Atlanta Braves: Recap of the first half of the 2018 season
The Atlanta Braves seemingly came out of nowhere to find success in the first half of the season.
The first-world struggles of being a baseball fan can be perfectly summed up by taking a look at the 2017 and 2018 seasons of the Atlanta Braves.
With a 6-month schedule, a struggling and oftentimes bad team (2017 Braves) can make a season feel like an absolute lifetime.
A fun, exciting, and winning ballclub (2018 Braves), however, can turn a long season into what feels like a fleeting moment in time.
With the snap of two fingers (I’m looking at you, Thanos), the team that most predicted would finish the season with a .500 record at best, finds itself heading into the unofficial second half of the 2018 slate with a record of 53-42 after Friday night’s win in Washington.
With only 67 games left, and with the non-waivers trade deadline rapidly approaching, this team has been an incredible joy to watch so far in 2018. Between the injection of youth in the lineup, the improved production in the starting lineup, and the surprising contributions of key veterans, the Braves find themselves in the thick of its first pennant race since 2014. That year, they finished the year 21-35 to finish 17 games back.
While the inclusion of four members of the Atlanta Braves on the National League All-Star roster provides a cursory glimpse into the improved state of the team’s roster, the success of 2018 can really be broken down into three distinct segments of the schedule…
Pre-Ronald Acuña Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves headed into 2018 with many clamoring for the inclusion of Ronald Acuña on the opening day roster. Fortunately, general manager Alex Anthopoulos wisely chose to play the long game and started Acuña in AAA Gwinnett for the first half of April.
In short, due to service time rules that are beyond my comprehension, keeping Acuña off of the big league roster for a handful of games in April ensured that the Braves would still have six full years of his services beyond 2018. The rule itself is fairly straightforward, but the reasoning and logic behind it is a discussion for another time and place.
Atlanta started 2018 with newly-acquired Preston Tucker manning left field. Tucker got off to a hot start by batting .435 with an OPS of 1.244, 2 HR, and 9 RBI in the first 7 games. He cooled off considerably after the first week and finished his stint as the starter with an OPS of .754, 3 HR, and 18 RBI. Overall, the team went 12-10 during that span.
After spending 3 years in the NL East cellar, the Braves successfully maneuvered through the first month with Tucker in LF and positioned themselves for a chance to head into the summer months with a chance to compete for the division crown.
Acuña Mania Sweeps Through Atlanta
The 20 year-old phenom made his Major League debut after the Braves dismal showing in the first two games of the four game series in Cincinnati at the end of April. With Acuña serving as the catalyst by batting .382 with 2 HR and 5 RBI in his first 8 games, the Braves reeled a record of 7-1 to vault into first place, where they’ve maintained status through much of the rest of the season to this point.
As the league adjusted to Acuña’s talents, he inevitably cooled off a bit. Regardless, the youthful enthusiasm he added to the top of the order along with best friend Ozzie Albies allowed the Braves to leave Boston on Memorial Day weekend with a record of 18-11 over the past 29 games.
Acuña’s injury in the 3rd game of the series with the Red Sox appeared to be a major blow at the time, and many thought he could potentially be done for the year. Luckily, the knee-injury proved to be less serious than it looked in real time. While he ultimately recovered after being on the disable list for a full month, the injury coincided with the team’s momentum coming to a screeching halt.
The Dog Days of Summer
The struggle for any young team playing well is being able to circumvent the doldrums of the long summer months. The Atlanta Braves were no exception. The difference between a winning and losing team can typically be found in how a ballclub is able to weather the storm during these times.
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With Charlie Culberson taking over the majority of the left field at bats during Acuña’s absence, the Braves limped into the All-Star break with a record of 22-21 following the injury in Boston.
The results could have been much worse, but Atlanta was able to ride strong starting pitching (for the most part) and clutch play from the likes of Nick Markakis, Charlie Culberson, and Johan Camargo and managed to tread water in the division.
With the Washington Nationals struggling mightily, the Braves were able to increase their lead over their primary division rival, but the resurgence of the Phillies over the last month led to the Braves losing their hold on first place. Heading into the All-Star break, the Braves were a mere 0.5 games behind the leading Phillies.
Fresh Start in the Second Half
Coming out of the All-Star break, and with their lineup mostly intact, the Braves look to regain the momentum that they carried into Memorial Day. With a new look lineup consisting of Acuña in the leadoff spot with All-Stars Albies, Freeman, and Markakis following, the Braves got off to a blistering start against the Nationals on Friday night with an 8-5 win. Acuña’s 3-hit, 1 HR, 2 SB performance provided Braves fans a glimpse of what they can hope to expect heading into the last 2 months of the season.
Assuming the outlook on Albies’ injury remains optimistic, and if Alex Anthopoulos can manage to add depth to the rotation or bullpen before the trade deadline, the Braves should remain in the pennant race for the duration of the season. I don’t look for Anthopoulos to make any blockbuster deals over the next week, but several holes need to be filled if the Braves are serious about making a run this year.
Next: Acuna and Soto make history
We’ll take a look at potential moves the Atlanta Braves can make later in the week. For now, however, we’ll look (and hope) for the Braves to build on their performance Friday night as they go full-steam ahead into the second half.