The Atlanta Braves will enter the 2026 season fresh off an underwhelming '25 campaign. With Ronald Acuna Jr. set to lead the way, however, Atlanta could certainly bounce back in 2026. However, the Braves need to improve in one specific area. 

Atlanta's pitching is poised to perform well. The bullpen has Raisel Iglesias leading the way as the closer, while the Robert Suarez addition will only further help matters. Meanwhile, the starting rotation has potential with Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider all in the mix. 

Offensively, Acuna, Matt Olson and Austin Riley will set the tone. Atlanta's offense had some quality moments even during its down 2025 campaign. The Braves' lineup should be fine as long as injuries don't stand in the way. 

The one specific fix the team needs to make stems from the base paths. Atlanta needs to steal more bases in 2026. 

The stolen base was undervalued for a few years, but with recent changes to pitcher pickoff attempts/step offs, it has become popular once again. Yet, Atlanta recorded only 82 stolen bases in 2025, which was 26th in all of MLB.

Acuna is one of the best base stealers in baseball when healthy. Despite being limited to 95 games played a season ago, the Braves star still swiped nine bags. 

Atlanta only had three players with 10 or more steals. Michael Harris II (20 SB), Ozzie Albies (14 SB) and Eli White (10 SB) led the team.

The lack of stolen bases led to less RBI opportunities. Atlanta finished in the bottom half of the league in RBIs, checking in at 18th overall. Sure, a lack of stolen bases was not the primary reason for less runs being driven in, but getting runners in scoring position on a more consistent basis would have helped matters.

Some of the top teams in the game found plenty of success with the stolen base. In fact, the Milwaukee Brewers -- who had the best record in baseball last year -- were second in stolen bases in the entire sport. While the Tampa Bay Rays led the league in steals and missed the postseason, the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs were both postseason squads and they were tied for third in total steals.

Stealing more bases will only help the Braves rebound in 2026. It's an area of the game that does not receive enough attention today. However, the stolen base is an easy way to get a runner in scoring position -- which will be especially beneficial in the talented Braves' lineup.