The Atlanta Braves have five players who are finalists for the 2020 All-MLB team, which will be announced on Wednesday, December 9 on MLB Network.
We finally get the release of the 2020 All-MLB team this week and the Atlanta Braves are primed to have several representatives with five becoming finalists.
I’ll be honest and tell you I thought this team was announced a while back when all the other big awards were being announced.
But I guess this is MLB’s way of trying to drag things out and stay in the spotlight throughout the offseason.
I don’t remember them doing a group of finalists last year, and I’m really not sure what the point is because voting has ended so nothing can change. Again, this is just a marketing ploy, but I digress.
If you remember, the Braves had six players who were on the All-MLB team ballot for 2020.
Only Dansby Swanson didn’t make it through to the group of finalists.
Freddie Freeman, who we already know is our 2020 NL MVP, obviously is a finalist at first-base and should get the first-team nod.
And just so everyone knows, there is a first and second-team for the All-MLB squad. And with just three finalists at each position (nine in the outfield where six will be either first or second-team) the Braves position players have a good shot at being a first or second-teamer.
Travis d’Arnaud, who had a monster first season in Atlanta is a finalist at catcher along with Salvador Perez and J.T. Realmuto.
TDA won the Silver Slugger over Realmuto in the NL, so you’d think he’d have the leg up on him. But you also have to keep in mind that 50 percent of this vote comes from the fans and the other 50 percent from the writers, so you never know.
If it were me, I’d give Salvy the first-team nod and TDA second-team.
Ronald Acuna Jr. is among nine outfield finalists that also includes Mookie Betts, Michael Conforto, Bryce Harper, Eloy Jimenez, Juan Soto, George Springer, Mike Trout, and Mike Yastzemski.
I honestly didn’t think Acuna had a great regular season — mostly because he was injured — but he posted the highest OPS+ of his short career at 155.
Betts, Soto, and Trout would probably be my group of first-teamers, but I think Acuna has a great chance of being on that second team.
If Marcell Ozuna isn’t the first-team DH then we should burn it all down. The guy nearly had the NL Triple Crown and probably would have been an MVP finalist had he not been overshadowed by Freeman.
And finally, Max Fried is a finalist among the group of 12 starting pitchers. And with five making the first-team and another five making the second-team, I’d say he has a good chance of making the second-team.
Had he not gotten hurt, I think he would have been a legit contender for the NL Cy Young. He pretty much carried the Braves’ rotation all year and was the lone reliable starter throughout most of the regular season after Mike Soroka went down.
Again, these teams will be announced this Wednesday. I’m predicting Freeman and Ozuna will be first-teamers at their position, while the rest will all be second-teamers.