Today’s an off day for the Braves. After Sunday’s 4-0 victory at the Cincinnati Reds, the Braves are 37-40 through 77 games. By July 1, most teams know what type of team they are that year, and the Braves so far are just an average team overall. Things could change after the mid summer classic, but as things stand right now the Braves are just average. They have not reached above .500 all season, they have been at .500 a few times throughout the season so far, but that’s it. In every game that the Braves won to get to .500, they have lost the following game to drop below the equal wins and losses mark.
The one positive for the Braves have had this year so far is starting right fielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. He has been as steady as they come. Just look at these statistics where he leads the team in all these categories as of Monday, June 28.
Batting Average: .282 1st
Runs: 61 1st
Home Runs: 21 1st
Runs Batted In: 47 1st
Stolen Bases: 16 1st
So where would the Braves be if Acuna wasn’t in the lineup, in last place is where they would be?Currently they are in 3rd place in the NL East standing. NY Mets are first at 40-33, Washington Nationals are second at 37-38, and the Braves are third at 37-40.
If you are a Braves fan you can thank him because the closest anyone is hitting to him is 3B Austin Riley at .275. Other than Acuna and Riley, there are only three other position players that have enough at-bats that are hitting above .250. First baseman Freddie Freeman .254, 2B Ozzie Albies .253, and CF Guillermo Heredia at .270
If the Braves want to win the NL East for the fourth straight year, the bats need to heat up down the stretch for the remaining of the season.
Header Photo Courtesy of Getty Images
Follow me on Twitter @makirkley for up-to-date tweets, and my views on what’s going on in the world of sports.
Kirkley's Sports Korner 