Atlanta Braves first half report card

Starting Pitching: B+

The starting pitching for the Braves has yielded a mixed bag of statistics in 2023. But when you take into consideration that their ace, Max Fried and projected number three starter Kyle Wright has made just five starts each, it’s much easier to look past some of the poor numbers.

That being said the emergence of Bryce Elder and consistency of Strider and Morton has been more than enough to win the Braves a lot of games. Elder and Strider have been so good that they both earned their first All-Star selection.

The final two spots of the rotation has seen a plethora of guys attempt to hold down the fort with Fried’s and Wright’s injuries. This inlcudes: Dylan Dodd, Jared Shuster, Kolby Allard, Michael Soroka, and AJ Smith-Shawver. Below are some rankings for a rotation that has seen 13 different pitchers make a start (3 of which were bullpen games).

• 3.77 ERA (7th in MLB)

• 4.16 FIP (8th in MLB)

• 4.17 SIERA (10th in MLB)

• 107 Barrels allowed (T5th in MLB)

• 486 Ks (T6th in MLB)

• 6.5 fWAR (T11 in MLB)

All in all very solid work for 2/5 of the rotation being basically patchwork all year. The return of the 2022 Cy Young runner-up will provide a major boost to this group. I give a high grade for the first half, while expecting an improved performance once they get some big time reinforcements in the second half.