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Where do the Atlanta Braves rank in terms of WAR?

By Matthew Browning

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 01: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves rounds third base after hitting a three-run homer in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at SunTrust Park on August 01, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 01: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves rounds third base after hitting a three-run homer in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at SunTrust Park on August 01, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 03:
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 03: /

The Starting Lineups

The Atlanta Braves offense has a combined WAR of 18.3, but that number is made up mostly of Ronald Acuna, Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies and Josh Donaldson.  Outside of those four, only Dansby Swanson has a WAR above 1.0.

Not surprisingly, the Houston Astros have the best offense with a WAR of 27.6, but the Dodgers (25.9) and the Twins (25.8) are not far behind.

The depth to Houston’s lineup is remarkable as they have seven regulars with a 2.0 WAR or higher, with Alex Bregman (5.2) and George Springer (4.2) leading the way.

Leading the Dodgers is Cody Bellinger with a 7.3 WAR and Max Muncy with a 4.6 WAR. L.A.’s number is so high mainly due to its depth.

As the Braves saw earlier this week, the Twins lineup is powerful and impressive.

Jorge Polanco leads Minnesota with a WAR of 4.5, but Nelson Cruz (3.5), Max Kepler (3.5) and Byron Buxton (3.0) also have a high WAR.

The only other lineup that is better than the Braves is the Yankees with a WAR of 24.5. What makes the Yankees so impressive is how much health issues they have dealt with.  D.J. LaMahieu leads the Yankees with a 4.6 WAR, while Aaron Judge’s is 3.0.

The Cubs’ lineup is very close to the Braves, as they carry a WAR of 17.9.  But much like the Braves, Chicago’s lineup is very top-heavy.

Javier Baez (4.6) and Kris Bryant (3.6) lead the Cubs, with Anthony Rizzo (2.7) and William Contreras (2.5) supplement those two.

The Indians and the Nationals don’t have the lineup quality like the division leaders, but as you will see in the following slides, they more than make up for it in other areas.

It was surprising to see how far behind the Braves are compared to the other elite offensive teams, because they are in the top five in most offensive categories in the National League.

However it seems the offense has benefited from short spurts of production like Austin Riley last month and currently Adam Duvall.

Next up are the starting rotations and predictably that did not go well for the Braves.

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