The Atlanta Braves have acquired a ton of new young talent and veteran leadership over the course of the off-season, and as spring training begins, fans will begin to see how the roster and rotation will shake out for the 2024 season.
The Braves’ moves this off-season are headlined with left fielder Jarred Kelenic and starting pitcher Chris Sale. The front office hopes that these two and some of our top AAA players will stand out in their spring training games and strengthen our team even more.
With the loss of a key outfielder, Eddie Rosario, the Braves have been shopping around for a consistent left fielder to pair with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II due to Marcell Ozuna’s lackluster defensive ability. With the addition of Kelenic, the Braves hope to see a surge during the spring training games so that he can take over the role of the everyday left fielder.
Left field is far from the only position that needs to be figured out before the new season begins. Sale, Strider, Fried and Morton currently sit as the Braves top four pitchers. There is a battle currently between a variety of young AAA pitchers and even veterans. As fans watch the Braves play these first few spring training games, they need to watch, especially when Elder or Lopez are on the mound, to see who is going to grab that fifth spot.
Braves fans all over GC seem to be split on who they believe will be the biggest impact player on the team during spring training.
Gabe Wade, a mass communication major, stated that Kelenic will not just fill a defensive hole but help our offense as well.
“If Kelenic can be at least an average player in spring training, he will take left field from Ozuna,” Wade said. “And then we can just keep Ozuna at DH and not worry about his defense at all and just get his powerful offensive game.”
As the designated hitter last year, Ozuna was incredible, with 40 homers and 100 RBIs. So, if the team can have the same offensive spark that they had last season, the sky is the limit for this offense.
The Braves offense and core defense were not the only struggles last year. The Braves had over 16 pitchers start at least one game for them, and despite them being a 100-plus-win team, the inexperience of certain players definitely tarnished what could have been a great postseason run.
“When we leave here, we want to have a pretty good idea,” said Brian Snitker, the Braves’ manager. “We have a cache of [starters] here and in Triple-A. We’re going to need them, and you want to feel good about all of them when we break for the season.”
It is fair to say the Braves want to make the right moves to ensure they do not have another early postseason departure. So, the most impactful players will need to be the entire pitcher staff and the new acquisitions in the field.
The Braves should not be looking for one player to stand out if they want to have a great spring training. All of their veterans and youngsters need to play as one and gain experience in case they get the call that they are needed in the big leagues.
