How Atlanta Braves Can Upset Phillies, Mets in NL East

Now five seasons removed from their World Series championship in 2021, the Atlanta Braves must show the rest of Major League Baseball that they are still title contenders. Last season was a very disappointing year, as Atlanta missed the playoffs entirely. This was due to a combination of poor performance and injury misfortune, as superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. missed a good portion to start the year while recovering from his ACL injury, Austin Riley was shut down late in the season, Sean Murphy missed extended time and Atlanta’s pitching staff dealt with extensive injuries.

While the Braves are not completely in the clear on the injury front entering Opening Day, as right-handed starting pitcher Spencer Strider is among those not ready to start the season, they are in a much better spot health-wise than they were for much of last season. And this starts with Acuña. If the Braves are going to upset the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and rest of the National League East this season, they will need a healthy Acuña to do it.

While his statistical totals last season were down due to his late start to the year, Acuña’s 163 OPS+ was in line with what fans have grown used to when he is healthy. Rewriting the record books in his 2023 National League MVP season, becoming the first player in Major League history to steal 70 bases and hit 40 home runs, Acuña showed off his unprecedented combination of power and speed. Unfortunately, significant injuries have limited his time on the field during his young career, but his healthy seasons have been among the best we have seen.

Beyond Acuña, the Braves have Riley back in the mix to start this MLB season, giving them an elite corner infield duo with the ever-steady Matt Olson at first base. Where questions remain is in the middle infield, as second baseman Ozzie Albies faces a lot of pressure to regain his previous All-Star form after a couple of down seasons. His double-play partner will likely be Ha-Seong Kim for most of the season, as Atlanta retained the defense-first shortstop this offseason.

The Braves were dealt bad news during Spring Training when it was announced that switch-hitting outfielder Jurickson Profar would be suspended for the entire MLB season due to PEDs, and while that is a huge loss, Atlanta can sustain it with consistent production from others. If the pitching staff gets and stays healthy, and the lineup is able to perform at the level its top stars are used to being at, the Braves have a clear path to upsetting some of the more highly talented teams in the NL East and winning that division.

That pursuit begins on Friday against the Kansas City Royals.