In the season of thanks, plenty of things exist for Atlanta Braves country to be thankful for. Some are obvious, while others force you into deep reflection on how great things are in Atlanta compared to other less fortunate fanbases. Let's take a look at what exactly Braves fans are most thankful for heading into the 2026 season.
4 things Braves fans are thankful for (or at least they should be)
Getting to watch Ronald Acuña Jr. play baseball
Captain obvious, but watching Ronald Acuña Jr. play baseball is fun. However, the privilege of watching him play wasn't always a given for Braves fans. After multiple major knee surgeries, getting to watch Ronald Acuña Jr. simply take the field in 2025 was a blessing. Additionally, watching him obliterate baseballs (92.7 mph average exit velocity for RAJ in 2025) is something we all are thankful for, and certainly will not take for granted.
Always finding production from breakout prospects
The consensus around Atlanta's farm system is that the organization has a bottom-third system in baseball. Yet, the Braves continue to churn out productive rookies each season. Drake Baldwin is just the latest example, as Spencer Schwellenbach, Michael Harris II, and Spencer Strider all made massive impacts during their respective rookie campaigns.
For 2026, JR Ritchie, Jhancarlos Lara, and Didier Fuentes all could be names to watch as ascending prospects. However, Atlanta excels at getting production from some of the less recognized prospects so don't rule out another NL Rookie of the Year run from an unexpected source in 2026.
Matt Olson's durability
Few things are certain in life, but Matt Olson suiting up and playing first base remains one of the few constants. Olson once again played in all 162 games last season, pushing his consecutive games streak to 782 - good enough for the 12th longest streak in baseball history.
Penciling Olson into the lineup everyday is a luxury, but getting top of the league first base production is the type of stuff you dream of. Olson was the most valuable first baseman in baseball according to Fangraphs WAR, and Braves fans should be very thankful for that.
Chris Sale's dominant slider
There is no doubt that the 2025 season was tough for Atlanta, but missing a couple months worth of Chris Sale starts was hard to swallow. Sale was his usual dominant self when he was on the mound, despite a bit of a rocky start. Sale's wipeout slider was once again his bread and butter in 2025, and finished as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.
Sale threw his slider a career high 47% of the time last season, and it finished with a run value of +23, the highest in MLB. Sale's slider finished with a 39.8% whiff rate, and limited opposing hitters to a .218 slugging percentage. The dominance of this pitch should give Braves fans every reason to believe Sale will continue to be effective in 2026.
2 things Braves fans are definitely not thankful for (or it would be weird if they were)
Another year of uncertainty at shortstop
After acquiring Mauricio Dubon from Houston, the Braves' plan at shortstop doesn't feel very promising once again. Atlanta still has the opportunity to add Ha-Seong Kim or another upgrade to play shortstop, but early indications signal Anthopoulos will look to add talent elsewhere on the roster.
If that ends up being the case the Braves will essentially be once again waiving the white flag at shortstop. For a team that is hopeful to be in contention, punting at shortstop is a tough sell for the fanbase.
Lack of pitching depth (so far)
If 2025 taught us anything it's that you can never have ENOUGH pitching depth. The Braves rotation was tested early and often last season, and by August the team simply didn't have enough quality arms to compete. For that reason, fans are hopeful the team can add quality arms this winter.
However, all the team has done early on is cut ties with a couple of effective relievers from last season. Because the team needs depth in both the rotation and bullpen, the feeling around the offseason is very guarded optimism. Hopefully, Anthopoulos can soon make a splash and upgrade the pitching depth for the 2026 season.