Atlanta Braves dominate ESPN's Top 100 list for 2024
When almost all of your position players rank in the Top 100 - you probably have a good team.
The baseball experts over at ESPN announced their annual Top 100 list which features players they perceive as the best of the best across all of Major League Baseball. If you're a Braves fan you're going to be very happy about this list.
We ranked the Top 100 players in baseball.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 11, 2024
If you like where someone is ranked, you're welcome.
If you don't, it wasn't me.https://t.co/WNFdXfEyZV
#1 Ronald Acuña Jr.
Topping the list was none other than the Braves star right fielder, Ronald Acuña Jr. Fresh off of winning the NL MVP after registering an absurd 40-70 season, the first of its kind, all eyes are on Ronald and what he could do in 2024. It is safe to say even analysts are excited to see what this man is truly capable of.
In 2023, Ronald was entering his age 25 season, with all eyes on him as he returned from a disappointing campaign in 2022 which saw him play a bit more cautiously due to the knee still recovering. All he did was slash .337/.416/.596, hit 41 home runs, steal 73 bases, and register a 170 wRC+ while watching his strikeout rate plummet from 23.6% to 11.4%. Ronald stopped swinging at balls and striking out while leading a plethora of leaderboards in expected hitting metrics.
While Ronald has missed a good chunk of Spring Training, following a very busy off-season, the eyes of baseball fans everywhere in the world are locked on him to see what's next. ESPN references the first potential 50-50 season in MLB history and with even more rules to help emphasize running (fielders can't block the bases with their body) this seems inevitable. This depends on his health, of course. I speak for baseball fans everywhere when I say - I can't wait to see what Ronald does this year, now two full years removed from his ACL surgery.
#12 Matt Olson
Matt Olson is entering his age 29 season and is listed as the 12th-best player. Olson just completed a remarkable 2023 campaign which saw him hit .283/.389/.604 fueled by 54 homers and a 160 wRC+, the highest marks of his career. Matt has typically had an up-and-down career, meaning he's been great one year and has an off year the next.
There's reason to believe this may not be the case during the upcoming 2024 season because his advanced metrics and stats from 2023 show a player continuing to evolve. Will he reclaim the magic that he had in 2023? That remains to be seen - but there's absolutely no doubt Matt deserves to be on this list, now entering his third full season with the Braves. With this potent lineup, we may be in for a magical 2024.
#15 Spencer Strider
A lot has happened since Spencer was a hurt pitcher out of Clemson selected in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB draft. All he has done is morph himself into one of the best pitchers in baseball thanks to one of the best fastballs and a dynamite slider combination. Due to his extension, and tunneling, hitters have all types of fits reading his pitches and when you combine that with truly special stuff you get a player with a 13.55 K/9 rate, a 3.09 ERA, and a 2.85 FIP.
Spencer entered Spring toying around with his pitch types and as a result, he's begun to incorporate a rather good curveball to further upset hitters around the league. If Strider is truly able to get a firm grasp of the curve, while also flashing his changeup when needed, you are looking at a perennial 300 strikeouts and constant Cy Young hopeful. At just 25, the upside for Spencer remains to be seen. What is known, is that he will be a true staple in the rotation for however long the Braves can afford to keep him.
9 K in 5 innings yesterday for Spencer Strider! 💨
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 12, 2024
"Cy Young is in his future, I really believe that." - @TheMayorsOffice pic.twitter.com/UpV8BiwBM8
#29 Austin Riley
What else is there to say about a two-way player out of DeSoto Central High School in Mississippi that hasn't been said already? Back in 2015, there were plenty of teams that were interested in Austin because of his arm and what he could have done on the mound but ever since the day they drafted him - the Braves say Austin is a true third baseman but I doubt even they imagined what the young man would turn into. He's got the full potential to win a National League MVP at some point.
Fast forward to 2024 and Austin has had three straight 4.5+ fWAR seasons, with the last two worth a combined 10.8 fWAR. He matched almost every number from his fantastic 2022 campaign where he was worth 5.6 fWAR. He has shown he consistently walks around 8% of the time while striking out right around 24% of the time and the rest of the time? He's hitting the ball and hitting it hard. Austin hit .281/.345/.516 last year which was good enough for a 127 wRC+ and 5.2 fWAR. I think he will be the first to say he can do even better than that including an uptick in his power numbers. Whatever he does, expect greatness out of Austin heading into 2024.
#31 Max Fried
The main piece of the Justin Upton trade, Max Fried has lived up to all the predictions and expectations on him as a talented LHP out of Harvard-Westlake High School. While he has struggled with injuries throughout his career (dang you blisters!) nobody can dispute his gift on the mound when healthy. Last year Max only pitched 77 innings - a number you know angers him. Despite just 77 innings, Max was still incredibly effective with a 2.55 ERA, 9.27 K/9, and a 2.09 BB/9 rate. Fully healthy, and a pending free agent, who knows just what 2024 has in store for Max. An ace by every definition, the 30-year-old is primed for a massive year leading to an extremely lucrative contract.
#36 Ozzie Albies
Another incredibly enigmatic off-season for writers that have written about Ozzie Albies. We have seen him not make top 10 second baseman lists despite being considered a top 100 player by the same company. Now we see him slotted as the #36 rated player in all of baseball according to ESPN.
No one knows how to properly rate the second baseman, who looks to be on a potential Hall of Fame trajectory because he's often compared to a lot of his teammates. When you don't compare him to the likes of Ronald or Austin, you get a 27-year-old second baseman on an incredibly affordable contract who has put together a slash line of .280/.336/.513 in 2023 which was good for a 4.0 fWAR season, and 124 wRC+.
At 27, he's likely entered or about to enter the prime of his career, so there is a legitimate belief that he can continue to build off these numbers. Funnily enough, when he was Atlanta's top prospect, he was considered a plus hitter with good speed who would hit it into the gap and run the bases well. Albies has since morphed the way he plays entirely and has become a true power-hitting second baseman who is intimidating to face at the plate. Should he stay fully healthy - we may see the best of Ozzie Albies in 2024.
#53 Michael Harris II
Georgia's very own Michael Harris II made the list at #53 despite a horrific start to the season last year, slowed by a bad back. Despite that slow start, Michael went on to hit .293/.331/.477 for a 115 wRC+, and 4.0 fWAR. In his first two seasons in the big leagues, the Georgia native has a combined 8.9 fWAR in his age 21 and 22 seasons which is incredible. When you hear Michael talk you hear a guy who is the first to say that his back was all types of hurting at the start of the 2023 season and he learned a lot about what it's like to be a Major Leaguer.
Now fully healthy, Michael is looking to build off the end of last season and put it all together, achieving what I believe could be a season that dictates MVP votes. He will play this full season at just 23 years of age and who knows what his true potential is? A fully healthy Michael Harris II is an absolute menace at the plate and in the field. He is fully capable of being a true top-15 player in the league.
#69 Sean Murphy
It's safe to say that the Sean Murphy trade was one that all Braves fans can appreciate. Sean came out of the gates last year. He looked like a potential league MVP, putting in monstrous numbers at the plate while being one of the league's best defensive catchers. Like all baseball players, the struggle of playing a full season, especially behind the plate, caught up with Sean and you saw him in and out of the lineup a lot through the second half.
Despite only playing in 108 games, Sean still hit .251/.365/.478 with 21 home runs and a fantastic 129 wRC+ which was good enough for 4.2 fWAR (again in 108 games!!!). He was a true monster at and behind the dish. The Braves are truly fortunate to have both him and Travis d'Arnaud at the catching position. Combine this with some of the depth (Baldwin especially, and Tolve), and the Braves are in a really good place catching-wise. All without mentioning that with Sean behind the plate, the running game is all but shut down, making the game just a little easier for pitchers on the mound. Another top talent - look for Sean to have another special season.
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