Braves Today

State of the Atlanta Braves – All-Star Break

The good, the bad, and the ugly from the first half of the Atlanta Braves season.

CJ Errickson

Marcell Ozuna and the Atlanta Braves are ready to take off in the second half.
Marcell Ozuna and the Atlanta Braves are ready to take off in the second half. / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
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The Atlanta Braves have officially arrived at the 2024 All-Star Break, a hopeful sign for the team and fans alike. The team's recent series win against the San Diego Padres on Sunday should fill the fans with optimism as they head into the break, despite the team’s inconsistent offense.

With Marcell Ozuna participating in Major League Baseball’s home run derby on Monday and three of his teammates participating in the All-Star game on Tuesday, many accomplishments should be noted in the team’s first half of the season. So now is an excellent time to look at the good and bad from 2024.  

The Very Good:

The Braves’ pitching staff enters the break as the league’s best units from starters to bullpen. Their 3.40 ERA leads the majors. Considering that the team has three All-Star pitchers and the rise of Spencer Schwellenbach, the team’s rotation is in a great place. With Ian Anderson rehabbing at the minor league level, the front end of the pitching staff has been and should continue to be stellar.

In addition, the team’s bullpen has been lights out as the National League’s best in lowest ERA 2.92 and 99 earned runs allowed. Still, adding a pitcher at the deadline should be on the front office’s mind. A long stretch of baseball remains, and the team should ensure that their starters get as much rest as possible, if not extra.

The Good:

The team’s pitching has been amongst the league’s best, and their defense has been respectable. While the team misses Michael Harris II as the team’s best fielder, Jarred Kelenic has been solid along with the other players who have graced the outfield.

The biggest standout on defense may just be third-baseman Austin Riley. While he has been known to be a fantastic hitter, he has also been stellar with his arm and glove this season, displaying a full range and totality at the hot corner. Both catchers behind the plate have been excellent at framing pitches and minimizing steals throughout the season.

The Ugly:

The most disappointing and surprising aspect of the 2024 Braves has undoubtedly been the team’s offensive struggles in the first half of the season. The Braves are 19th in the majors in runs scored.

Understandably, the offense will look different without Ronald Acuña Jr. However, the usual suspects, who the team is accustomed to providing consistent offensive output every day, have just not been the same as in years past. For example, look at first baseman Matt Olson. 

Over the past 30 days, Olson has been cold with his bat, as he is currently holding a .192 batting average in the cleanup spot. More concerning is that he only has a .261 OBP and .327 SLG in that time span as well. Compare his first-half stats to last year's, and it is safe to say that his production is not the same yet this season. This time last year, he was sporting a .325/.418/.675 split in the above-listed categories, respectively. 

He is not alone in this regard, as just about every Brave this year has struggled at the plate at some point, if not with worse production. 

So, for the team to be only eight and a half games behind the Philadelphia Phillies and still be considered the NL Wild Card leaders with their offense not firing on all cylinders is a quality sign for the team’s second half. Additionally, with the team not being in the driver’s seat of the division for the first time in years, general manager Alex Anthopoulos is already more active at the trade deadline to help rectify the team’s offensive woes.

All in all, star third baseman Austin Riley believes in the team and gives insight as to why Atlanta fans should, too. 

“There’s a lot of really good players in this clubhouse, guys that have done it year in and year out. You would like to think that, at some point, it’s all going to click on all cylinders. You’ve just got to keep putting that best foot forward, and eventually, it’s going to turn. I’ve seen a lot of hard-hit balls be caught this year and stuff that just hasn’t gone our way. You can sit on that as much as you want, but at the end of the day, it’s part of the game, and you’ve just got to keep going out there and fighting the fight. I think this clubhouse is doing that and is going to continue to do that.” Riley told the Rome News Tribune

As the former two-time All-Star said, there’s plenty of baseball left. With some players returning from injury and some potential new faces, the Braves ‘best foot forward’ has yet to be seen in 2024.

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CJ Errickson

CJ ERRICKSON

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