Atlanta Braves Defying More Odds Than You Think

General manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager Brian Snitker are doing a remarkable job with the 2024 Atlanta Braves.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez is one of several players who have outperformed historical norms in 2024. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Here is the breakdown of where the Atlanta Braves currently stand.

They have a 72-60 record and have won 12 of their last 17 games. They sit in second place in the National League East and possess the third NL wild card spot with a three-game cushion over the New York Mets.

They also quietly have one of the best records against teams over .500 this season at 48-34. Keep that in mind for October. 

After last season when they tore up the league in the regular season, this sounds like a bit of a letdown. They’ve also been barely holding their head above water at times. However, the Atlanta Braves know as well as any team in baseball how meaningful a regular-season record is come playoff time.

Injuries have piled up with the need to keep finding replacement players to plug in. Come to think of it, the more we look at the situation, the more it’s impressive that they are in their current position. 

Let’s look at who has been injured so far this season, both out for the season and who has missed significant time:

• Spencer Strider - Starting pitcher, 2023 All-Star and received Cy Young votes, out for the season 
• Ronald Acuna Jr. - starting right fielder, reigning NL MVP, out for the season 
• Michael Harris II - starting center fielder, missed two months 
• Austin Riley - two-time All-Star, starting third baseman, missing the last six weeks of regular season 
• Ozzie Albies - starting second baseman, All-Star, missing virtually the remainder of the regular season 
• A.J. Minter - key reliever, missed a month and will miss what’s left of this season 
• Sean Murphy - All-Star catcher, missed almost two months early in the season 

This doesn’t include guys who missed less than 30 days, such as starting pitchers Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez. These are injuries that should have done a team in. How is being a playoff spot even possible? 

It came down to good management and the eagerness to step up and prove your worth. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has played chess with the roster. He found guys whose careers have seen better days and revived their careers. How's that Chris Sale acquisition looking?

Multiple guys who were released by their previous teams just this season have looked stellar in Atlanta. The second chance got some players eager to show they still got it. 

Credit to manager Brian Snitker as well. Parts of the fan base have been throwing shade at him this season. While it’s not completely unwarranted, it takes a strong manager to hold things as well as he has together. 

He had some moves that paid off for a time. Jarred Kelenic was put in the lead-off spot and the Braves went on a nice run for a bit. Putting Lopez in the rotation led to an All-Star selection. Even just on Tuesday night, he put Michael Harris in the sixth spot in the order and he had himself a night. 

I’m not going to start saying that they should hand over the Manager of the Year Award to him. Let’s not get too crazy. But he should get some credit. 

Also, not to be that guy, but the power-of-friendship argument can be made here too. This is a tight-knit group of players in this clubhouse - some of these guys have been together for a few seasons now. The recent additions have fit right in with that. That band-of-brothers mentality can help a group overcome quite a number of obstacles. 

There’s still a month to play. A lot can happen. But despite the ups and downs, they still get to worry about September and possibly October. It’s quite a miracle taking place on the diamond.