Which Atlanta Braves will be All-Stars?

It’s creeping up on us. We’re over a month into the MLB season already and this year’s Midsummer Classic is just over two months away.

The Braves had six All-Star participants last year, with Ronald Acuña Jr. earning a starting bid and William Contreras filling in as the starting DH for Bryce Harper, and they were joined by Max Fried, Travis D’Arnaud, Dansby Swanson, and late addition Austin Riley.

This year in Seattle, they might have just as many or more, if things go according to plan for the Braves. The team owns the best record in the National League entering Monday’s off day, and there are several individuals who are making it possible.

Here are some Braves players who look destined for a roster spot in the 2023 All-Star game:

Starters:

Ronald Acuña Jr - OF

Simply calling him an “all-star” would be selling this guy short. He’s looking to earn his fourth straight all-star starter election, and this one might be the most obvious vote in the league. He is fourth in the NL with a .338 batting average, leads the NL with 15 steals, second in the league with 46 hits, leads all outfielders with a .431 OBP and .983 OPS. He also has three outfield assists with a .986 fielding percentage. I could keep going, but just know that this pick isn’t at all debatable.

Sean Murphy - C

His first year in Atlanta could yield his first ASG appearance. Even after a tough series with Baltimore, he’s looking like the runaway choice with a 1.048 OPS, good for second in the MLB to the A’s outfielder Brent Rooker. He leads all catchers in offensive WAR at 1.7 and is eighth in the MLB in caught stealing percentage at .273. He currently leads all catchers with nine homers and is tied with the AL’s Salvador Perez with 64 total bases. If he keeps raking at this pace, it’s a no brainer.

Reserves:

Matt Olson - 1B

Currently second in homers at his position and one back on Pete Alonso with 10, Olson looks like a sure pick for his second all-star appearance – his first as a Brave. He leads first baseman and is third in the MLB in walks, but he also leads the league in strikeouts with 54. He is doing the things that are expected of a first baseman: swinging for the fences, taking free passes, fielding well (.996 fielding percentage with only one error) and slugging the lights out. He is second among NL first baseman with a .530 slugging percentage, trailing only Rowdy Tellez, but Paul Goldschmidt’s .321 average, 78 total bases and 26 Ks is going to outshine Olson if he keeps striking out at this rate and batting in the .240s.

Ozzie Albies - 2B

Looking to make his third all-star appearance and first start, Albies is facing a familiar predicament: his numbers are an outlier at second base. He leads his position with nine homers and 75 total bases, but just like when he was elected as a backup to Adam Frazier in 2021, there are several candidates at second base who have unreal batting averages. The Marlins’ Luis Arraez leads the MLB with a .420 average, and the Giants’ Thairo Estrada owns a .346 line. Albies is outslugging Arraez and tied with Estrada at .543, but Arraez has only struck out eight times this season in 112 at bats. That, along with Albies playing catch up to those two in the OPS category, makes Albies a likely candidate to play as a reserve in this year’s ASG.

Spencer Strider - SP

Leading the MLB with 15.1 K/9, it is hard to believe there’s a better option in the league to start games on the mound. Unfortunately, he is just 11th in the NL with a 2.70 ERA, and only three of his seven starts have registered as quality starts. However, with a 4-0 record and 67 Ks to 14 walks and only two homers surrendered, it is going to be an easy choice for NL managers to put Strider high on their ballots at this rate. If breakout starters Justin Steele and Graham Ashcraft can’t sustain their early-season success, this guy might be in line for an ASG start.

Bryce Elder - SP

There’s a guy sandwiched in between the two breakout pitchers listed above (Steele and Ashcraft) in ERA – it’s Elder. Starting the season in Triple-A, he’s come up to Atlanta and been lights out with a 1.75 ERA. He’s 3-0 and has made four quality starts in six starts this season. He’s got much of the opposite skillset of Strider, with just 32 Ks to nine walks, but he has only allowed 29 hits in 36 IP. If he continues his brilliance, he’ll be calling himself an all-star before he completes a full season in the Majors.

As it currently stands, I think six Braves are in line to make the all-star roster – the same total as last season. But that leaves reigning all-star Fried on the table. With a 2.08 ERA and 25 Ks to six walks, he is definitely still in the running, but he has only started five games for a total of 26 innings and only one quality start. With his health being questionable so far this season, Fried hasn’t proved himself all-star-worthy just yet.

Raisel Iglesias is another guy who’s been brilliant, but the sample size is just too small. He has only thrown two frames since his return, but each batter he’s faced has been an out – two on strikes. If he keeps shoving like that, the Braves closer has plenty of time to make a run.

It is still early. All-star voting doesn’t start for nearly another month, so there’s still time for guys like Austin Riley and Michael Harris to turn on the jets, but as it stands, these are the guys who look primed to star in the 93rd edition of the Midsummer Classic.