The All-Star conversation is heating up, and as I wrote about last week, the Braves have a real chance of at least matching their franchise record of eight All-Stars set back in 2023.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic, however, isn’t buying that number, predicting only five Braves will be representing the city in Philadelphia.
Braves All-Stars (According to Jim Bowden)
- Matt Olson (starter)
- Drake Baldwin (starter)
- Michael Harris II
- Chris Sale
- Raisel Iglesias
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Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin have been the best players at their respective positions and should be viewed as locks at this point. Michael Harris II deserves his first All-Star nod as well, hitting over .300 with 13 home runs while playing his typically spectacular defense in center field.
On the pitching side, there shouldn’t be any debate about Chris Sale. The lefty has been arguably the best pitcher in the game over the last three seasons and is having another incredible 2026 campaign. Iglesias should also be a lock — which would be his first All-Star appearance, somewhat surprising given how consistently excellent he’s been throughout his career.
Braves Potential All-Star Snubs
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Acuña hasn’t done quite enough to demand a spot yet — but that could change over the next couple of weeks, and the fan vote is going to favor him regardless. He’s among the most popular players in the game, which sometimes is all it takes.
Albies deserves a spot and is on pace for perhaps the best season of his career. The problem is there are a lot of second basemen in the National League having incredible campaigns, and someone deserving is going to get left out.
On the pitching side, Elder, Suarez, and Lee are all worthy. The issue is the National League pitching has been remarkably deep this season, and each league typically carries only a handful of relievers. That really needs to change. There’s no good reason why relievers posting sub-1.00 ERAs should be sitting at home during the All-Star weekend. Carry more pitchers — it’s a simple solution, especially now that the game doesn’t actually mean anything anymore.
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If I had to guess, the Braves will get at least 6-7 All-Stars. However, you can ensure they get more by voting now!
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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)