Beyond the star power of Acuña and Olson, these three breakout candidates and struggling veterans possess the hidden tools to spark Atlanta’s quest for another World Series title.
One of my favorite things about the postseason is how it gives players a chance to completely flip the narrative about the season they’ve had. A guy struggling can come in, have a few awesome moments, and then that’s how fans remember the entire year.
You’re not the guy making $30 million who only hit 18 home runs; you’re the guy who stepped up with two outs in the eighth and won a game five with a single up the middle.
With the Atlanta Braves clinching the National League’s third seed in the playoffs and still waiting to see who their sixth-seed opponent will be, let’s look at some of the most under-the-radar players who could impact the Braves’ run to a possible World Series championship.
Drake Baldwin
The second-year player has been an underrated backbone of the Braves this season. He’s hitting .281 in 137 games with 24 home runs and 77 runs batted in. If it weren’t for an abysmal June in which he hit .063, Baldwin could very well have finished with an average at or above .300.
Don’t be surprised if we get to the NL Championship Series and look back to see Baldwin hitting over .500 in eight or nine games with a few home runs. If the Braves' best players like Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña step up, don’t be surprised if Baldwin benefits by scoring a ton of runs.
Sean Murphy
Murphy is exactly the kind of player I was referencing in my lede. Since returning, he's struggled offensively, with just five hits in September and three total home runs.
I’m not expecting Murphy to flip the script and suddenly hit for average when we flip the page into the postseason, but he is absolutely capable of a multi-home-run game or hitting 4-5 home runs over a long playoff run.
Few things are more valuable in the postseason than long relief appearances. It not only helps the team in that game, but it also preserves the bullpen for games down the road and takes pressure off the starting rotation.
The Braves are trending toward using Smith-Shawver in that exact sort of role after he threw two scoreless innings against the Houston Astros just under a week ago. If a starter suffers an injury or doesn’t have his best stuff and has to leave before the fifth, a three-to-four-inning appearance from Smith-Shawver, giving up one run or less and giving the offense a chance, would be major for Atlanta.
