Crapshoot Proof? This Atlanta Braves Team Might be

Every year, MLB has a team that appears to be far and away the best team in the league. Whether it’s an elite pitching staff, a great and deep lineup that can hit homers and steal bases, or a shutdown bullpen, some teams just seem to be the clear cut team to beat in that particular season. However, with the arbitrary nature of the baseball playoffs, the best teams don’t always win the World Series. In fact, most of the time, it’s not the best team that hoists The Commissioner's Trophy; it’s the hottest. 162 games have all dwindled down to a 3 game wild

card series, a 5 game division series, a 7 game championship series, and a 7 game World Series. These playoffs theoretically max out at 22 games… A significantly shorter sample size than the 162 game marathon. You can be great. But can you be great at the right time? You can blow through the marathon. Can you win in the sprint?

The 2023 Atlanta Braves finished the regular season marathon with a 104-58 record, and the 1 seed on the NL side of the bracket. They led the league in batting average, 276, homers, 307, runs batted in, 916, on base percentage, 344, slugging percentage, 501, and team OPS, 845. 1st baseman Matt Olson led the league in home runs with 54. Marcell Ozuna and NL MVP candidate Ronald Acuna Jr, both had north of 40. The aforementioned 3 players as well as third baseman Austin Riley and second baseman Ozzie Albies had slugging percentages north of 500. Acuna, posting a monster season, has 41 homers and 73 stolen bases. 3rd in the league in OPS at 1012. When it comes to the pitching, ace Spencer Strider is one of the best in the league. Despite a relatively pedestrian 3.86 earned run average, Strider leads the league in strikeouts, 281, expected FIP, 2.93, K-BB% 29.2, and upped his innings to 186.2 despite some durability concerns heading into the season. Bryce Elder, while posting subpar peripherals, pitched 174.2 innings for a team that lost both Max Fried and Kyle Wright to injury. Charlie Morton pieced together 163.1 innings and above average production at the age of 39.

While we’ve detailed how elite this team is; they took care of business in a highly productive regular season, the question begs? Are the 2023 Atlanta Braves crapshoot proof? Does it matter that the playoffs are arbitrary? Does it matter that they can get bounced in 3 games to a divisional rival Philadelphia Phillies? All of these will be moot points as the Atlanta Braves march through this postseason. This team is crapshoot proof. This team is the closest thing to the 2018 Boston Red Sox, a team that marched through the postseason with very little resistance. They lost defensive stalwart Dansby Swanson at shortstop this past free agency, it’s cool, Orlando Arcia was an all star. They lose two big pieces in the rotation, no problem, we’ll get innings from other resources. They lose the best first basemen in baseball, Freddie Freeman, to

another elite team in the national league? It’s all good, we’ll trade for one that leads the league in home runs. This Braves team has faced adversity as any team throughout the course of the season would. They are so elite that it doesn’t matter what happens, it doesn’t matter who they face, it doesn’t matter who walked in previous free agency periods. This team keeps rolling and they will continue to roll this postseason.

As great as the other postseason teams are, there is no stop to this gauntlet. Oh by the way, the Braves get Fried back and he’s scheduled to make the start for Game 2. The Phillies, while potent offensively themselves, have pitching depth concerns that should arise in this divisional series matchup. The Phillies send lefty Ranger Suarez and his subpar peripherals on the mound in Game 1. Soon to be free agent Aaron Nola has had an underwhelming season despite being very steady and consistent throughout his career. Outside of Zack Wheeler, this

team’s starting pitching is a huge question mark; the margin for error against an offense like the Braves is slim to none.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are another threat to the ultimate goal, as they’ve been for years. They, similar to the Braves, have an NL MVP candidate of their own, outfielder Mookie Betts. Betts and Freeman spearhead a potent lineup for a franchise that has had a vice grip on the postseason landscape for the last decade. A great team with a ton of postseason pedigree, SURELY THEY’LL GIVE THE BRAVES A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY? Nope, probably not.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, while great, have serious question marks in their pitching staff. While their bullpen has drastically improved since the beginning of the season, they’ve been ravaged with injuries. Right-handers Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are both on the shelf with elbow injuries. Future hall of famer Clayton Kershaw and rookie phenom Bobby Miller are the only two sure things in that rotation. Outside of that, the team has serious limitations in their starting staff, especially in the event of a longer series, these two teams would meet in a 7 game series, given they both take care of business in their first rounds of games.

The Houston Astros are the reigning World Series champs….They, along with other teams have had their fair share of adversity. This team has been the best over the last 8 seasons. 2 World Series wins and a yearly appointment in the postseason. Could this be the team to take

care of the Braves. Well, they’re definitely the most likely to. Their lineup is potent and they have veteran Justin Verlander and a phenomenal lefty in Framber Valdez. Could the Astros beat the Braves in a 7 game series? They should make it close, but the common theme amongst their opponents is pitching depth. Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown have both been disappointments. While J.P. France has been a pleasant surprise, how much faith do you have in every pitcher to figure it out. Assuming my predictions for their opponents bear out, these teams have to play perfect baseball to beat this Braves team. Singular games, short series, long series, it doesn’t matter.

The Atlanta Braves won the World Series two seasons ago. They were not the best team, frankly, they were one of the worst. Since that win, they’ve made significant strides in the way they attack opposing teams. They didn’t have Acuna for that playoff run…..they’ve improved in their lineup, pitching staff, and bullpen and they will continue to roll as they’ve locked up a majority of their key players to long term deals. The 2023 Atlanta Braves are crapshoot proof. These playoffs will prove that.