Bleacher Report Names Braves Biggest 'What-If' for 2024 Season

The Atlanta Braves 2024 season could have been a lot different if not for injuries

Atlanta Braves third baseman Zack Short (left) and Atlanta center fielder Michael Harris II (right) congratulate right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The 2024 season could still be a special year for the Atlanta Braves. They sit just 1.5 games behind the final National League wild card spot with six games remaining. Three of those contests will be against the New York Mets, one of the teams the Braves are chasing.

But Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter went ahead and named the "biggest what-if" for all 30 MLB teams Tuesday. Whether or not the Braves make the postseason, their biggest what-if for this season is the injuries.

Most notably, not having Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña for a majority of the season.

"Not many teams can stand losing their best offensive player and best pitcher and still contend for a postseason spot, so the fact that the Atlanta Braves are still in the thick of the wild-card race is a testament to the overall talent on their roster. Spencer Strider made his first career Opening Day start this year, but he would make just one more start before he was lost for the season to Tommy John surgery," wrote Reuter. "That came a year after he went 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 281 strikeouts in 186.2 innings to finish fourth in NL Cy Young voting.

"Meanwhile, Ronald Acuña Jr. took the field for just 49 games before he suffered the second torn ACL of his career on May 26, and the Braves have struggled to find a consistently productive replacement for him in the outfield all year. It was a disappointing encore to his 2023 NL MVP performance when he became baseball's first 40/70 player and hit .337/.416/.596 for a 171 OPS+ with 217 hits, 35 doubles, 41 home runs, 106 RBI, 149 runs scored and 73 steals.

"After logging a combined 11.3 WAR in 2023, they were worth minus-0.1 WAR total this season before they were lost to the injured list."

It's particularly difficult not to think about the "what-if" scenario involving Acuña because of the notoriety Shohei Ohtani has received this year for his 50/50 season. Acuña didn't have as many home runs as Ohtani does this year, but the Braves right fielder had 21 more steals, a higher batting average and virtually the same OPS last season (Ohtani does have another week to add to his totals).

The Braves have struggled to replace Acuña, but they have found ways to make up for the loss of Strider. Atlanta has the second-best ERA in the MLB, which is largely why the team remains in the playoff hunt.

However, it is interesting to think about how scary the Braves starting rotation would be had Strider stayed healthy this season.

The Braves proved in 2024 they can still compete without their best players. But without them, another championship is a long shot.