Why Atlanta Braves fans should be rooting for the Astros to win the World Series

With two 100-plus teams featured in this year’s World Series, fans are in for quite the treat, especially if their team is participating in the action. However, for those watching from the outside, it may be difficult to pick a side. While there’s an abundance of talent on both sides, it’s clear who Braves fans should root for.

At first glance, Atlanta Braves fans may scoff at the first mention of the Houston Astros. The Astros swept the four-game season series with Atlanta, winning those games by a combined score of 38-13. Sure, facing the Astros was a tough task for the Braves –or anyone, for that matter– this season, but fans should always be able to form an objective opinion of another club.

With a bit of objective reasoning, any logical Braves fan should arrive at the conclusion that he or she is rooting for the Astros in this World Series, and here’s why:

A glimpse of the Braves’ future, maybe?

It’s no secret that the Atlanta Braves are rebuilding, but it’s also no secret that the Astros are coming right off of a rebuild of their own. The ‘stros have used a nifty combination of draft picks, trade acquisitions, international signings, and a couple of free agent signings to propel themselves all the way to the 2017 World Series after three straight 100-loss seasons from 2011-to-2013.

During those seasons, the Astros amassed a great deal of talent in the minor leagues, snagging guys like Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers, and George Springer in the draft and finding any other ways possible to supplement their farm system. The Astros’ farm system was ranked dead last by Baseball America in 2010, but by 2014, they had several of baseball’s top prospects on both sides of the ball.

The case is similar for the Braves. In 2013, Baseball America had Atlanta’s farm system ranked 26th, and now the system is arguably the best in the league. The Braves finished 2017 with a 72-90 record, also similar to the 70-92 mark put up by the 2014 Astros, right as they were beginning to get their eventual World Series roster together.

The Astros finally produced a winning season in 2015 (86-76), the fifth year of their rebuild. The Braves will be entering their fifth rebuilding year in 2018, so should we be expecting similar results? I’d say so, and if Braves fans are hoping for sustained success following this rebuild, they’d better tip their caps to the guys in Houston who did it first.

A bit of nostalgia, as well.

Sure, the Dodgers have Alex Wood, but any feelings of nostalgia were put to rest back in July when the Braves crushed Wood for 9 runs (7 ER), giving him his first loss on the season. What really matters are the three beloved (and one forgotten) ex-Atlanta Braves on the Astros’ World Series roster.

The two most obvious guys are Evan Gattis and Brian McCann. McCann spent nine seasons in Atlanta, while Gattis only two, but fans love both of them equally for their contributions both alone and as a tandem. Honestly, as a Braves fan, how could you ever root against these big, beautiful, bearded brutes?

The lesser-remembered names of Cameron Maybin and Charlie Morton won’t go unrecognized, though. Maybin spent the 2015 season in Atlanta, and was a fan-favorite and solid everyday centerfielder, while Morton got his first taste of MLB action as a rookie with the Braves back in 2008.

Besides…

More from Tomahawk Take

• Notable Atlanta Braves Reunions Since 2003: Pitcher Edition
• Braves News: Braves re-sign Jackson Stephens
• Braves News: Braves prospect rankings, Correa deal with Mets at risk, more
• Why the Atlanta Braves won’t extend Max Fried
• Atlanta Braves 2023 Preseason Top 30 Prospects List: 1-5

As if rooting against former fan-favorites wasn’t bad enough, could you imagine rooting for the Dodgers?! Yes, the very Dodgers that ruined a great 2013 season for the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. The very Dodgers whose fanbase is arguably the worst in the league. The very Dodgers who are just… the Dodgers!!

While Los Angeles has a very talented, young team, it’s still easier to hate the Dodgers than it is for Jim Johnson to blow a save. They’re just not likeable, and any Atlanta Braves fan who says otherwise obviously hasn’t been verbally abused at a game by a Dodgers fan.

Next: Alex Jackson is H-O-T in the AFL

Whether you’re a casual Braves fan, or a true die-hard, you’ve got to be pulling for the Astros in the World Series. Trust me, it’s the right thing to do.