How Atlanta Braves stack up against rest of National League
Where do the Braves stand
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I would put the Braves first four in the lineup against any other team’s top four in the National League.
Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman, and Marcell Ozuna have the chance to combine for 18 WAR.
That’s about the same as the 19.1 WAR that those first three and Donaldson combined for in 2019.
The Dodgers top four of Bellinger, Muncy, Turner, and Corey Seager combined for 19.3 WAR last year.
No one else in the NL is coming close to touching the top of those two lineups.
Washington still has the best rotation by far in the NL. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin combined for 17 WAR last year. And Anibal Sanchez chipped in with 2.5 WAR.
Buehler and Kershaw combined for 8.3 WAR last year while Mike Soroka and Max Fried combined for 7 WAR last season.
That’s why I think the Braves and Dodgers starting rotations are much closer at this point.
The Mets, Cubs, and Reds will all have very good pitching staffs in 2020 as well.
I think the Braves will have a top-three offense and a top 6 starting rotation in the NL. And we know they should have at least a top-three bullpen going into the season.
If Arenado does get traded and he goes to an NL team like the Cardinals or Dodgers, then that could really shake things up.
But as things stand now, I think the Braves and Dodgers are the two best teams in the NL on paper going into Spring Training.
For the Braves, a lot will depend on somebody else at the bottom of the lineup stepping up. Whether it’s Dansby Swanson becoming a 3 WAR player or Austin Riley figuring it out and hitting 30 home runs.
They’ll also need another top of the rotation pitcher, and I think that comes via trade at some point during the season.
Robo-ump problems in ST. dark. Next
We’ll look at this again once we get closer to the season, but as things stand right now, the Braves not only look like the favorites in the NL East, but maybe in the NL as well.