For the first seven years of Alex Anthopoulos’ tenure as Braves GM, nobody was better at finding spare parts that somehow fit perfectly into a championship-level ball club.
From Anthony Swarzak and Matt Joyce early on to guys like Jesse Chavez, Pablo Sandoval, Jorge Soler, Orlando Arcia, and Adam Duvall, the list of names Anthopoulos acquired for pennies — who ended up playing key roles in six straight division titles and a World Series — is extensive. Some played 162 games, some platooned, others were lightning in a bottle, but all of them mattered.
You could argue that, of everything Anthopoulos did well during that stretch, this was the most important piece of the puzzle.
But the last few years haven’t been nearly as fruitful. Jarred Kelenic was a colossal failure. Jorge Soler’s return was a swing and a miss. Alex Verdugo, Bryan De La Cruz, and Stuart Fairchild all flopped. It was back to the drawing board this offseason, and while the Braves didn’t take any big swings offensively, their two under-the-radar additions are a major reason they’re sitting at 12–7, three games clear of the Marlins for first place.
Dominic Smith has been the most pleasant surprise, already directly responsible for two Braves wins thanks to a pair of game-winning knocks. He’s hitting damn near .400 through his first 15 games with a tomahawk across his chest, along with three home runs, an OPS north of 1.000, and — perhaps most importantly — 15 RBIs. Through 19 games, Smith has been the MVP of the Braves, and that’s no slight to Drake Baldwin, who is quickly proving he belongs in the conversation for the best offensive catcher in baseball.
Right behind them is Mauricio Dubón, whom the Braves acquired early this offseason in a trade with the Astros for Nick Allen. Why Houston was willing to move such a valuable utility piece for the worst offensive player in baseball is something few can explain. Maybe former Braves executive Dana Brown was doing his old boss a favor. Either way, Atlanta is cashing in. Dubón is hitting .333 with an .887 OPS while playing elite defense at the most important position on the field in place of the injured Ha-Seong Kim.
History suggests both Smith and Dubón will come back down to earth. And frankly, how they fit once everyone gets healthy is still up in the air. But none of that really matters right now. These two are making a combined $7.35 million this season. In just 19 games, they’ve already outperformed that value, helping steady the Braves through the early stretch with so many key players sidelined.
At the end of the season, when division races are decided, the games in March and April count just as much as the ones in September. Over a 162-game grind, every team deals with injuries, making depth an undervalued asset that can swing a season.
When the Braves were stacking division titles, nobody in the NL East could match their depth. The past two seasons, everybody could. That’s something Alex Anthopoulos clearly emphasized this offseason — and just three weeks in, the Braves are already seeing the payoff.
