The Braves are gearing up for another run at a World Series, returning a lot of the same roster from a year ago, a team that won 100+ games and broke plenty of records on the way.
2024 will be no different. Atlanta returns eight of nine position players while replacing Eddie Rosario and Kevin Pillar with Jared Kelenic and Adam Duvall. Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez join the rotation, along with a slew of fresh arms in the bullpen.
It’s set up to be another special season for Braves Country, especially if Jim Bowden’s predictions come true.
3. Braves pitchers Spencer Strider, Tyler Matzek, Joe Jiménez and Raisel Iglesias combine to throw the season’s first no-hitter in Strider’s second start of 2024.
Chase has already dubbed this season as the Year of Spencer Strider, and who could blame him? Atlanta’s own Huckleberry has broken record after record and could very well join the shortlist of pitchers to accumulate 300+ strikeouts. He’s a perennial Cy Young candidate and is capable of throwing a no-hitter by himself.
9. The starting pitchers for the 2024 All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, are George Kirby of the Mariners and Spencer Strider of the Braves. Post Malone sings the national anthem and the NL wins the game 5-4 on a solo home run by Ronald Acuña Jr. in the top of the ninth inning.
Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. doing Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. things. The Braves have the best pitcher and the best position player on the planet. Of course Bowden has the two Atlanta stars making their presence known at the All-Star game.
12. Eight players make the 30-30 club. Last year, four players — Ronald Acuña Jr., Julio Rodríguez, Francisco Lindor and Bobby Witt Jr. — hit at least 30 homers and stole at least 30 bases. This year, Kyle Tucker, Trea Turner, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Corbin Carroll join them in accomplishing the feat.
This one is a little less praising and a little more complaining, but not because of Acuna. The Venezuelan superstar is a walking 30-30. He’s probably eyeing a 50-50 season more than anything, but this is about Michael Harris II.
The Stockbridge native somehow gets lost in the shuffle of this star studded Braves roster. Harris is as capable as any in the league of hitting 30 home runs and swiping 30 bags. He hits the piss out of the ball and is the most athletic player on this Atlanta team. If he can elevate the ball and get enough opportunities on the base path, Harris will join the 30-30 club.
15. The National League division winners will be the Braves, Reds and Dodgers. The three wild-card berths will go to the Phillies, Cubs and Diamondbacks with the Padres and Giants missing out by just one and two games, respectively.
Is anyone really too surprised?
17. The Braves and Astros will meet in the World Series with the Braves winning their second world championship in four years.
A rematch of the 2021 World Series that ended with the Braves capturing their first championship since 1995. Atlanta once again tops Houston, but it’s how they do it that makes it that much sweeter…
21. Mookie Betts and Juan Soto are named the MVPs of their respective leagues. Betts leads the Dodgers to yet another 100-win season and first-place finish in the NL West but they lose to the Braves in seven games in the NLCS.
Beating the Dodgers, who just spent a small country’s GDP in free agency, in a seven-game NLCS en route to another Commissioner’s Trophy. Does it get any better than that?
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