Atlanta Braves: Top 10 Players Heading into 2022 Postseason

As the Atlanta Braves march toward the postseason we take a look at the top 10 players from the 2022 season.

The Atlanta Braves are on the brink of overcoming the largest deficit (10.5 games) to win a divisional title in franchise history. This turnaround has required contributions from several players. As the Braves prepare for the postseason, we take a look at the top 10 players on the roster over the course of the entire 2022 season and how they have contributed to the success of the 2022 Atlanta Braves.

Keep in mind, this article was written during the weekend of the final series with the Mets. Some of the stats will be off from end-of-season totals.

10. Ronald Acuña, Jr.

.269 avg, 15 HR, 70 R, 49 RBI, 28 SB, 116 OPS+

Easily and always in contention for the top spot when the question is asked, “Who is the Atlanta Braves’ best player?”, you should hear Ronald Acuña Jr.‘s name.

However, lingering effects from his torn right ACL last July have hampered his performance and ability to stay on the field in 2022. Despite his production not being up to typical Acuna levels, they have still been above average.

This season, Acuña has only been able to play in 115 games. He has the lowest OBP (.349) and SLG (.417) of his career. Despite playing in just 115 games, he has been caught stealing more than any other season in his career. In fact, he leads the league with 11 failed stolen base attempts.

His defense has suffered this season, as well. Previously, Acuña had never posted a negative number in Outs Above Average (OAA) in rightfield. This season he’s at -5 OAA.

Prior to this season, Acuña’s career OPS was .925, good for a 138 OPS+. This year he’s seen that dip all the way to down to .766 (113 OPS+). Granted, that’s still 13% better than the league average.

While he hasn’t been the Acuña we’ve all grown accustomed to, he’s still been an excellent player in 2022. He ranks 10th on the team in total fWAR despite missing significant time to rest his repaired right knee.

On the bright side, Acuña’s bat appears to have regained some pop over the past couple of weeks. Since September 16, he has blasted four homers, three doubles, and driven in 10 runs in 10 games started. His slugging percentage is .586 over that time.

Hopefully, the extra time off Snitker gave him over the season has put him in a prime position to be healthy and productive as the Braves prepare for their World Series Title defense.

9. William Contreras

.276 avg, 20 HR, 48 R, 44 RBI, 2 SB, 138 OPS+

A bit of a surprise this season. William Contreras made his season debut in the third game of the year. He went 0-4 and was optioned to Gwinnett. The Braves started the season with Travis d’Arnaud as the primary backstop and veteran Manny Piña was brought in to serve as his backup.

When Piña was placed on the IL with a wrist injury that eventually required season-ending surgery, Contreras took full advantage of the opportunity. William’s bat proved to be so explosive that he routinely found himself in the DH spot when he wasn’t filling in for TDA behind the plate.

Contreras earned an All-Star selection as the National League DH. He and his brother, the Cubs Willson Contreras, became the first brothers to be selected to the same All-Star game since Bret and Aaron Boone did it in 2003. 

His .860 OPS is 38% above league average.

8. Matt Olson

.240 avg, 32 HR, 83 R, 99 RBI, 0  SB, 120 OPS+

It became clear the Atlanta Braves were out of the Freddie Freeman sweepstakes when they announced a trade for Oakland A’s slugger Matt Olson. He came to Atlanta with some big spikes to fill. Nobody thought he’d completely replace Freddie but he certainly offered a better value in terms of the contract.

Alex Anthopoulos quickly worked out a long-term deal with Olson. He is set to be a centerpiece for years to come. Olson is signed through 2029 with an option for 2030, never earning more than $22 million per year.

Olson came to the Braves as a two-time Gold Glove Award winner and a two-time All-Star, through his age-27 season.

This season has been a bit up and down for Matt. Through the first 82 games, he looked like a lock to smash the club record for doubles, held by Marcus Giles with 49. Olson was on pace for 63!

That pace slowed but he still has a stellar 43 doubles this season. Add that to his 32 homers and you see what a reliable power source he has been for the Braves.

His average of .240 leaves a little to be desired but he’s never been a player to consistently hit for a high average. His career slugging percentage of .501 is where his game is.

He gets on base and he crushes the ball.

Olson leads the league in games played with 158.

7. Kyle Wright

21-5, 3.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 180.1 IP, 174 SO

Over parts of his first four seasons, Kyle Wright put up an inauspicious 6.56 ERA over his first 70 innings pitched. He walked an atrocious 6.2 per nine innings. His WHIP was 1.69. It was not a good start for the former first-rounder.

Kyle Wright got off to a blistering start this year. He allowed just three earned runs in his first four starts, winning all of them. In 24 innings he struck out 34 and walked just six. Fantasy managers were scrambling to add him to their rosters while hoping it wasn’t a fluky start.

Among qualified starters, Wright has the second-highest groundball rate in the National League at 55.6%.

Wright came into the 2022 season with a 2-8 career W-L record. Not many people would have picked Kyle Wright to step in and be the lone 20-game winner of the 2022 season. Yet, here he is. Wright is currently atop the league in wins (leading by 4!!) with a few games left to play.

Last night Wright notched his 21st win in perhaps the biggest win of the season as the Braves beat Max Scherzer to take over first place in the division.

6. Travis d’Arnaud

.268 avg, 18 HR, 60 R, 58 RBI, 0 SB, 119 OPS+

Travis d’Arnaud has been such a reliable player since the Rays traded $100k in cash for him prior to the 2019 season. Not only has his bat been a huge weapon for the Braves with a 120 OPS+ but he has grown by leaps and bounds defensively.

d’Arnaud’s two best seasons in defensive runs saved (Rdrs) at Baseball-Reference.com have come in 2021 and 2022. According to Fangraphs “Def” rating, d’Arnaud is second among catchers in the National League with 15.8.

Over at Baseball Savant, d’Arnaud ranks in the 74th percentile in framing. He leads all NL catchers with a .998% fielding percentage. TDA is third in the league with 14 runners caught stealing.

Travis d’Arnaud has been the total package for the Braves this season. You couldn’t ask for a better bat out of a highly proficient defensive catcher. He continues to improve as he ages.

5. Spencer Strider

11-5, 2.67 ERA, 0.995 WHIP,131.2 IP, 202 SO

One of the front-runners for the National League Rookie of the Year, Spencer Strider has had an insane rookie season. Strider reached 200 Ks in just 130 IP, besting Randy Johnson’s rookie mark of 130.2 IP set in 2001. If he had the innings to qualify, Strider would be the clear leader in K/9IP. Carlos Rodon currently leads the NL with 11.983. Strider is sitting on a robust 13.8 K/9IP.

Because he’s only pitched 131.2 IP, Strider currently ranks 5th in the NL in strikeouts. Spencer started the season as a dominant reliever but later found his way into the rotation.

To add to the legendary rookie season, Strider set the Braves franchise record for most strikeouts in a single game with 16. That’s not most in a game for a rookie, it’s most in a 9-inning game for any Brave… ever.  That’s one more than John Smoltz’s record of 15. As a rookie, he accomplished a feat that John Smoltz never reached.

As electric as The Mustache has been, he’s still likely to end up second in Rookie of the Year voting to our next player.

4. Michael Harris II

.301 avg, 19 HR, 75 R, 64 RBI, 20 SB, 138 OPS+

The Braves began the season with a clear deficiency in the outfield. Travis Demeritte gave us a little hope and then fell off a cliff. Michael Harris II was summoned from Double-A straight into the spotlight. He was not intimidated.

Not only has his bat led him to the heart of a stacked lineup as the Braves push for the division, but his defense also has him counted as a Gold Glove candidate. According to Fangraphs “Def” rating, Harris is tops in the National League with a 6.3 rating.

By mid-August, Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves had seen enough to know that Harris II was the long-term solution at centerfield. So much so, they signed him to an eight-year, $72M deal. It was a crazy year for Harris, coming straight from Double-A to an eight-year deal. He really lived up to the nickname, Money Mike.

Editor’s note:  Mikey continued to excel on defense with 2 stellar catches in center against the Mets Saturday night.

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.