The back-to-back NL East champs Atlanta Braves are back at it again. This time with a revamped youth movement and much-improved pitching staff.
The Atlanta Braves have returned to their winning ways as NL East champs the past two seasons. Gone are the days of Bobby Cox where this franchise won 11-straight division titles, but in are the days of Brian Snitker at the helm that could wind up continuing this team’s dominance in the NL East for years to come.
The Braves are at the top of their division and come 2020, you’re going to have to knock them off if you want their spot. Many teams have gotten better in the National League, particularly the NL East, but make no mistake about it, the Braves are still the team to beat in the East.
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The question will be if they can finally break through and win a playoff series for the first time since 2001. This might be the team and the season to do it.
Last year was very close for the Braves as they ran up against a Cardinals team that they had in their grasps multiple times until bad luck broke their way and the Cards wound up taking the NLDS in five games (on the back of that crazy first inning in Game Five).
But as we go into 2020, we have a Braves team with one of the best managers in baseball leading the way, revenge on their minds to get that playoff series back, and a shortened season that could allow them to peak at the right time and do some playoff damage. On top of that, they have one of the most underrated young rosters in all of baseball and two MVP candidates headlining their lineup.
Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr. were both brilliant last year and I expect nothing less out of them in 2020. Freeman was a sneaky MVP candidate in 2019 going for a .295 batting average, .389 OBP, .549 SLG, and .938 OPS with 38 home runs and 121 RBIs- arguably the best season of his career.
Acuna showed his power to all fields in the Home Run Derby as well as going for 41 homers, 101 RBIs, and 37 bags in the regular season. Both of these guys are on a trajectory to once again compete for the MVP this season.