3. Max Fried – 5.0 fWAR
14-7, 2.48 ERA, 1.01 WHIP,185.1 IP, 170 SO
What more can you say about Max Fried? He has the third-best ERA in baseball (2.68) since the beginning of 2020, behind only Julio Urias (2.65) and Corbin Burnes (2.64).
Fried is the established ace for the Braves. He is the guy Snit wants to give the ball to in a big game.
Mad Max has the ninth-best ERA in all of baseball, among qualified starters. His 2.48 ERA is fourth in the National League, barely edged out by Arizona’s Zac Gallen’s 2.46 ERA.
Among qualified starters, Fried has the fourth-highest groundball rate in the National League with 51.2%. He is one of just four pitchers to post a groundball rate over 50%.
The accolades keep coming as Fried had the second lowest walks per nine rate among qualified starters in the NL. Fried walked just 1.55 batters per nine innings pitched. He was only bested by Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola (1.32).
2. Austin Riley
.278 avg, 38 HR, 89 R, 93 RBI, 2 SB, 145 OPS+
It’s hard to believe how far Austin Riley has come since the miserable second half of 2019. He has established himself as a legit MVP Candidate in each of the past two seasons. Since the beginning of 2021, Riley has the second most home runs in the National League with 71. The only NL player with more is the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso with 77.
Riley is not just a power hitter. He routinely makes dazzling plays at third base. He currently ranks 11th in the NL in average. Since the beginning of last season, Riley has a .290 average, good for sixth-best in the National League.
He has become a complete player who produces at a high level across several categories. He is one of the true superstars of this team.