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Atlanta Braves: 3 Things That Need to Happen to Win 2020 World Series

By Jake Mastroianni

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 25: The 1989 World Series trophy is displayed on the field during a pregame ceremony honoring the Oakland Athletics 1989 World Series Championship team prior to the game between the Athletics and the San Francisco Giants at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 25, 2019 in Oakland, California. The Giants defeated the Athletics 5-4. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 25: The 1989 World Series trophy is displayed on the field during a pregame ceremony honoring the Oakland Athletics 1989 World Series Championship team prior to the game between the Athletics and the San Francisco Giants at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 25, 2019 in Oakland, California. The Giants defeated the Athletics 5-4. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) /
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Max Fried #54 of the Atlanta Braves. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Max Fried #54 of the Atlanta Braves. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

The first thing that needs to happen in order for the Atlanta Braves to win a World Series in 2020 is they need two starting pitchers to step up.

We already feel very confident in Mike Soroka at the top of the rotation, but I feel the main thing that is holding the Braves back from being considered one of the best teams in baseball is the rest of the starting rotation.

Essentially everyone behind Soroka is a question mark going into 2020.

I just wrote the other day that I think Max Fried has the ability to win the NL Cy Young in 2020. Certainly, he’s the most likely candidate to take that next step forward and assert himself as a dominant number two behind Soroka if not the ace of the staff himself.

We’ve already seen what Mike Foltynewicz is capable of doing, we just need to see him repeat it. If we get the second-half Mike of 2019 and the 2018 Mike then there’s a top three that can go up against any starting rotation in baseball.

That’s the most likely scenario for the Braves to have a dominant starting rotation in 2020.

But I wouldn’t count out Sean Newcomb — who has had his own run of success at the big league level — and Kyle Wright.

The optimist in me believes that all four of those guys are capable of breaking out and showing they are top of the rotation pitchers.

Now, it might not happen for all of them in 2020, but in order for the Braves to win a World Series, they just need two of them to step up and join Soroka atop the rotation.

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