If the top of the Braves lineup doesn’t hit, they lose games. It’s as simple as that, and a lot of it has to do with an Atlanta outfield that might be the worst in baseball.

I want to exclude Michael Harris II, but he’s been bad too. Entering Wednesday afternoon’s game, Atlanta’s center fielder had accumulated -0.2 fWAR, and his 48 wRC+ has a lot to do with it because he’s a plus-defender. That’s 52% below league average in runs created, and it only got worse in the series finale against the Blue Jays. Harris had several opportunities to put the Braves on the board, but ended the day 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, consistently swinging at pitches well out of the strike zone.

Harris is hitting below the Mendoza line right now, and he never takes his walks, so his on-base percentage is putrid. Some concern should exist, but this is a former NL Rookie of the Year with a pretty lengthy track record of good baseball. Better days are ahead for Michael Harris; the other outfielders, I’m not sure I can say the same.

Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz are a net negative when they’re in the lineup. Combined, they have amassed -0.6 fWAR with a 43 wRC+, which is 57% below league average. They only have three extra base hits all season between them, to go along with literally one run batted in. That’s one RBI in just under 100 plate appearances. That doesn’t even seem possible.

Eli White and Stuart Fairchild haven’t given the Braves anything either. Even if White did have a good game on Wednesday, the two entered the contest with a 0 wRC+. Yes, 100% below league average.

Alex Anthopoulos figured Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz could platoon until Ronald Acuna Jr. returned, but Jurickson Profar‘s PED suspension put an end to that plan rather quickly.

Buying high on a free agent coming off a career year is very rare for Anthopoulos, and Profar’s deal immediately bit the Braves where it hurts. I don’t necessarily blame Anthopoulos, but we can certainly blame Profar and his selfish choices, which brings us to Alex Verdugo.

There’s absolutely no reason Verdugo shouldn’t be on the Braves roster right now. He should have been added a week ago, and while he’ll probably join this weekend, one has to wonder why it’s taken so long. Verdugo might not save the Braves, but there’s no way he can be worse than Jarred Kelenic, Stuart Fairchild, Eli White, and Bryan De La Cruz, who have shown no reason why they should even be on a major-league roster.

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