It’s been an interesting 20 games thus far for the Atlanta Braves.
From the excitement of looking like one of the best teams in baseball, to the heartbreak of seeing key players go down with injuries, it’s been a tumultuous road for the Atlanta Braves so far.
One-third of the way through the season – boy, does it feel weird to say that – there are some definite strengths and areas of concern for the defending National League East champions.
Twenty games has provided a robust-enough sample size for us to accurately gauge how this Braves team matches up against the rest of baseball in the most important categories.
Entering Thursday’s off-day, the Atlanta Braves sit at a 11-9 record – just a smidge over .500, and very indicative of the topsy-turvy feel of the season to this point.
And yet, despite the early troubles, the Braves are one of just five teams in the National League to reach the double-digit win plateau.
The team’s run differential of +16 is also very good, fourth-best in the National League.
But how much of that success can be attributed to the team’s initial hot start – winning 7 out of their first 10, with a team that still had healthy versions of Mike Soroka and Ronald Acuna, Jr?
The narrative has changed significantly of late, so before we dive into the metrics to see where the Atlanta Braves rank in MLB team stats, let’s have that grain of salt in mind.
What the numbers tell us now might not be a clear indicator for how things will unfold over the season’s final 40 games.
Here’s a look at what we do know, so far.