The Braves must re-evaluate their philosophy this offseason, focusing primarily on what leads to success in the postseason. Their core is not going to change much, if at all. Most of their players are ultra-talented and locked into long-term, team-friendly deals. They are enough to get this team to the playoffs year after year, but they’ve failed to find success in October in each of the past two seasons. Expecting that to change without adjustments will only result in disappointment.
The Braves primary focus should be on their pitching staff. Their current rotation has more questions than answers, and the same can be said about the bullpen. But left field is also an area that could be improved upon, and there’s a current postseason hero for the Diamondbacks who is set to hit free agency.
Tommy Pham may best be known around Braves Country for slapping Joc Pederson before a game in 2022 following an incident in their fantasy football group chat. If it sounds ridiculous, it’s because it is, but that’s not how he’s known in the Arizona clubhouse, who have praised him for his leadership.
Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic recently wrote a piece uncovering the type of person Pham is, detailing how he’s really known around the league. Behind the gaudy headlines that paint the picture of an unlikable player, there’s the truth about how his teammates view him.
Pham began the 2023 campaign with the New York Mets, where he was one of the bright spots of an otherwise struggling “super team.” He hit .268 with 10 homers in 79 games, good for an .820 OPS. When the Mets made him available at the trade deadline, the Diamondbacks swooped in, a move that would eventually help them to the World Series.
After he was traded to Arizona, his manager in New York, Buck Showalter, left him with some parting words, “It’s all wrong. I’ve seen all the teams you’ve played for and everybody loves you.”
Pham is a no-nonsense kind of character. He’s not going to sugarcoat anything, and his attention to detail is the reason he’s carved out such a nice career for himself, despite not being the biggest, fastest, or strongest athlete on the field.
“People are so quick to brand guys like him, who have an opinion,” Showalter said, via The Athletic. “He’s blatantly honest. Some people have trouble with that. Most of the time, the things he says, if you really think about them, he’s right.
“If you can’t handle the truth, you can’t handle him.”
Pham wasn’t necessarily outstanding following the trade to the Diamondbacks. He hit just .241 with a .720 OPS over the final 50 games, but he’s been arguably their most valuable offensive player since the postseason began. In the Wild Card Series against the Brewers, he hit .429 with an OPS over .1000, and he’s currently hitting .538 with an OPS over 1.500 in the World Series.
Pham is a leader in the clubhouse whose sole focus is on one thing — winning. He’s learned from legends like Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright what it takes to win, and he’s taken those lessons and brought them to Arizona. The details are what make the difference in the biggest moments, and Pham is not one to take anything for granted.
It’s a bit ironic — given his past with Joc Pederson, who was a catalyst of the Braves 2021 World Series run — but Tommy Pham may be exactly the veteran presence this current Braves team needs. He’s not going to hit .300 with 30 home runs, and he may not even be a player that plays every day. But Pham knows his role, is a tremendous leader, and performs very well in the postseason. That’s the type of player the Braves should be looking for this offseason, and he’s not going to cost an arm and a leg to acquire.
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Photo: Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire
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