After what happened last year, it’s much easier for most sane fans to remain calm during this slow start to the Braves 2022 season. Atlanta’s roster is loaded and capable of so much more than they’ve shown over the first 32 games. Nobody knows that more than Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who isn’t worried about his team sluggishly coming out of the gate.
“We’ve got the talent,” Anthopoulos said in an interview with Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. “If they start performing the way they have in the past, we’ll start having success.”
“We’re ninth or 10th in ERA and ninth or 10th in runs scored, and that will be reflected in the win-loss,” Anthopoulos said. “Our run-differential as well. That’s just where we are right now. We have a lot of talented players with a track record, and …. (we’re) five weeks into the season. You just can’t conclude too much off the sample size at this point with guys who are very well-established, quality, productive players.”
It’s always fun to talk about trades, no matter how early we are in the season. But the reality is the Braves don’t have many holes, if any, and it’s way too early to be thinking about any major changes.
When asked about the trade deadline, Anthopoulos said, “Last year we were under .500, we had a lot of guys hurt, we lost our best player at the All-Star break, and that was two weeks before the trade deadline. You just look at the roster and the talent you have. Now if you have a bunch of players and their bodies are starting to break down, their velocity is down, their bat speed, or they’re losing a step, that’s different. And obviously, it’s all relative to standings and playoff spots. To answer that question in May, it’s just so far off right now.”
Off the top of my head, I don’t know a single team in the majors with a better pitching staff than the Braves. Guys like Ian Anderson and Charlie Morton have struggled to start the season, but their track records suggest that won’t last for much longer. Atlanta’s rotation is elite, and their bullpen is even better.
Offensively, there are some concerns, especially since the league apparently decided to deaden the balls. The Braves rely heavily on the long ball, so they could be affected by the new balls much more than other teams. Still, there is way too much talent up and down the order to expect them to continue to produce at this rate. Eventually, most of these guys will find their form, and the runs will start coming in bunches.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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