How are former Atlanta Braves players doing on their new teams?
Major League Baseball, for better or for worse, is a business. As expected, players come and go, whether journeymen or team favorites. Even if they moved on, it is still exciting to hear what former players are doing outside of Atlanta. Here is what some old friends are up to on their new (-ish) teams.
When the team we keep up with every day has the best record in baseball, it's easy to not pay much attention to some of the other teams in baseball. However, there are quite a few former Braves that always hold our interest. Let's take a look at how these former Braves are doing with their new teams.
Many, many, many White Sox players are not having a good time
Many former Braves now play for the Chicago White Sox. In a trade for relief pitcher Aaron Bummer, the Braves sent Nicky Lopez, Jared Shuster, Braden Shewmake, former ace Michael Soroka, and minor league prospect Riley Gowens to Chicago. Kevin Pillar signed a minor league contract with Chicago, and Robbie Grossman, who played for Atlanta in the 2022-23 season, also signed one. Both are now on the major league roster.
To say these former Braves are struggling is an understatement. None of the position players hold a batting average over .250, though that may be attributed more to them being on the White Sox. Shewmake, who only played in two games at the major league level in Atlanta, got off to a hot start in March but has regressed since. Jared Shuster has been relegated to a relief pitcher, but in his two appearances over six innings, he’s posted a 1.42 ERA.
The Chicago White Sox (3-22), who just lost 6-3 to the Minnesota Twins, have had separate losing streaks this season of 4 games, 5 games, 6 games, and now 7 games.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 25, 2024
It's April 25.
What may be the saddest bit of news however, is seeing Michael Soroka struggling. Fans were hopeful that he would come back to his impeccable 2019 form after tearing his Achilles twice. With his most recent disastrous starts, however, it looks like he has a long way to go.
NLCS hero is struggling
Another former player who is struggling with his new team is Eddie Rosario. After the front office declined his contract option, Rosario signed with the division rival Washington Nationals. In his 54 at-bats, Rosario has only gotten a hit six times.
He is in the lowest percentile in xBA and xwOBA via baseball savant. He will always be a hero in the 2021 Atlanta Braves World Series story, but sadly, that period appears to have been a flash in the pan.
Older friends are still quite good
Names like Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson regularly float around when discussing former players, especially when talking about the 2021 World Series roster. One former Brave also on that team who is having a phenomenal start to the season is William Contreras. Regarding offense, “Wild Bill” leads the Milwaukee Brewers in batting average, RBIs, OBP, and hits.
In Milwaukee, he’s seen increasingly more playing time, appearing in 141 games in his first season with the Brewers (compared to 97 games in 2022-23 with Atlanta). Contreras' sophomore season in Milwaukee has him reaching new heights, and if the season ended right now, his name would be in serious conversation for National League MVP. Owning a .365/.446/.573 slash line, 184 wRC+, and 1.1 fWAR will do that.
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