A group that was arguably the best in all of baseball a year ago in numerous statistical categories, it's evident that the Atlanta Braves lineup has simply not been the same this season.
Now, yes, this thought could certainly be attributable to some players regressing offensively, as a few Braves sluggers have not necessarily had the same success that they saw a year ago. However, it is impossible not to factor in the injuries the lineup has suffered, which have hurt the Braves in more ways than you might think.
The Atlanta Braves success offensively has been affected by injuries
To keep things simple, the Atlanta Braves lineup has certainly been affected by injuries in 2024. , Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, and Michael Harris II, among others, have all missed time this season due to injury.
Taking your minds back to 2023, the Braves were likely baseball's top offensive team last season, with the club leading in almost every offensive statistical category across the sport. Atlanta led all of baseball in team AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, HR, RBI, hits, and runs scored, among other statistics.
Fast forward to this season, however, and those numbers are not the same as they were a year ago. In 2024, the Braves rank only top five in baseball in only one of those categories - HR - with a big reason as to why simply being that the players have not been available due to injury.
With the names mentioned above out of the lineup, it's clear that Atlanta's power numbers have certainly taken a step back, and rightfully so. In fact, just those four names alone combined for over 100+ HR last season, with each also hitting for at least a .280 average.
However, the absence of those injured names being out has affected the Braves offense in other areas as well, with one of the most notable being in on-base percentage.
As mentioned previously, the Braves ranked tops in baseball a year ago with a combined .344 OBP as a team, but currently sit at No. 22 overall in the MLB at the time of writing with a .306 OBP. As you can tell, these injuries have not helped this number to rise either, as five of the Braves' top seven leaders in OBP a year ago have all missed significant time this season (Acuña, Murphy, Riley, Albies, and Harris).
To keep things simple, the Braves are just not getting on base near the same level as last season. If they want to make the postseason, they will need to improve in that area over the final stretch of the regular season.