Fans are already tired of three Braves players for the 2024 season.
If the adage “April showers bring May flowers” holds true, the Atlanta Braves must not have received much rain. After ending the first month of the season 19-9, the Braves are 8-9 in May. This difficult month has pushed them six games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East, who have thus far been unbeatable.
Fans have gotten accustomed to winning as a result of the Braves’ dominant run since 2018, which has included six consecutive division victories. That’s what makes their recent losing streak of five out of six so disheartening. Sure, slumps are common in baseball, but this is about more than that.
Since the beginning of the season, the Braves have suffered numerous injuries, including the loss of catcher Sean Murphy to an oblique injury. Then came right-hander Spencer Strider’s season-ending elbow injury. Throw in short periods on the injured list for shortstop Ozzie Albies and now third baseman Austin Riley, and it’s no surprise the Braves haven’t been winning like they used to.
No doubt, the injuries to some of their great players have had a negative impact, particularly on the offense. However, because to the talented team they’ve developed in recent years, they’ve been able to overcome these hurdles. However, this has not been the case with the remaining players in the team.
Braves fans have to be fed up with Ronald Acuna Jr.
I’m not sure any Braves fan wants to admit it, but they’re probably fed up with Ronald Acuna Jr. at this stage in the season. The reigning National League MVP from last year has looked anything but that in 44 games this season.
Acuna is hitting just.247/.355/.351 with an OPS of.705. His batting average has dropped by over 100 points from the previous season. He presently has a WAR of 0.3, down from his career high of 8.2 last year. Perhaps most surprisingly, he has only three home runs.
Acuna’s ability to reduce strikeouts and work counts contributed to his dominance last season. From 2022 to 2023, he cut his strikeout rate from 23.6% to 11.4%. This year, it has increased to 24.1 percent, with 49 strikeouts already.
To make matters worse, Acuna’s efforts on the base paths have been inadequate. So far this season, he has 15 stolen bases, three fewer than last year at this point. He was picked off three times at first base during the course of two games. He is the first Braves player to be picked off in consecutive games since Quilvio Veras in 2001, and the first to be picked off three times in two games since the White Sox’s Scott Podsednik in 2005, according to The Athletic’s David O’Brien.
He is also the only past MVP winner to be picked off twice in the same game since Joe Morgan in 1977.
Acuna isn’t the only one battling. Matt Olson hasn’t looked like himself, and Riley had yet to find his stride while playing. But, given everything Acuna is and means to the Braves, especially after an MVP season, he must be the impetus for Atlanta’s concerns and frustrations at this point.
There is not a single Braves fan who would trade Acuna or remove him from the leadoff spot. However, if the Braves are to reclaim their seventh division crown, he must resume hitting.
The Braves’ left fielders: Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall
Marcell Ozuna has never come up with an unexpected solution. The Big Bear is clearly in his greatest position now that the DH plays in both leagues. Atlanta has long struggled with the corner outfield spot in left.
The position has become a revolving door for the Braves. Since 2021, Atlanta has had 16 players occupy the position, with Eddie Rosario, who is now with the Washington Nationals, having played the most games (212). When Alex Anthopoulos dealt for Jarred Kelenic from the Seattle Mariners over the offseason, he hoped to have found an answer. However, even before the regular season began, Anthopoulos brought back a familiar figure, 35-year-old Adam Duvall, to platoon alongside Kelenic.
Kelenic has been excellent defensively for the Braves, with an 89 percent success rate and ranked 17th in the league for left fielders with outs over average, according to Baseball Savant. His and Duvall’s offense have been mediocre.
The two have a combined.225 batting average, four home runs, 15 RBIs, and 40 hits in 192 plate appearances. While it’s unrealistic to expect bottom-of-the-lineup players who platoon with one another to put up big statistics, it’s safe to say the Braves were expecting for more, particularly from Kelenic.
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