Atlanta Braves dominate ESPN's Top 100 list for 2024

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.

#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.

#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.