The Atlanta Braves have reached the playoffs seven seasons in a row, while Alex Anthopoulos has locked up a strong core that usually makes the everyday lineup an afterthought.
Despite the relative stability, each season sees core players go down to injuries, which leaves Brian Snitker and the staff scrambling to cobble together an emergency lineup while the front office finds a capable replacement.
Recently, Twitter user Leslie Mines reminded Braves fans of this recently when he posted a screenshot from a September 2019 game where Max Fried would have been an appropriate six-hole hitter.
Believe it or not, the Braves have had weirder lineups. Let's look at their weirdest lineup by season since 2018.
— Leslie Mines (@LeslieMinesIII) January 27, 2025
The strangest Braves lineups for every season from 2018-2024
2018
2018 was a strange season for the Braves. They still had members from the rebuild, like Nick Markakis, Ender Inciarte, and of course Freddie Freeman, but it was also the first full season with Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuña Jr.'s rookie year, and the first season where Dansby Swanson really came into his own.
However, on June 17, with Ronald Acuña Jr. out with an injury and Ozzie Albies taking a day off, the Braves put out this unusual lineup.
Going for a series win today at 1:35 ET! #ChopOn
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 17, 2018
Game Preview: https://t.co/zP46vcgMzX pic.twitter.com/Vqdyj6stix
While there were still several regulars in the lineup, this was strange for numerous reasons. First of all, Johan Camargo only played second base three times in 2018, starting only two games. Additionally, Dansby Swanson only lead off once all season.
Surprisingly, Charlie Culberson did hit second six other times in 2018, but the combination of him hitting second and playing left field was unique to this game.
It's arguable that the lineup on September 23 was even stranger, but that game came the day after the Braves clinched the division while several lineup regulars were trying to recover from the celebration from the day before.