MLB executive calls the Braves 'the best team in baseball' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Atlanta Braves have looked like they can win the World Series this season. Despite all the injuries to the pitching staff to begin the season, with three starting pitchers down, the Braves were the first team to reach 20 wins this season.
The Braves have had contributions from every aspect of the roster, with the offense second in Major League Baseball in team batting average (.274) and OPS (.793). This dominating start from a team that won 76 games (86 losses) last season has executives from around the league on notice.
In a poll of Major League Baseball executives by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the Braves received two votes for being the most surprising team this season. However, with the Braves getting healthier — right-hander Spencer Strider (oblique strain) will soon return from his rehab assignment — and firing on all cylinders, one executive called the Braves the “best team in baseball right now.”
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“Their pitching has been lights out – they have the best ERA in baseball – and they’ve scored the most runs in baseball,” an NL executive said. “People aren’t really talking about them as much as you’d expect, given they’re playing like the best team in baseball right now.”
The Braves' rotation has seen left-hander Chris Sale return to his 2024 Cy Young form — 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA in six starts — and with Strider coming back, the Braves will only continue to get better.
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