The Braves are the hottest team in baseball and the most potent offense… by a large margin. There are no ‘easy outs’ in this lineup, which is set to send a handful of players to Seattle for the MLB All-Star game, along with a couple of arms from the pitching staff.
Ken Rosenthal sees it that way, at least. In his All-Star rosters, the Braves are represented by Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, Sean Murphy, Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder. Count em, that’s seven Braves, which doesn’t include the other three — Marcell Ozuna, Eddie Rosario, and Jesse Chavez — that were considered notable omissions.
Honestly, I’d rather see Chavez included over everyone. He’s 39 years old and having the best season of his career, posting a 1.55 ERA and 289 ERA+ across 29.0 innings. He’s been nothing more than a journeyman reliever, but when he’s got that tomahawk across his chest, he turns into Mariano Rivera. Hopefully, the coaches see it differently than Rosenthal.
As for the other candidates, there are several that have been arguably the best player at their respective position. Ronald Acuna is the best player in baseball, not named Shohei Ohtani. On a per game basis, Orlando Arcia has been as valuable as any shortstop in the National League. Will Smith‘s bat is on par with Sean Murphy, but defensively, the Braves backstop is the best in baseball. Bryce Elder might actually win the NL Cy Young if the season ended today.
Moreover, Matt Olson is having an All-Star campaign, but the first base position is loaded with Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt and Pete Alonso. Marcell Ozuna is deserving but was somehow included as an outfielder instead of DH on the fan vote. Eddie Rosario has seemingly turned into one of the most productive outfielders as well. Spencer Strider had two rough outings but has bounced back in a big way over his last two. And that doesn’t even mention the likes of Michael Harris, who is arguably the hottest hitter in baseball.
It’s an embarrassment of riches, and the club doesn’t even have Max Fried, the NL Cy Young runner-up, and Kyle Wright. This is what a juggernaut looks like.
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