The Braves wrapped up the first half of the season with a series win in San Diego as they head into the All-Star break 11 games over .500. For most clubs, that would be an incredibly successful 93-game stretch, but for the 2024 Braves, I’m not sure there has ever been a team that’s needed an All-Star break so badly.
Ever since their 19-7 start to the season, it’s been a rollercoaster ride defined by devastating injuries. Ronald Acuña Jr.and Spencer Strider — undoubtedly the two most talented players on the Braves — were lost for the season in the first two months. At different points, five All-Stars from a year ago hit the IL, leading to an offensive output that mimicked some of the worst teams across the league.
That’s almost unfathomable considering how the Braves performed a season ago, when they broke a slew of records and were genuinely one of the best offenses in the history of the sport, rivaling the Murderer’s Row Yankees. Injuries have played a large part in that, but blaming everything on injuries would be disingenuous.
The Braves had eight All-Stars last season, six of which were offensive players. This season, none of those six bats will be recognized in Texas. The stars in Atlanta aren’t shining, and that may even be generous. They were mostly terrible during the first half of the season.
Austin Riley and Sean Murphy seem to be turning the corner after suffering early-season injuries, but Matt Olson doesn’t have that excuse. He’s been one of the worst first basemen in all of baseball this season, just a year removed from setting a franchise record for home runs in a season with 54. Ozzie Albies hasn’t been quite as disappointing, but he hasn’t been great either, and do we really have to discuss Orlando Arcia? He shouldn’t be starting for any team with championship aspirations and has been the worst offensive player in the sport this year, which isn’t an exaggeration.
Asking all of these guys to replicate the magic of 2023 might have been wishful thinking entering the season, but I don’t think anybody saw this coming. If it weren’t for Marcell Ozuna, the Braves offense would receive a grade of an F, and if I could go any lower, I would. They’ve been that disappointing, but because Ozuna is on pace for over 40 homers and over 130 RBIs, I’ll bump it up to a D. Everybody in the Braves lineup owes the Big Bear a Thank You note.
But as pathetic as Atlanta’s offense has been, the Braves pitching staff has been on the other end of the spectrum. For the first time since 1997, three Braves starting pitchers will represent the club at this year’s All-Star Game, headlined by two offseason acquisitions — Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez.
I don’t even really believe this should be much of a discussion. These were the two best acquisitions of any club this past offseason. People will immediately point to Shohei Ohtani, but it doesn’t take skill to throw $700 million at a player who is unanimously considered the best player on the planet, and possibly the best player of all time.
Alex Anthopoulos took a gamble on Chris Sale, who hadn’t had a healthy season in five years. The Red Sox were so tired of trying to keep him healthy that they were even willing to eat his salary this season. Now, he’s at the forefront of the NL Cy Young conversation for the Braves, alongside his teammate.
As good as the Sale acquisition was, seeing him perform like this isn’t really a surprise. When healthy, Chris Sale is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer with numbers that rival some of the greatest arms ever to grace the planet. On the other hand, nobody saw this coming from Reynaldo Lopez. For the last five seasons, he was a reliever, and when he signed, that’s what most expected him to be for the Braves.
Now, Lopez is leading all of MLB in ERA heading into the All-Star break, and he’s doing it while making a whopping $4 million this season. So, let’s do a little simple math. Chris Sale — who is leading the league in wins, FIP, and ERA+ — is getting paid zero dollars by the Atlanta Braves this season. Reynaldo Lopez — who leads baseball in ERA — is making $4 million. Together, they’ve combined for 6.8 WAR over the first half of the season, and the Braves are paying them $4 million. That might be the best piece of general managing I have ever seen.
Oh, and by the way, Max Fried is an All-star too. Charlie Morton might finally be losing a step, but he’s still been a more than capable fourth guy, and by the end of the season, he might be the fifth guy, because Spencer Schwellenbach is legit. He is starting to figure it out, which is a scary thought for the rest of the league. I’m not sure there is a better rotation in baseball, but it’s not just the starting pitching carrying the Braves.
The bullpen has been elite as well. Raisel Iglesias is putting together one of the best seasons of his career. A.J. Minter, Pierce Johnson, and Joe Jimenez have all performed well in their set-up roles. Jesse Chavez is deserving of All-Star recognition, even if Major League Baseball is too stupid to acknowledge it. Dylan Lee has bounced back splendidly from an injury-riddled 2023 campaign. Aaron Bummer has been a fantastic addition from the left side. Hell, the Braves bullpen has been so good that they continue to stash Daysbel Hernandez in Gwinnett, who so far this season has tossed 9.2 scoreless innings with a WHIP below 1.000 and a 11.2 K/9.
It’s an embarrassment of riches in Atlanta as far as pitching is concerned. However, it won’t matter if the offense doesn’t wake up. I’m not sure that’s going to happen as currently constructed, which is why it’s fair to expect the Braves to be incredibly aggressive ahead of this year’s trade deadline.
Atlanta Braves First Half Grades
Offense: D
Pitching A+
Overall: C+
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Photo: John Adams/Icon Sportswire
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