Four Potential Braves All-Stars So Far This Season

The Atlanta Braves host the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15. For the first time in a quarter century, fans will be able to see their stars on home turf take on the top players in Major League Baseball. However, with how their season started, it might be difficult to pin down who will represent the fans at Truist Park.

Every team is guaranteed one, and if the Braves downward spiral to start the season continued, that might be all the they had for the season they hosted. However, with the recent turnaround, both for the team and individual players, a squad of All-Stars is back on the table. 

Let’s look at four Braves players who have the best current case represent the team and city this summer. 

Marcell Ozuna, Designated Hitter

The lone position player All-Star for the Braves last season is on track to represent the team again. 

In 24 games, missing the Blue Jays series due to a minor injury, Ozuna is batting .316 with a 1.030 OPS, five home runs and 11 RBIs. He leads the National League in on-base percentage (.486) and walks (26). He’s having no trouble getting on base and the worries about power toward the end of last season have been completely forgotten. 

Very few notes. If one player is going to represent the Braves in the All-Star Game, Ozuna is that guy. 

Austin Riley, Third Baseman

When the Braves were 0-7, Riley would have been the last person to say he should be an All-Star this season. He has batting .111 with a .432 OPS with a solo home run - which was also his lone RBI. 

In the 20 games since, he’s been an All-Star by every definition. He’s batted .341 with a .942 OPS, five home runs and 17 RBIs. He’s brought his season average and OPS to .286 and .819. 

At his current pace, he’ll reach the All-Star Break with 27 home runs and 89 RBIs. Unless he fall back off, there’s little doubt he’ll make his third All-Star team. 

Spencer Schwellenbach, Starting Pitcher

A pitcher getting a case? This season? Yes, and Schwellenbach is the only pitcher who truly has a case right now. 

He hasn’t pitched like an All-Star, per se, in his last three starts, but if you take out his rough night against the Blue Jays, he would look much better. Remove the six earned runs over 4 2/3 innings pitched, and his ERA is 1.64. No, you can’t eliminate that game, but it’s an outlier, not a trend, and the overall trend is that he’s looked good. 

It’s early enough where he can get away with some mediocre starts, rebound and have an All-Star campaign. Chris Sale wasn’t an All-Star until May last season. Schwellenbach is still a step ahead in making his case. 

Sean Murphy, Catcher

Murphy’s strong return has already gotten it’s own focus on Atlanta Braves On SI. However, he is making an All-Star case so he gets the fourth spot and will be slightly touched up on again. 

Murphy has seven home runs and a 1.010 OPS in 15 games. If his OPS qualified, it would be the sixth best in the league. It’s better than his American League catchaing counterpart, Cal Raleigh, who is leading MLB with 10 home runs. Murphy also has the most home runs by a catcher in the National League. 

He’s not going to start the Midsummer Classic, at least right now, over Cubs catcher Carson Kelly. He’s got the power while also hitting for contact at a level well above any catcher in baseball. Still, Murphy has a case to be in the reserves and make an appearance at some point in the game. 

Having him in the Home Run Derby sice the event is in Atlanta would be fun too. 

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