The Braves are as loaded as ever. There aren’t many facets of the roster where the club isn’t elite. The bullpen is primed to be one of the deepest in baseball, and the same could be said for the starting rotation. The lineup features power 1-9 and is primed to be one of the most productive in the MLB. However, like most teams, there are holes.
The fifth spot in the rotation isn’t necessarily a hole, but it could be if one of Ian Anderson, Mike Soroka, or Bryce Elder isn’t up for the task. That seems unlikely, though. Left field and shortstop are the two potentially glaring holes. Vaughn Grissom and Orlando Arcia will compete for the starting role. Arcia has a high floor and is an acceptable safety net, but the team would like to see Grissom come out on top. His ceiling is undoubtedly higher than Arcia’s because of his offensive pedigree.
Left field has a much dimmer outlook. Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario will be the players expected to man the third outfield position, and both are coming off absolutely abysmal seasons. Neither will ever provide plus defense, but both can offer more than enough offensive production. I actually think both are primed for bounce back campaigns; MLB Network pegged Rosario as one of their six players best suited to bounce back in 2023.
Anybody remember who the Braves traded for Eddie Rosario, right before that incredible run to a World Series championship? Would you believe it was Pablo Sandoval? It’s true! It’s difficult to see the Braves winning that title without Rosario, who was the NLCS MVP, culminating in that incredible Game 6 three-run homer that essentially clinched the series. It wasn’t a surprise then that the Braves brought him back on a two-year deal, but 2022 was a total mess. Rosario got off to a start so wretched (an .068 average in April) that the Braves had his eyes checked and discovered that he had a swollen right retina, blurring his vision. He was better after returning — he’d have to be — and he should have his spot back in left field. After all, he hit throughout his entire career until the eye issues. He should have plenty of chances to be clutch in October again
Eddie Rosario’s 2022 campaign was a conundrum. From 2017-2021, his average wRC+ was 109.4; In 2022, that number was down to 62. Surely, he’ll regress to the mean. Chase’s stat prediction has Rosario slashing .250/.297/.450 with 12 home runs, good for a .747 OPS. I think he could eclipse those marks. The Braves expect one of Rosario or Ozuna to experience a resurgence in 2023. It’s not unlikely that both will perform much better this season.
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