5 Braves make the MLB’s Top 100

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Braves: Ten over/under predictions for 2020

The MLB just broke down their Top 100 players in baseball right now, and the Braves were well represented, especially at the top of the list.

But we will start at the bottom, where Ozzie Albies was the lowest-ranked Brave, coming in at #72. Even after making the All-Star game in his first season, Albies made excellent strides as a second-year player, finishing 2019 as the hits leader to go along with his .295/.352/.500 slash line and 26 homers. That guy is much better than the 72nd-best player in baseball, and so was the player who showed up in the 2020 postseason. However, after missing most of last year, it’s understandable why he’s undervalued on this list.

Max Fried came in just ahead of Albies at #70. That’s fair, given he really only has one season of elite production, which came last year in just 60 games, but he could vault up this list if he backs it up in 2021. I wouldn’t bet against it. Every year, Fried trusts his pitches a little more to the point where he is now oozing with confidence. The California kid could be even better this year, which would insert him into the conversation of the best pitcher in the National League.

Atlanta’s newest multi-year signing was the third Brave to land on the list. Unlike the others before him, I think you could make an argument that Ozuna is too high. He’s a negative defensively, and last season was easily his best in terms of offensive production. Regression is in line, but it appeared Ozuna unlocked something in Atlanta, and he doesn’t have to lead the National League in home runs and RBIs to be the 37th-best player in baseball.

Cracking the Top 10 is the Braves 23-year-old phenom, Ronald Acuña. He came in at #7, which is actually one spot higher than I had him on my list. Nevertheless, Acuña is deserving of being in the Top 10. He’s the only legit 40/40 threat in the game, and his plate discipline led to a career-high .987 OPS last season despite hitting just .250, which was the lowest-mark of his career by 30 points. Everyone is talking about Tatis and Soto, but Ronald could still end up being the best of the bunch.

The highest Brave on the list is last year’s NL MVP, Freddie Freeman, who hopped all the way up to #4, behind only Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Jacob DeGrom. I have to say I’m a bit surprised Freeman received so much credit from the national media, but he is more than deserving of it. Freddie has been one of the best hitters in the game every year since 2016, and he finally put it all together last season on the way to his first MVP award.

Overall, I thought the Braves were fairly represented on the list. There’s no doubt in my mind that Mike Soroka is a Top 100 player in baseball, but after suffering an Achilles injury, it’s easy to forget about him. However, a guy to watch out for on next year’s list is Dansby Swanson. His offensive strides last season were legit, and if he does it over a full 162 games, he should vault well inside the Top 100 players in the game.

 

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