Stock Up, Stock Down For The Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves have seen some great performances so far in the 2024 season

The Atlanta Braves have played twenty-three games and are one of the best teams in baseball. 

Despite several significant injuries, including a season-ending one to ace Spencer Strider and a twenty-two game (and counting) absence from All-Star catcher Sean Murphy, the Braves lead baseball in multiple offensive categories, including runs per game (5.96), batting average (.283), and OPS (.822).

Excluding some of the most obvious answers, like DH Marcell Ozuna and starter Reynaldo López, let’s look at who is trending up and who isn’t after the first twenty-three games of the season.  

Stock up: Chadwick Tromp

Entering the season as Atlanta’s third catcher, the 29-year-old Aruba native is currently on pace for the best season of his career. Batting .273/.292/.409 across his twenty-four at-bats, with three extra-base hits and five RBIs, Tromp’s gotten significant playtime while Murphy is on the injured list. 

Tromp, who batted just .210 in 65 games with AAA Gwinnett last season, is doing more than just hitting well: He’s flashing defense, as well. He’s already caught two attempted base stealers in just five attempts on the year, already one CS above average (per MLB Statcast). 

Stock down: David Fletcher

Fletcher, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels this offseason, was initially sent to AAA Gwinnett out of spring training after failing to beat free agent signee Luis Guillorme for the team’s backup infielder job. Getting called up when Ozzie Albies went on the IL, Fletcher occupied the short side of a platoon with Guillorme, starting only three games of the eight that Albies has missed so far. 

Fletcher didn’t even get three games worth of at-bats in those starts, either, with Atlanta choosing to pinch-hit for him late and finishing with only eight plate appearances (and two hits) across his short time on the active roster before being sent back to AAA Gwinnett today in anticipation of Albies being activated tomorrow morning, when first eligible.      

Stock up: Michael Harris II

Atlanta’s centerfielder has typically batted towards the bottom of the lineup and has excelled, finishing his first two seasons with a batting average greater than .290 and within shooting range of a 20/20 season. 

But Money Mike has taken it to a new level in 2024, filling in for Ozzie Albies in the #2 hole in the order and putting up a career-best .330/.363/.495 slash with three homers and five stolen bases in just 102 plate appearances. Extrapolating that out to a full season of 610 plate appearances, it’s on pace for close to twenty homers and thirty stolen bases. 

Stock down: Tyler Matzek

Listen, I love Tyler Matzek and always will - his clutch inning in the 2021 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers will forever be one of those iconic moments in the history of this generation of Braves. 

But in his return from Tommy John surgery, he’s not quite back just yet. Sporting a 7.88 ERA, Matzek’s averaging just 93.6 mph on his fastball and allowing a .348 batting average against, down from 2021’s 96.0 and .192 BA, while his slider hasn’t yet resumed moving like it did in 2021, when it came in 1.5 mph harder, dropped 8% more, and had significantly more horizontal movement (6.6 inches down to 4.8).

Stock up: Joe Jiménez

But taking up the slack while Matzek works his way back to prime form is Joe Jiménez. Atlanta originally acquired the reliever from Detroit for prospect Justyn Henry-Malloy after the 2022 season, and I was initially skeptical of the decision to re-sign him to a 3-yr/$26M deal this offseason. 

But Brian Snitker chose to start trusting Joe this season, and Jiménez has delivered with a 0.90 ERA in his first ten innings, striking out eleven and walking only one batter of the thirty-five he’s faced. He’s paired with Pierce Johnson and A.J. Minter to become the primary set-up options for closer Raisel Iglesias, finally showing the promise and reliability that prompted Alex Anthopoulos to trade one of the minor league’s most patient hitters in Henry-Malloy for him two offseasons ago.    

Stock down: Braves Power Hitters as a group 

While Marcell Ozuna’s at the top of the MLB leaderboards for both homers (9, second to Mike Trout) and RBIs (first with 29), things aren’t as rosy for most of Atlanta’s most reliable power hitters from last season. 

Ronald Acuña Jr (41 homers in 2024), Matt Olson (54), and Austin Riley (37) have combined for six homers, just one more than Travis d’Arnaud’s hit since last Friday. Offseason acquisition Jarred Kelenic has yet to pick up his first Braves home run, and those four players are at the bottom of Atlanta’s qualified hitters in slugging. Olson’s pacing the foursome with a .432 slugging, a mark nearly 80 points below his career .519 and almost 175 points below last year’s NL-leading .604. 

While they’re going to break out of it eventually - and imagine what this already league-leading offense will look like when they do - it’s frustrating to watch the studs not necessarily be able to get it done just yet.