What can the Braves expect from Tim Hudson?
If Tim Hudson’s first season as a Brave was a disappointment, his second season was a disaster. When Hudson was traded to the Braves, most people thought he’d be a perennial Cy Young candidate, but he has struggled to meet expectations. Although that may be true, he was still a very good pitcher in 2005 when he posted an ERA+ of 125 in 192 innings. Despite the relative success he enjoyed in that first season, there were some disturbing signs: many of Hudson’s peripheral statistics declined, meaning he was fortunate to post that ERA. Hudson’s peripherals declined again, and this time his record and ERA went with it. Hudson’s days as an elite starter are likely over. He’ll be better in 2007 than he was in 2006 but I think he’s much more likely to post an ERA+ under 100 than he is to post an ERA+ over 120. 7) Who will have the better year with the bat, Miguel Cabrera or Ryan Howard? Ryan Howard had a tremendous season last year, and he deservedly got a lot of media attention for his explo
