Braves to Win 2024 World Series: 3 Reasons Why They Will & Won’t
Grant White
Host · Writer
Will: Alex Anthopoulos Builds Winners
Never content with losing, Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has made moves to keep this and other teams he's managed in contention. We could see AA make the necessary adjustments ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline to address the Braves' shortcomings.
Anthopoulos can use his World Series-winning campaign as a blueprint to set the Braves up for success again in 2024. In 2021, the Braves were 44-45 at the All-Star break, seemingly out of the NL playoff race. But a bevy of moves ahead of the deadline transformed Atlanta into an unstoppable juggernaut in the second half.
Watch Anthopoulos closely as we approach July 30. Building winners is Anthopoulos's biggest strength, and he'll flex those muscles again in 2024.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
Won't: The Braves Don't Look the Same Without Ronald Acuna Jr.
The Atlanta Braves are desperately trying to recapture the magic that made them a 100-win team over the past few years. Still, it's been an uphill battle without Ronald Acuna Jr. Their offensive struggles in the first half of the season are one of the biggest reasons they won't win the 2024 World Series.
The Braves have a middling .709 OPS as a team, yielding the 12th-fewest runs in the majors. Those concerns are amplified when we apply that lens on an individual basis. Marcell Ozuna is the only regular with an OPS above .779. Matt Olson's ineffectiveness is well-documented, while Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies operate below normal ranges.
Without Acuna Jr. stabilizing the top of the order, the rest of the Braves batters are falling by the wayside.
Will: They Have the Best Pitching Staff in the Bigs
Of course, the Braves don't need their bats to operate efficiently to win it all. Their pitching staff could easily carry this team to its second championship since 2021.
Heading into the second half of the season, Atlanta leads the majors with a sparkling 3.40 ERA. Likewise, their 840 strikeouts rank seventh, and they've allowed the third-fewest baserunners.
Anchored by Reynaldo Lopez and Max Fried in the starting rotation and complemented by Raisel Iglesias in the bullpen, Atlanta has all the pitching it needs to make a run.
Won't: The NL East is an Unforgiving Hellscape
The Braves compete in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. Worse, they have an NL East-heavy schedule in the latter part of the campaign, which could de-rail their momentum as the season progresses.
Atlanta faces the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Washington Nationals in six more series before the season ends, with three of those matchups coming in September. All four teams remain in the hunt for a postseason berth, and the dynamics could shift quickly in these divisional bouts.
Will: The Rest of the NL Playoff Picture is Wide Open
Still, the Braves postseason aspirations don't rely exclusively on their ability to get past teams in their division. If Atlanta secures a playoff berth, they could face a relatively unobstructed path to the World Series.
The final wild-card spot is occupied by the 49-46 New York Mets, and with teams nine games below .500 still in contention, Atlanta could take on a lesser-than opponent throughout the MLB playoff bracket.
Won't: The Braves Can't Get Out of Their Own Way in the Playoffs
Recent history reveals an undesirable trend impacting Atlanta's playoff prospects. Despite winning 205 games over the past two seasons, the Braves have failed to advance past the divisional round in each campaign.
That trend is even more concerning if we extend our view further back. The Braves have made the playoffs in six straight seasons, exiting in the NLDS on four occasions. That looks so much worse, considering the Braves had home-field advantage in all four of those series.
The Philadelphia Phillies have dealt the fatal blow in the last two playoffs, which could be a certainty again come October.
Will: Alex Anthopoulos Builds Winners
Never content with losing, Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has made moves to keep this and other teams he's managed in contention. We could see AA make the necessary adjustments ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline to address the Braves' shortcomings.
Anthopoulos can use his World Series-winning campaign as a blueprint to set the Braves up for success again in 2024. In 2021, the Braves were 44-45 at the All-Star break, seemingly out of the NL playoff race. But a bevy of moves ahead of the deadline transformed Atlanta into an unstoppable juggernaut in the second half.
Watch Anthopoulos closely as we approach July 30. Building winners is Anthopoulos's biggest strength, and he'll flex those muscles again in 2024.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
Won't: The Braves Don't Look the Same Without Ronald Acuna Jr.
The Atlanta Braves are desperately trying to recapture the magic that made them a 100-win team over the past few years. Still, it's been an uphill battle without Ronald Acuna Jr. Their offensive struggles in the first half of the season are one of the biggest reasons they won't win the 2024 World Series.
The Braves have a middling .709 OPS as a team, yielding the 12th-fewest runs in the majors. Those concerns are amplified when we apply that lens on an individual basis. Marcell Ozuna is the only regular with an OPS above .779. Matt Olson's ineffectiveness is well-documented, while Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies operate below normal ranges.
Without Acuna Jr. stabilizing the top of the order, the rest of the Braves batters are falling by the wayside.
