6. Ozzie Albies
Ozzie Albies does it all. He’s an above-average defensive player and one of the best second-base bats in the game. Albies has a 162-game average of 28 homers and 95 RBI. This year he has 28 homers and 90 RBI through just 117 games. He’s hitting .267 with a .841 OPS on the season. Ozzie has even added 11 steals and has not been caught in his theft attempts once. He’s currently recovering from a short IL stint but he has clearly been one of the top players on the Braves through the first five months.
5. Spencer Strider
Spencer Strider leads the Braves in wins with a 15-4 record to go with a 3.46 ERA. He doesn’t just lead the Braves in wins, he leads the league. Strider also leads the league in strikeouts with 236 Ks in 153.1 innings. He leads the league in SP WHIP with 1.057, leads the league in FIP with 2.79, and leads the league with 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The 6.75 hits per nine is currently the 8th-best in franchise history. He’s got his sights set on John Smoltz’s modern-era franchise record of 276 strikeouts. Strider is putting together a Cy Young case He is having one of the best seasons in franchise history.
4. Austin Riley
Austin Riley has come a long way since his rookie year. He went from being unable to hit a breaking ball and striking out a ton to a perennial MVP candidate. He’s even become one of the better defensive third basemen in the game, over the past two seasons. With his last homer, Riley has strung three straight 30-homer seasons together. He’s got a chance to set a new career high in 2023 with a whole month of games left to reach his career mark of 38, set last season. Riley’s .839 OPS is 21% better than the league average.