Braves' Player Recap: Dan Uggla

Today's Braves' recap will be on second baseman Dan Uggla.
Uggla made his major league debut back in 2006 with the Florida Marlins. He starred there for five years before coming to the Braves in a major off season trade before the 2011 season. Last season he had 36 home runs and also had one of the longest hitting streaks in Atlanta history.
2012 wasn't as good for Uggla. He was criticized much of the year by fans. At one point he was even benched by coach Fredi Gonzalez because he wasn't producing like he should be. The only problem with benching him, he has one of the highest salaries and the Braves aren't paying him to sit on the bench. He set a team record that he wouldn't like to hold, he struck out more than anyone ever has for the Braves in a season. The worst part of the season for him was the whole month of July, he played in 24 games and only had nine hits, one home run, six RBI's and struck out 28 times.
He did have some big moments for the Braves. He got some clutch hits to drive in runs and also hit some clutch home runs. One of his best games of the year came against his former team, the Marlins, on June 5th. In that game he went four for five with a double, two home runs, five RBI's and three runs scored. In that game, one of his home runs was career home run number 200. Overall he finished the year with a .220 average, nineteen home runs and 78 RBI's.
Uggla needs to have a better season in 2013. He will once again be Atlanta's second baseman, but if he has another bad year, he could possibly be on the move next off season. He needs to get more hits, strike out less and show the Braves and their fans that he is one of the best second basemen in the game right now. Look for him to have a big year and help push the Braves further into the playoffs next October.