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Could the 2020s Braves keep winning division titles?

Bill Shanks wonders how close the Braves of this decade could come to equaling what happened in the 1990s

The success for the Braves in the 1990s was built in the 1980s. Although the team was losing in Atlanta, then-general manager Bobby Cox was slowly improving the farm system.

That allowed the rotation to develop, like Tom Glavine and Pete Smith and Kent Mercker. That allowed trades to be made, where more pitchers were acquired, like John Smoltz.

Position players were a developed, as well. David Justice and Ron Gant became cornerstones of the team, with complimentary players like Mark Lemke, Jeff Blauser and Brian Hunter.

Then the Braves added free agents and veterans. It created a dynasty, as the Braves won one of five World Series they played in during the decade.

So, can the Braves of the 2020s do anything special? They set the stage for more success with a rebuild in the mid-late 2010s. Surprisingly, the team won back-to-back division titles that most believe wouldn't happen for a few more years. But that has only increased the expectations for an organization still full of talent.

They have young stars, like Ronald Acuna, Jr. and Ozzie Albies. They have good young pitching, like Mike Soroka, Max Fried and Sean Newcomb.

Plus, they still have great young prospects, like pitchers Ian Anderson and Kyle Wright and outfielders Drew Waters and Cristian Pache.

Can the Braves have similar success? It'll be tough, but the pieces are in place for the team to be much better this decade.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.