We are 10 games into the 2025season and the Atlanta Braves offense is still looking to find their stride. The boom-or-bust strategy has largely been bust, as they ranked 25th in home runs coming into Thursday game. Unsurprisingly, this has the Braves looking for other ways to manufacture runs.
Unfortunately, it might mean a misguided move towards playing more small ball. After Wednesday's loss to the Phillies, Brian Snitker stated that bunting and small ball will be incorporated more into the team's offensive approach.
However, with the Braves struggles so far this season, this might be a disastrous approach.
Why the Braves should stay away from small ball
With the bases empty this season the Braves haven't been great, but they haven't been awful either. Their .302 OBP ranks solidly in 16th this season. This would suggest that the Braves would also be middle of the pack in runs scored, but that is simply not the case.
Even with the 10-run explosion in their first game against the Marlins, the Braves have scored the second-fewest runs in baseball, tied with the Chicago White Sox, who are already looking like a similarly skilled team to the 2024 White Sox that lost 121 games.
The Braves issues aren't with getting on base, but rather hitting when runners are on. The club has the seventh-worst OBP with runners in scoring position. They also have the fourth-worst slugging and average.
Atlanta has not resorted to small ball since the universal DH came into effect. Their seven sacrifice bunts is by few the lowest in the majors, with the second-place Dodgers laying down six more sac bunts than the Braves.
The issue with small ball for the Braves, even ignoring that it actually lowers run expectancy, is that it plays right into their struggles. The Braves biggest issues are hitting with runners in scoring position. Bunting over a runner from first to second is just going to give the opponent a free out and put the Braves in the same position they have failed to hit in all season.
In the early innings of Thursday's game, the Braves tried to bunt over a runner who was already in scoring position and it went rather terribly.
With the way the Braves are hitting now with runners in scoring position, resorting to small ball is just going to make scoring runs harder for this team. If boom or bust strategy that has led to the Braves to the playoffs is truly no longer a viable solution, the team would still likely be better taking their chances trying to put the ball in play rather than go for the bunt.
Or maybe they just need a torpedo bat.