The Braves' Secret Weapon Isn't on the Roster

The Atlanta Braves are destined for October, and one of the biggest reasons this team is positioned to contend for a championship has gone largely under the radar.

Jeremy Hefner is in his first season as the Braves' pitching coach after spending the previous five years with the New York Mets. The job he's done in Atlanta — considering the number of pitching injuries the team has dealt with — has been nothing short of masterful. If there were a season-long award specifically for pitching coaches, Hefner would surely be on the short list.

To properly appreciate his impact, it helps to look at both his current team and his former one.

Start with Atlanta. Hefner has built a reputation throughout his coaching career for elevating — and in some cases resurrecting — veteran arms, and this season is a case study in that skill. Chris Sale has been at the top of his game at age 37.

Tyler Mahle has been excellent since joining the rotation. Grant Holmes is arguably having the best year of his professional career, and Martín Pérez has pitched great down the stretch. Together, that group has landed Atlanta in the top five in baseball in starters' ERA, despite a rotation that was widely considered thin entering the season. Outside of Sale, Hefner has gotten the most out of arms that might get lost in the shuffle on other staffs.

It doesn't stop at the rotation, either. The Braves have the sixth-best bullpen ERA in the league. Closer Raisel Iglesias ranks third in the National League with a 2.59 ERA, one of the better marks of his career. Didier Fuentes has become a dependable high-leverage arm, and Víctor Mederos has had a strong first year in Atlanta — all of this accomplished without one of the bullpen's biggest weapons, Robert Suárez, who was only officially activated on Wednesday.

Now look at the Mets. Hefner's former team has been abysmal in 2026. Their bullpen ERA was middle-of-the-pack, but they ranked near the bottom of the league in starters' ERA and bottom-third in quality starts, and were the victims of a failed Fredy Peralta experiment — his 4.99 ERA in New York was by far the worst mark of his career. A deadline trade to Tampa Bay steadied things, with Peralta performing much closer to his career norms at a 3.60 ERA.

It's clear the Mets miss Jeremy Hefner, and the Braves are reaping the rewards. What he's done with Atlanta's pitching staff under these circumstances has been remarkable, and he's helped put the Braves' arms in position to handle everything October baseball is about to throw at them.

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