The Atlanta Braves are to be a very good baseball team in 2023. While the National League East is going to be an extremely tough division yet again with both the Phillies and the Mets making significant moves to upgrade their rosters, the Braves haven't stood pat, either, although the loss of Dansby Swanson will likely be felt all season long.
In that context, I put it to our staff to make our predictions regarding how things are going to go in 2023. Knowing what we know about the Braves' roster as well as what their opponents are looking like with the offseason (mostly) in our rearview mirror, I asked them how many games they thought the Braves were going to win in 2023. Here are their responses....enjoy!
How many games will the Atlanta Braves win in 2023?
Eric: I’ll go with 95. I think this team, fully healthy, is about as good as the team that just won 101 games last year, but I also think that predicting triple digit wins is a recipe for disappointment as that is very hard to pull off. The division is going to be very competitive. The month of May will tell us a lot as that is a particularly tough month of the schedule including a homestand against the Mariners, Dodgers, and Phillies.
Sam: I do believe they will do well because they don’t have to play nearly as many games against the Phillies or Mets this year. That being said, it’s very hard to have consecutive 100 win seasons. I’ll go with 97.
Fred: The new schedule is a double-edged sword. While it means they don’t play the Phillies and Mets as often, it also means the Phillies and Mets don’t play the Braves as often. I think we’ll see three NL East teams win more than 90 games, so I’ll put the Braves at 96?
Chase: Breaking news, this Braves team is pretty good. I think it’s among the best teams in baseball once again. And one of the best things about the new balanced schedule is that other teams can’t pad wins against divisions with multiple bad baseball clubs. Thus, I think you see the Braves showcase why they’re one of the better teams in baseball. I’ll say they finish with 99 wins.
Mitchell: A lot was made about the Braves’ idleness this offseason, but the truth is was that there weren’t many holes to fill in the first place. Losing Dansby will be tough, but I truly believe that 2022 will be his career-best year when everything is said and done and that his deal with the Cubs was the best thing for both parties. Aside from SS, LF is the only other question mark. The Braves have a solid rotation, a solid bullpen, and potential All-Stars at C, 1B, 2B, 3B, CF, and RF. With this type of depth, I believe the Braves are in for a 98 win season.
Trent: The Braves have a top 3 roster in baseball on paper. Depending on how Vaughn Grissom plays or the 5th spot in the rotation holds up, it has a strong case as the best roster in baseball. So I expect a lot of wins, however, the Braves have started slow the past two seasons before turning it on. I still think the Braves win 90+ games, probably on the higher end as well. So I will say a nice 97 wins.
Davis: This Braves team is arguably deeper than it’s ever been before. With plenty of outfield reinforcements in Eli White, Jordan Luplow, Sam Hilliard, along with Orlando Arcia and the return of contributors like Ozzie Albies and Mike Soroka, there will be extra depth. That should help rest some tired legs and better handle certain individual matchups. Additionally, the bullpen is probably as good as it’s ever been, and guys like Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña are due for some positive regression. With the new schedule eliminating quite a few games with the Mets, Phillies, and conversely, the Nationals, I’d say it’s safe to expect somewhere north of 95 wins.
Colin: I’m going to be a little conservative and say that the Braves will finish within the range of 80 to 90 wins. The Braves have one of the stronger lineups in the National League, and with the addition of catcher Sean Murphy and some long term contract extensions for the team’s core, it will likely stay like that for a long time. However, the Braves still don’t have a long-term answer at left field, and considering that the NL East will be a bloodbath in 2023, I can see them dropping some games down the line.
Matt: 99. I’ll say that the club falls just short of winning 100 games, but is still well enough to make the postseason.