Optimism of Baseball Season: The Braves are still a better team and it’s totally fine to get excited about it, here are plenty of reasons to be excited about the Braves heading into 2024…..
Do I remember how the past two seasons ended? Yep! Is that stopping me from getting hyped? Nope!
Folks, we’re here once again. It’s Opening Day (for real, this time) and I’m glad to report that on a personal level, both time and wisdom have yet to jade me when it comes to the optimism of baseball season getting underway. I felt the same when I was a kid, I felt the same through adolescence and things have remained the same as I continue to get older. Everybody’s 0-0, everybody’s got a fighting chance but we all know that the Atlanta Braves are going 162-0 and that’s the end of that.
In all seriousness, there’s still plenty of reason to be excited about the Braves heading into 2024. I know that a lot of y’all reading this are smart and you come to this website in particular for smart analysis so I’ll try to give you some of that smart analysis in a quick burst: Braves good. Braves really good. Braves “possibly walk to 100 wins” good. Braves “still favored over a team that spent $1 billion in the offseason” good. Braves that good.
I know that the wounds of the past two Postseason eliminations are still fresh in everybody’s mind. I know that because it’s still fresh in my mind — last year was especially embarrassing because of how it felt like the Philadelphia Phillies really punked the Braves, if we’re being honest. It’s frustrating because it’s difficult to think about how successful the past two regular seasons without thinking about how they both eventually ended in near-identically frustrating circumstances.
Still, it’s good to remember that this version of the Atlanta Braves figures to be very, very good — again. This is a team that won the World Series in 2021, 101 games in 2022 and then another 104 in 2023. They’ve done this with five infielders who all come together like five fingers curled in a fist to wreck any pitching staff out there. They’ve done this with a center fielder who is as dynamic and exciting as any player to roam that area since the days of Andruw Jones and they’re doing it with a dominant right fielder who has made it publicly known that he’s not satisfied with simply being MVP or anything else related to individual accolades. They’ve done this with an Opening Day starter who has basically sent shockwaves across the sport because he can throw a curveball now. These dudes are really good.
Assuming everybody on this team stays healthy enough, this figures to be another fun and exciting season ahead of us. It would be understandable if this lineup took a step back from the otherworldly showcase that they put on for an entire season but at the same time, would it really be shocking if Ronald Acuña Jr. had another 40/40 season? Would it really be all that surprising if Matt Olson continued to hit baseballs over fences at an alarming rate?
Would continued excellence from Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies and, Sean Murphy and Michael Harris II really be that much of a surprise? I suppose it would be asking a lot of Orlando Arcia and Marcell Ozuna to deliver an encore of what they brought to the table in 2023 but that happens and if Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall can properly fill the hole in left field then we’ve really got a stew going. Either way, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see this lineup keep right on mashing like they did last season.
Likewise, it really wouldn’t be all that surprising if Spencer Strider continued to blossom into being one of the game’s dominant starters. Max Fried has been especially effective while healthy so there aren’t really too many concerns about his production on the mound. Charlie Morton has defied Father Time for this long, so why should he stop now? Chris Sale had a decent enough season but it’s clear that he’s got a chip on his shoulder to prove that he can stay healthy and get it done on the mound once again. Reynaldo López should benefit simply from being in a competent and steady organization with low expectations when it comes to carrying this rotation. I don’t know about y’all but I’ve got pretty lofty hopes for this rotation this season.
The same goes for the bullpen as well. Raisel Iglesias has mostly been lights out since the Angels let him come here, A.J. Minter is A.J. Minter, Joe Jiménez, Pierce Johnson and Aaron Bummer should all help make sure that facing the Braves while trailing is a baseball death sentence for most teams and having Tyler Matzek back and healthy should be a big bonus as well. On top of all that, The Benadryl Hat Man himself is back in the fray — Jesse Chavez is back, so you know there’s no possible way things can go awry when he’s around.
Then there’s the manager. Once again, Brian Snitker isn’t going to win over many new hearts and minds when it comes to his in-game strategy or lineup construction. It is what it is at this point — just like the fact that he’s very likely the best man-manager in baseball at the moment. The next time we hear about any type of clubhouse strife within the team will be the first time. The man runs a steady ship and if things aren’t going according to plan in the early stages of the season, don’t worry — they will be playing at Arizona right before the All-Star break and for some reason that’s been the spot where the team has suddenly gotten right over the past couple of seasons. For real though, the Braves have themselves a fine manager and he’s well-equipped to handle the task ahead.
I’m saying all of this to kind of repeat the message that I’ve tried to relay to our readers every season since it became clear that the Braves were now a serious force in baseball. Just enjoy the ride, y’all. There’s going to be hiccups and there will be stretches where this team might play some raggedy-looking baseball but it’s also plain to see that there are also going to be longer and more frequent periods where this team looks a juggernaut. It’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be fun and it’s going to be good.
Also, remember how I said that the past two Postseason eliminations are still fresh in everybody’s mind? I think it’s safe to say that it’s even fresher in the minds of the players who experienced that pain. This is a great team that’s also going to have a chip on its shoulder to try to finally set the record straight with regards to who is the best team. The Atlanta Braves have played some outstanding baseball over the past two seasons but it’s also time for another deep Postseason run — and they know it, too. This team’s mentality has served them well and I’ve still got faith that they’re going to figure this thing out. There’s too much talent here for it to flame out in embarrassing fashion once again.
That last sentence might come back to haunt me but I’d also love it if it ended up being clairvoyant in the end. The main thing I’m trying to say here is that if you’re nervous about the ride coming to an abrupt end in October, that’s understandable. We are Braves fans, after all — we saw this happen back in the ’90s. However, it’s also understandable to still get excited and amped up for this team going forward. Baseball is back, the Braves are good and this season is going to be another good one, y’all.
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