Braves Briefing: Opening Day is here
Happy Opening Day everyone. We made it.
The Braves Briefing will be a daily installment on a quick snapshot of everything happening with the Atlanta Braves.
The Braves start off the season with a three-game series against the Washington Nationals, a team that many expect to be one of the worst in baseball.
NL East Standings
Atlanta Braves 0-0 (Plays Washington)
Miami Marlins 0-0 (Plays the New York Mets)
Philadelphia Phillies 0-0 (Plays Texas)
New York Mets 0-0 (Plays Miami)
Washington Nationals 0-0 (Plays Atlanta)
Will the offense start strong?
Last season, the Braves averaged almost five runs per game, and they have plenty of firepower to continue that trend this year.
Led by a fully healthy Ronald Acuña Jr., the Braves have a lineup that is stacked with both veterans and up-and-coming talent. Matt Olson has been on fire during spring training, leading all of baseball in home runs.
However, the real test for the Braves offense will be against the Nationals' pitching staff: Can they cement their spot as a dominant offensive team against the Nats?
While the top of the Braves lineup is formidable, it's the bottom of the order that could make the difference. Sean Murphy, Eddie Rosario, and Orlando Arcia will need to get on base and turn the lineup over to keep the runs coming.
If the Braves can get production from their entire lineup, they have the potential to score a lot of runs and dominate the series offensively. Look out for a fully healthy Acuña to make a statement with a home run early in the series.
We wrote it...
Braves Today writer Jake Mastroianni wrote the following about what a healthy Eddie Rosario could look like for Atlanta in 2023.
The 31-year-old Rosario is going to get the first shot to be the everyday left field.
We may see him take a seat against lefties as his OPS is 100 points less against lefties in his career.
But the majority of the time, teams are facing a righty, so Rosario will get plenty of playing time.
FanGraph's ZiPS projections have Rosario slashing .243/.285/.398 with a wRC+ of 84 and 13 home runs in 106 games.
Find the entire write-up on Rosario here.
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