The Braves have clinched their 5th straight postseason. Though the team comes in with less to prove than years before, a few players on the roster have quite a bit riding on their performance in October.
The postseason has always been a time to showcase talent to the world. Unlike the regular season where only a few games are nationally televised, playing in the postseason means all eyes are on you.
This can either be quite advantageous for a player or detrimental to them. The attention can lead to stardom for some, while disappointing play can hurt a player’s reputation or create narratives surrounding the player due to the advanced scrutiny.
Thanks to Alex Anthopoulos, most of the Atlanta Braves‘ roster does not have to worry about their future on the team, which makes it easier to play stress-free in the postseason.
Almost the entirety of the Braves’ young core is signed with the team for the foreseeable future. There still remains a few key players who still have plenty to prove in the postseason ahead of the off-season.
One important thing to consider when looking at the Braves long-term outlook is that they will probably be in the playoffs every year for the next 5 years… or at least they have the talent to do so. This means having good playoff performers becomes far more important for the Braves.
Atlanta’s goal is not just to make the playoffs every year. With the roster they have — and will continue to have — their goal should be to make the NLCS or World Series every year.
Although the Braves are a very young team, having experience from veterans — particularly those with postseason experience — becomes very important. That is all negated if the veteran is not performing in the postseason though.
All three players on this list either are not only veterans with plenty of postseason experience, but are also either free agents after this year or have club options, meaning their futures with the Braves are uncertain.
While the idea of playing for the future of your job while in the postseason may sound like a daunting task, all of these players have displayed plenty of postseason success before.