ones in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, from January 27 to February 9, 2012. In previous years a select few players and personnel have traveled to one venue to meet fans and sign autographs while others travel to another location. Braves president John Schuerholtz praised the Caravan as an excellent opportunity for the organization to personally thank fans for their support and to reach out to local communities. Noting that the Caravan would make over forty stops and travel over three thousand miles, the organization revealed specific venues and participating members with a press release on January 19, 2012.
New alternate uniforms The Braves held a ceremony on February 6 unveiling new home alternate uniforms to be worn in 2012 with Chipper Jones, Dan Uggla, and Brian McCann modeling the new uniform and Hank Aaron present to help introduce it. The new is a cream color, instead of white, and has a retro look reminiscent of the uniforms from the days in Milwaukee and first two years in Atlanta with the uniform number on the front of the jersey instead of a tomahawk. The sleeve of the uniform will have a logo with two tomahawks crossing with "1876" (representing the organization's first year in the National League) above it and "Atlanta Braves" below the crossing tomahawks. The Braves also announced that the team will wear the new uniforms for all Saturday and Sunday home games. The red jerseys previously worn since 2005 for Sunday home games will now be worn for Friday home games.
Offseason additions and subtractions Subtractions Additions Players RHS Derek Lowe (traded to Indians) LHR George Sherrill (signed with Mariners) RHR Scott Linebrink (signed with Cardinals) RHP Kenshin Kawakami* (signed with Chunichi Dragons of Japan) RHR Jairo Asencio (traded to Indians) SS Alex González (signed with Brewers) SS Diory Hernández (signed with Astros) INF Brooks Conrad (signed with Brewers) INF Julio Lugo† (signed with Indians) SS Brandon Hicks (claimed off waivers by A's) OF Nate McLouth (signed with Pirates) OF Wilkin Ramírez (signed with Twins) OF Antoan Richardson (signed with Orioles) OF Matt Young (signed with Tigers)RHP Liván Hernández (signed as free agent) RHR Chad Durbin (signed as a free agent) 3B Juan Francisco (acquired in trade from Reds) LHR Robert Fish (Rule 5 draft pick from Angels) LHR Dusty Hughes** (Minor League free agent) RHP Adam Russell** (Minor League free agent) INF Drew Sutton** (Minor League free agent) INF Josh Wilson** (Minor League free agent) OF Luis Durango** (Minor League free agent) OF Jordan Parraz** (Minor League free agent) Personnel Hitting coach Larry Parrish (terminated)Hitting coach Greg Walker Asst. hitting coach Scott Fletcher †Player released during 2011 season *Player spent entire 2011 season in Minor Leagues **Player was non-roster invitee to Spring training (not on 40-man roster)
Timeline Names highlighted in bold appear on the table above.
September 2011 September 29: On the day following the historic elimination of the 2011 Atlanta Braves from playoff contention, Frank Wren announced that manager Fredi González and the entire coaching staff from 2011 would return to their respective roles in 2012. The following day, however, after having a meeting with hitting coach Larry Parrish, Wren announced that Parrish would not return to the coaching staff in 2012. He stated that he would spend this offseason seeking a successor to Parrish. With Parrish's departure, the Braves will now have a third hitting coach in three seasons after removing Terry Pendleton from the role after the 2010 season.
October 2011
October 21: Three weeks after firing Larry Parrish from his hitting coach duties, the Braves announced that Parrish would be succeeded in 2012 by Greg Walker, the former hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox from 2003 to 2011. Walker had stepped down as the White Sox hitting coach immediately following the end of the 2011 season. In the nine seasons Walker served as hitting coach, the White Sox offense ranked third in the Majors in home runs and seventh in slugging percentage. On the other hand, in 2011 the White Sox offense only ranked eleventh in the American League in runs, eighth in average, and seventh in on-base percentage. In an accompanying move, the Braves hired Scott Fletcher to assist Walker in his duties and to serve as an on-site advance scout.
October 31: Three days following the conclusion of the 2011 World Series, the Braves began to make some organizational roster moves. In the first trade of the offseason in the Major Leagues, the Braves traded struggling starting pitcher Derek Lowe to the Cleveland Indians in return for High-A lefty reliever Chris Jones. In addition, the Indians agreed to pay $5 million of Lowe's guaranteed $15 million salary in 2012. Lowe served as the Atlanta Braves' Opening Day starter in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Due to his struggles in 2011, however, Lowe likely would have merely served in a middle relief role for the bullpen in 2012. On the same day, the Braves announced that they had declined the $10.65 million option for center fielder Nate McLouth, ending his lackluster tenure as an Atlanta Brave. McLouth later signed a one-year contract to return to the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 7. Additionally, the Braves decided to exercise the $1.5 million option for utility man Eric Hinske, assuring his return for the 2012 season.
November 2011 November 2: The Braves announced several internal roster moves that allowed for additional space on the forty-man roster. After spending the month of September 2011 with the Major League club, the team outrighted catcher J. C. Boscán, right-handed pitcher Stephen Marek, and outfielders Antoan Richardson and Wilkin Ramírez to the triple-A affiliate Gwinnett Braves. In addition, the Braves filled one roster spot with starting pitcher Todd Redmond, who has spent the previous three seasons pitching for Gwinnett. Accumulating a record of 10–8 with a 2.92 ERA in 2011, Redmond is unlikely to have playing time with the Major League club due to existing pitching depth.
November 3: With the beginning of free agency season, the Braves were able to remove offseason free agents from the forty-man roster. The free agents for this offseason include shortstop Alex González, infielder Jack Wilson, and veteran relievers Scott Linebrink and George Sherrill. In conjunction with the moves made on November 2, Frank Wren and his staff now have seven roster spots that will be filled with potential offseason acquisitions or prospects they wish to protect from the Rule 5 draft.
November 23: After becoming a free agent following the conclusion to the 2011 season, the Braves decided to decline arbitration to shortstop Álex González. If the team had accepted his arbitration they would have received a compensatory draft pick between the first and second rounds of the 2012 MLB draft if González signed with another team. The move made it very clear that González would not return as the starting shortstop in 2012. González looked to receive a multi-year contract on the free agent market, something the Braves were not willing to offer due to rising prospects such as Tyler Pastornicky and Andrelton Simmons. On December 8, González signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers for one year and a vesting option for the 2013 season.
December 2011 December 8: As a part of the Rule 5 draft at the 2012 Winter Meetings, the Braves selected left-handed relief pitcher Robert Fish from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the Major League Phase. Under draft rules, Fish must be kept on the Braves 25-man Major League roster for the entire 2012 season. If waived, Fish must first be offered back to the Angels. Left-handed relief pitcher George Sherrill departs the club as a free agent, later signing with the Seattle Mariners on December 30, after serving as the left-handed specialist to the Braves in 2011. With the departure of Sherrill, Fish has the opportunity to provide that role to the bullpen in 2012. No players were selected from the Braves organization by other teams in the Draft.
December 13: Following the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players the previous night, the Braves declined to tender 2012 contracts to relief pitcher Peter Moylan and infielder Brooks Conrad, who would later be signed to a Minor League contract by the Brewers in January. All other arbitration-eligible players on the Braves roster, including center fielder Michael Bourn, left fielder Martín Prado, starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens, and reliever Eric O'Flaherty, were tendered contracts.
January 2012 January 13: After being named in trade rumors for much of the offseason, Braves utility man and 2011 starting left-fielder Martín Prado signed a one-year contract worth $4.75 million with the Braves for the 2012 season. The move assures that Prado will not go through the salary arbitration process and will likely return to the team for the 2012 campaign.
On the same day, backup infielder Jack Wilson agreed to terms for a one-year contract worth $1 million. Wilson was acquired by the organization from the Seattle Mariners on August 31, 2011. The 34-year-old veteran will provide a dependable backup for Tyler Pastornicky, the projected starting shortstop who will be making his Major League debut. During the offseason, Wilson and Pastornicky have already been training together.