Dominance of Atlanta Braves Starting Pitchers Making Waves

The Atlanta Braves starting pitchers have been the strength of the team, and they are beginning to get national recognition for it.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López is part of a strong rotation. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The dominance of the 2024 Atlanta Braves rotation is starting to turn heads. In the eighth MLB.com Starting Pitcher Power Ranking this season, two Braves southpaws cracked the top 10 after being previously unranked. Another Braves righty also received votes. 

In a year where no Braves position players are starters, a few arms continue to make their case to earn the nod. 

Chris Sale - Ranked 9th

At this point, Chris Sale has shown that he wasn’t just good for a month. Sale has officially turned back the clock in 2024.

“Sale’s rejuvenation this season -- at age 35 and coming off years of injury-related frustration -- has been beyond impressive,” MLB.com wrote on Sale. 

The numbers speak for themselves. The rankings only used the stats up until Tuesday, July 2, but we’ll factor in his performance on Wednesday night because it got a shoutout in the commentary. 

Following a brutal out on June 1 against the Oakland A’s - he gave up eight earned runs in four innings - Sale has a 1.97 ERA, a 1.69 FIP, has held opposing hitters to a .165 average and has struck out 45 batted to just nine walks. 

Take away the June 1 start, and his ERA on the season would be 2.06. He’s also the MLB leader in wins (11), FIP (2.24), WHIP (0.913) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.68). 

Sale has built a clear all-star case and is in contention for the Cy Young for the first time since 2018 - the last year he received votes. 

Max Fried - Ranked 10th 

The Braves ace just slides into the rankings to round out the top 10 just behind his teammate Sale. 

“Fried is set to become a free agent after this season, and right now, he is making a strong contract push,” MLB.com wrote.

He’s certainly earning a bag this winter. He's an unrestricted free agent after this season. Fried has a 2.91 ERA, a 1.094 WHIP, a shutout and two complete games. Since he shut out the Marlins on April 23, he has a 1.92 ERA, a 2.87 FIP and a .186 opponent’s average. 

With a strong start and maintaining a clean bill of health, Fried has a second all-star appearance in his sights. 

Reynaldo López - Received Votes 

Hitters have made Reynaldo Lopez work in his last two starts, but some writers still showed him some love for the season he’s had so far. It should still be seen as moving up in the rankings, it’s the first time he’s received votes. 

Through 13 starts, Lopez had a 1.57 ERA and still has a 1.83 ERA on the season. He hasn’t shown the same dominance as his rotation counterparts with a 1.147 WHIP and a 3.12 FIP. But he does the most important thing as a starter, and that’s get outs and prevent runs. 

The reality is Lopez isn’t likely going to get Cy Young votes when the season is over, but he should at the very least receive an all-star nod for his breakout season.