The Braves play baseball today! In the Grapefruit League opener, reigning Cy Young award winner Chris Sale will toe the rubber against the Twins, and the expectation is that he will throw two innings and be followed by Bryce Elder.
They are hardly the only notable players to travel to Fort Meyers for the exhibition contest against Minnesota, though. According to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, the Braves are bringing Jarred Jelenic and Sean Murphy too.
Jarred Kelenic will be on the trip. Bryan De La Cruz will not. https://t.co/7wU5s3K5YZ
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) February 21, 2025
There are a slew of storylines to follow in that trio alone.
Chris Sale is the veteran of the Braves rotation in the wake of Max Fried and Charlie Morton’s departures earlier in the Winter. With Spencer Strider on the mend from internal brace surgery, the Braves will need Sale to not only perform like the ace he is but also to remain healthy.
There’s not a bigger bounce back candidate heading into 2025 for Atlanta than Sean Murphy. After injuring his oblique on Opening Day, the 2023 All-Star never found his groove, finishing with a slash line of .193/.284/.352 and a wRC+ of 78, which is 22% below league average. It was by far the worst season of his career, but there are reasons to be optimistic in 2025.
His batting average of .193 was lower than his xBA of .213, and his slugging percentage of .352 was lower than his xSLG of .399. Moreover, Murphy suffered from a bit of bad luck too, in terms of his batting average on balls in play. Last season was the lowest mark in a season at .223. For his career, his average BABIP is .271; that’s a massive discrepancy.
Similarly, Jarred Kelenic is trying to turn the page on 2024. The Braves sunk a lot of resources to acquire Kelenic last offseason, and while he had his moments, the former top prospect tapered off as the season progressed, so much so that he was eventually relegated to a bench role. With a new hitting coach in Atlanta, Kelenic, who is a notoriously streaky hitter, will attempt to finally find some consistency.
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Photographer: Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire
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