Braves Players With the Best All-Star Cases So Far

The Atlanta Braves are one of the best teams in baseball, and it takes some standout talent to make it happen. During the 2023 season, when they last won 100 games, they had eight All-Stars head to Seattle.

Now, there may not be eight players this time around, but there are still a number of worthy reps. We're going to take a look at them. Candidates will be broken up into different categories, including the strongest cases, health pending and outside chances.

There is no particular order within each category.

Strongest Cases

Matt Olson

Olson has been the best first baseman in the National League. It's not much of a contest right now. He leads all first basemen in the National League in home runs (15), RBIs (44), OPS (.888) and slugging (.544).

His 18 doubles are the most in all of baseball. The only reason he wouldn't start the game is because other fan bases push to vote for others.

Michael Harris II

This has to be the year he gets the nod, right? Harris is the middle of a career year. He's tied for third in home runs in the National League among outfielders with 13. His .308 average is third as well, and his .868 OPS is the fifth best among players at his position this season in the National League.

Barring a stretch where he bottoms out, he should be a lock. If he misses, it's a total snub case. He has a strong case to be a starter, but that's up to the voters to recognize him.

Chris Sale

Sale is top-five among all qualifying pitchers in the National League in ERA (1.96), WHIP (0.94) and opponents' average (.192). He seems poised for his third consecutive season of representing the Braves in the All-Star Game.

Unlike last season, he has a chance to actually pitch in the game this year. He was out with a rib injury for two months last summer. The competition to start is stiff, but he could see action in the middle innings.

Bryce Elder

That long-awaited second appearance in the All-Star could be coming for Elder. He's been one of the most reliable starting pitchers in the National League. His 72 innings pitched this season is third behind Cristopher Sánchez and Sandy Alcantara.

The improvements to his slider and the addition of the cutter have translated to a 2.50 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP over 12 starts. Like with Sale, he wouldn't be a starter, but he's a strong candidate to be in the reserves.

If He's Healthy

Drake Baldwin

Obviously, if he's still out in mid-July, something else went wrong. However, any significant time missed could be taken into account. So, to play it safe, Drake Baldwin is in his own category.

This one should have been a lock. However, with Baldwin missing time due to an oblique injury, it will depend how long his absense is and what he's able to do between the time he gets back and leading up to the selections for the Midsummer Classic.

At the time of his injury, he was the best hitting catcher in baseball. His 13 home runs lead all catchers, and so does his .932 OPS, which still qualifies at the moment. He is the only qualifying catcher with a .300 batting average or better.

The oblique is a grade 1 strain, which gives him a chance for this to be a non-issue. But as Walt Weiss put it recently, those injuries have a mind of their own. Baldwin has one of the best cases for a trip to the Midsummer Classic. However, health could hold him back.

Maybes

Raisel Iglesias

In theory, Iglesias should be an easy pick for the All-Star Game. The two runs allowed against the Red Sox earlier this week represent the only runs he has surrendered all year. His 1.08 WHIP, 0.90 WHIP and .200 opponent average are all All-Star numbers.

However, the missed time due to the shoulder injury didn't help. He also just hasn't been selected to an All-Star Game yet in his career. That takes away some benefit of the doubt too.

He tends to have his strongest runs later in the season. This time he's turning up the dial early. That could help.

Ronald Acuña Jr.

A year ago, he made his debut in late May and started the All-Star Game. His season has been somewhat of a roller coaster, but if anyone still has the benefit of the doubt at the time, it's Acuña.

After a couple of big games, there is a chance that the next strong stretch could be coming. If that's the case, and he's playing with a lot of confidence, a reserve spot at the very least could be in his sights.

Ozzie Albies

Albies' case was strong a few weeks ago, but he's getting going again after a brutal hitless streak. Even after the cold spell, he's one of the better hitting second baseman in the National League. His .274 average is third, and his .765 OPS is sixth. His nine home runs are tied for second among National League second baseman.

If the All-Star selections were happening now, it wouldn't be too surprising if he missed. However, he has the time to restrengthen his case, which lands him in the maybe category.

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