It almost seems unimaginable because many Braves fans just don’t want it to be true, but the club very well could miss the postseason this year for the first time since 2017.
However, if the Braves can hold off the Mets and get into the dance, there’s reason for fans to be optimistic about another magical World Series run. This pitching staff is the best in baseball, leading the MLB in fWAR, FIP, xFIP, and second in ERA.
That is the kind of pitching staff that can shoulder the load of a postseason run, but they can’t do it alone. The lineup has to do its part, which is The Athletic’s Jim Bowden’s chief concern for Atlanta.
Biggest concern: The offense outside of Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson
Matt Olson has been excellent of late, and I have no idea what the Braves would look like if Marcell Ozuna wasn’t playing like an MVP. Bowden is right, though. Those two can’t do it alone.
John Smoltz said it best. A club needs three hot starters, three hot relievers, and three hitters. The arms aren’t going to be a problem for this Braves club, but the bats certainly are right now, which leads us to Bowden’s X-factor for the Braves.
X-factor:Â Michael Harris II
Harris has missed most of the season with a hamstring injury, and even still, he hasn’t been the kind of player he was the first two years of his career. The Braves centerfielder needs to contribute in a major way this postseason.
If three of Harris, Ozuna, Olson, Jorge Soler, and the club’s catching duo get scorching hot this month and into the postseason, the Braves, with this pitching staff, can absolutely shock the world and make a run at another Commissioner’s Trophy.
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David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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