IT’S MY FAULT: Braves Hero Apologizes And Ensures One Area Braves Must Address Before The Season Starts
The Braves roster, which is superior to the rest of the league, is almost complete. Based on PECOTA forecasts from Baseball Prospectus, they are expected to win 101 games and easily win the NL East for the eighth straight season. With 84 victories, the Phillies are predicted to take second place.
PECOTA projections are out over at @baseballpro and have the Braves running away with the NL East again pic.twitter.com/i8mBDndmyk
— Kris Willis (@Kris_Willis) February 6, 2024
The Braves have an absurd 99.8% chance of qualifying for the postseason according to PECOTA. Although these models aren’t perfect, you get the idea. Nobody else is even close, therefore it’s the Braves division to lose. That being stated, one more purchase needs to be completed before the season commences.
In the hopes that Jarred Kelenic would be able to fill in for them on his own, the Braves allowed Eddie Rosario and Kevin Pillar to go through free agency. That is a reasonable wager since Kelenic is a player with a tonne of potential who finished the previous season with 2.0 WAR in just 105 games—more than Rosario and Pillar put together. There’s hope that Kelenic, the 2018 sixth overall pick, can reach his full potential if Kevin Seitzer gets his hands on him.
However, there’s also the possibility that Kelenic isn’t as productive as the Braves envision. Before last season, he hit a combined .168 with a .589 OPS over 147 games between 2021 and 2022. Regression from last season could be in line, and Kelenic has also struggled against left-handed pitching over his career, hitting just .189 with a .566 OPS in 270 career at-bats against southpaws
Like everyone else, I’m thrilled for Kelenic’s future in Atlanta. He is a very skilled player, only 24 years old. As he has done with Orlando Arcia, Travis d’Arnaud, Jorge Soler, and others, Kevin Seitzer has played a significant role in helping to turn around careers. Concerning Kelenic, the organization views it as a possibility, and its track record makes it trustworthy.
It feels like the Braves’ final offseason move is to get a fourth outfielder who can start in a pinch. Kelenic may wind up becoming Atlanta’s starting left fielder for the next five or six seasons. It’s not so much a luxury as a need. The success of the 40-man roster depends on every one of them.
