ATLANTA (AP) — Shortstop Dansby Swanson did not participate in the Atlanta Braves‘ light workout Tuesday and appears to be a longshot to make the team’s roster for its NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.Swanson partially tore a ligament in his left hand on a swing against the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard on Sept. 24. He had pain when he tried to swing a bat Saturday in Philadelphia and received more treatment Tuesday Glenn Robinson Jersey , remaining inside while his teammates were on the SunTrust Park field.Manager Brian Snitker paused when asked if Swanson still has a chance to play when the Braves open the NLDS on Thursday night in Los Angeles.“A chance,” Snitker said. “I don’t know how great of one, really. But we’ve had guys in situations like this who have come in the next day and been a lot better, so we’re just going to take it a day at a time.”Braves players were not available to reporters on what was officially a day off.Charlie Culberson, who excelled for the Dodgers in the 2017 postseason , would be Atlanta’s starting shortstop if Swanson does not show dramatic improvement. That would strain Atlanta’s already thin bench. Ryan Flaherty could make the roster as a backup infielder.Snitker said Culberson’s postseason experience will be “really big” because “it’s the maiden voyage for most concerned.”Culberson hit .282 with eight homers after the All-Star break this season, and .270 with 12 homers overall.Swanson hit .238 with 14 homers this season, including only .213 after the break.One scenario discussed by Snitker and his staff is the possibility of keeping Swanson on the roster as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner.“We’ve got to make sure he can go over there and handle the glove and make a play,” Snitker said, adding Swanson could be forced to hit even if he were to enter a game as a defensive replacement.Snitker said he has more confidence in Lucas Duda’s recovery from a sore back. Duda, acquired from Kansas City on Aug. 29, took batting practice Tuesday and could make the roster as a left-handed pinch-hitter.Snitker confirmed Mike Foltynewicz will start Thursday night’s game. Snitker has not released the remainder of his rotation. Anibal Sanchez and Kevin Gausman could start the next two games on Friday night in Los Angeles and Sunday night in Atlanta, leaving Julio Teheran and Sean Newcomb as top candidates for a possible fourth game in Atlanta.Snitker said it “wasn’t hard at all” to pick Foltynewicz (13-10, 2.85 ERA) to lead the postseason rotation that does not include a clear-cut No. 1 starter. Foltynewicz was sharp in his last start , allowing one hit and one run in five innings in a win over the Phillies.“We’ve wanted Folty to be the guy for a couple years now,” Snitker said. “To me right now he’s the guy who has established himself as a legit first guy. … He’s pitching right now with a lot of confidence.”Foltynewicz, 26, ranked sixth in the NL with 202 strikeouts.An Atlanta team led by first baseman Freddie Freeman and “Baby Braves” Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies is entering its first postseason since 2013.“It’s just part of the journey that we’ve been looking to go on http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-manny-pina-jersey ,” Snitker said. “It’s a really fun time for all of the guys involved.”This will be the first postseason as a manager for Snitker, who has been with the Braves organization since 1977, when he was a minor league player.Snitker said he has leaned on the experience of former manager Bobby Cox, the Hall of Famer who still serves as a senior adviser. Snitker said Cox’s advice was “Keep it simple. Don’t try and make it something it’s not.”“I’m kind of excited to see what it is. I’ve managed a lot of games but this is a little different,” he said. “… I don’t have any fingernails. If I had any hair, I lost it.” Welcome to August 2018, where the Chicago Cubs have a leading National League MVP candidate who's not named Kris Bryant or Anthony Rizzo.It's Javier Baez, whose reality has finally caught up with his hype.Through 112 games, the 25-year-old is hitting .298 with a .916 OPS, 25 home runs, 19 stolen bases and 88 runs batted in. All but the games played are career highs, and his RBI count is the highest of any National Leaguer.Not to be overlooked is Baez's defense. Per the defensive metrics, he's rating as an average or better defender at second base, shortstop and third base.Hence Baez's unsurprisingly strong showing in wins above replacement. He ranks at No. 7 in the National League with 4.9 rWAR at Baseball Reference. He's tied for sixth with 4.4 fWAR at FanGraphs.Granted, Baez is at the top of neither list.But the NL MVP race isn't like the American League MVP race, wherein it's clearly Mike Trout, Jose Ramirez, Mookie Betts and then everyone else. The NL MVP race isa wide-open affair that WAR alone can't determine. Even more than usual Cecil Cooper Jersey , careful consideration of exactly what a player can do and exactlyhow he's contributed to his team is advised.Well, the Cubs have the best record in the NL at 66-48. And for at least one Cub, it's quite simple."He's the most valuable player on our team, and we're in first place," Bryant said, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. "Seems like he should be at top of the list [of NL MVP candidates]."David Banks/Associated PressBryant would know, as being the most valuable player on first-place Cubs teams used to be his job.The third baseman led a 103-win and eventual World Series champion squad in 2016 with a .939 OPS and 39 dingers, for which he was named the NL MVP. He was back at it again in 2017 with a .946 OPS and 29 homers, helping the Cubs to 92 wins and a second straight National League Central title. His 13.5 rWAR across those two years placed just a hair behind Nolan Arenado for tops in the NL.Never far from Bryant in the spotlight was Rizzo. He had already established himself as one of the best first basemen in Major League Baseball with his work in 2014 and 2015. So it went in '16 and '17, as he averaged a .914 OPS with 64 homers and 9.8 rWAR.But in 2018, "Bryzzo" just hasn't been the same.Although he's come on like gangbustersin the second half, Rizzo is still on track for his worst season since 2013. For his part, Bryant has suffered a power loss that seemed mysterious at first, but which now makes sense in light of his left shoulder injury.The rest of Chicago's roster hasn't been without its own problems. Injuries and ineffectiveness have turned Yu Darvish into a bust in the first season of his six-year, $126 million contract. His starting rotation mates have largely struggled to the tune of a 4.08 ERA.And yet, there are the Cubs speeding toward their third straight NL Central title. And there's Baez, seemingly always in the middle of it all.Mind you, it's not like Baez was invisible before 2018. He was considered an elite prospect when he first arrived in 2014 http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-hernan-perez-jersey , and the sheer breadth of his skill set was oftenextremely visible.At times, Baez looked like the best sliderin MLB. At other times, he looked like the best tagger. At still other times, his arm and his range made him look like the best defender. At still more times, he looked like one of MLB's most powerful sluggers.But then there were the other times when Baez was practically invisible at the plate, where his free-swinging style led to too many bad at-bats and, thus, frequent slumps.There were also the times when he must have wished he could hide. His defensive miscues would undermine his defensive brilliance, and his aggression on the basepaths sometimes resulted in avoidable outs.In short, Baez played like an unrestrained bundle of energy. And this act extended to, well, his act. He wasn't shy about having his fun when he wanted to, occasionally to the chagrin of the fun police.This next part should be a segue into how Baez has changed his ways to become a better player in 2018. But in reality, he's still the same Javier Baez. He's just...better.His 60.8 swing percentage is the highest of any qualified hitter, which explains his characteristically low walk rate of 3.8 percent. Buthe's mostly taking good swings, as an increasing rate of his hacks are taking place within the strike zone:His rate of contact on these swings isn't ideal, but it's acceptable. That helps explain how his strikeout rate is now well below its formerly catastrophic standing.Even better, Baez'squality of contact on his in-zone swings is beyond acceptable:2015:92.9 mph2016: 89.1 mph2017:88.5 mph2018:94.9 mphThus has Baez rarely not been a threat at the plate this season. He's posted an OPS north of .900 in every month except May Domingo Santana Jersey , when he finished at a solid .769.Elsewhere, Baez is rating as one of the NL's top baserunners despite the fact he hasn't toned down his aggressiveness on the bases. And while he still boots the occasional ball, even the newest Cub can see that his ability and versatility are more than worth the trouble on defense."He's a naturally gifted infielder," veteran left-hander Cole Hamels said, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. "I think if you wanted to throw him at first base, I'm sure he could do that pretty well, too."Meanwhile, Baez's natural tendency to wear his emotions on his sleeve is going strong. That's led to spats with Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle and Cincinnati Reds lefty Amir Garrett, but his position is clear: He's going to keep doing him."I don't control what's out there, what people say about me. I'm just going to keep playing my game," he said in April after running afoul of Hurdle, perMuskat.Heck, why not? Oakland Athletics outfielder Mark Canha's recent rescinding of an apologyfor a bat flip might be the ultimate sign that Major League Baseball is finally accepting a more outwardly emotional style, one which Baez and other Latin players have long since embraced.Beyond that, it's never a bad idea to stick with what's worked. That's how Baez has gotten to where he is now, and it has both him and the Cubs in an enviable spot.Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
