The Atlanta Braves are high on everyone’s list of baseball’s best teams in 2023. If you want to know why, check our ESPN annual list of baseball’s top 100 players published last Thursday.
ESPN creates a top-100 list every March. Alden Gonzalez, Dave Schoenfield, Joon Lee, Jesse Rogers, and Brad Doolittle put the list together for ESPN this year. I disagreed with a few of the rankings, but overall, it looks fair and unbiased, and that’s all anyone can ask.
The Atlanta Braves are the only National League team with eight players on the list, joined by the Astros and Blue Jays in the junior circuit. The AL has 53 players on ESPN’s list and the NL 47.
National League | # of Players | American League | # of Players |
|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta | 8 | Houston | 8 |
New York Mets | 7 | Toronto | 8 |
Philadelphia | 6 | Cleveland | 6 |
San Diego | 6 | Chicago White Sox | 5 |
Los Angeles Dodgers | 5 | Seattle | 5 |
Miami | 3 | New York Yankees | 4 |
Milwaukee | 3 | Tampa | 4 |
St Louis | 3 | Baltimore | 3 |
Arizona | 2 | Minnesota | 3 |
Pittsburgh | 2 | Texas | 3 |
Chicago Cubs | 1 | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 2 |
San Francisco | 1 | Boston | 1 |
Cincinnati | 0 | Kansas City | 1 |
Colorado | 0 | Detroit | 0 |
Washington | 0 | Oakland | 0 |
The Braves projected everyday lineup includes six players on the list, literally leading off among that group is Ronald Acuña Jr. I’m showing the list in expected batting order sequence rather than rankings, which may sound odd, but the logic should become clear as you read on.
Ronald Acuña Jr – 14
Acuña’s magnificent performance in 2019 set a high bar, but the Atlanta Braves right fielder was on his way to surpassing it when he tore his ACL in 2021. After a restrained 2022 campaign, what can we expect this year?
". . . we're betting on him finding that power stroke again and returning as one of the sport's elite all-around talents . . . I'd love to be bold here and say 40-40 . . . but let's go with a 30-30 season and his third All-Star Game start. "Schoenfield
With Ozzie back to remind him the game’s fun, but more fun when you’re willing. I believe he’ll be closer to 40-40 than 30-30 and could pass those marks as well.