Those of you who follow me and Lynndee here are certainly familiar with my love of the Atlanta Braves baseball team. I’ve shared several posts here about that love, the most recent being about the team who made it to the playoffs last year. Unfortunately, the Dodgers knocked them out in the first round. But that was last year, and so far this season, the Braves are on the march to make it to the playoffs again, and their rebuild continues as they’ve added more banner players to their roster.
Austin Riley
One such player is the young Austin Riley, the 22 year old third baseman. However, when he was called up on May 15, it was to replace Ender Inciarte, the Braves Gold Glove winning center fielder who had been placed on the injured list. On that very night, Riley made his major league debut, hitting a home run in his seconds time at the plate. By June 1st, he’d hit eight home runs in 16 games, only the 4th player in major league baseball history do so, also making him the fastest Brave player to ever achieve this feat. He also earned the NL Rookie of the Month Award for May 2019, despite only playing in 15 games.
Brian McCann
But Riley’s not the only hot addition to the batting order. The Braves brought back catcher Brian McCann. He’d been with the Braves from 2005 to 2013 when he then signed to play with the Yankees. In 2016 he was traded to the Houston Astros, who then released him at the end of the 2018 season prompting Atlanta to resign him for the 2019 season, where he shares catching duties with Tyler Flowers. The two are quite a combo, collectively having hit 17 home runs while collecting 53 RBIs.
Josh Donaldson
Another shining star has been the signing of free agent Josh Donaldson. Donaldson has taken over the duties at 3rd base, once held by Hall of Famer Chipper Jones and he’s on his way to a possible 30-40 home run season. His nickname is “bringer of rain” which he took from the TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, but also which goes hand-in-hand with the towering moonshot home runs he hits.
Awesome Batting Order
So with the awesome batting order the Braves have, there’s always a runner in scoring position from batter one through eight for each individual is capable of putting the ball out of the park with one swing. At this moment the Braves have already hit 156 home runs putting them in position to possibly break the team’s season record of 235 hit.
Two Young Pitchers
One of the most positive changes to the team has been the success of the pitching rotation. With the coming of two young pitchers, Mike Soroka and Max Fried, I’m reminded of those early ’90s teams that featured John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Greg Maddux on the mound, what I considered one of the greatest pitching rotations in history. Soroka, with a record of 10-2, and Fried with a record of 10-4 are showing possibilities of having 20-win seasons while exhibiting Cy Young Award winning work. Then with the addition of veteran Dallas Keuchel, himself a former Cy Young Award winner, along with a much improved relief bullpen, the rest of the season looks promising for the possibility of repeating as National League East Champions and then making it to the World Series and winning Atlanta’s second world championship.
So go Braves! Keep swinging for the fences!
Up north we don’t get to see the Braves so often and they seem like they have a great team. I am not happy about it because my husband likes the Mets but I know what to expect when they come here.
I certainly do know the expected outcome when we make our way to the Big Apple. I especially remember the games when we had Chipper because he feasted on Mets pitching and the Mets fans were constantly booing him. My hope is to one day see a Braves game against the Mets in New York. I made it to Yankee Stadium one time but I’ve yet to see the Mets play in their home city. But I do love New York and hope to be back there soon.
How fun! I’m a baseball fan and get excited for this time of year every year.
Yes go braves!! We lived in GA for a little bit and always enjoyed watching them play! Love this post 🙂
I feel the same about my Saint Louis Cardinals! Ha! It was fun to read about the Braves. The Cards are doing well right now, winning 9 of their last 10 games.
My husband loves the Braves! We are from Georgia so they are our local baseball team.
I have not been to a baseball game all summer. Usually we go to at least one or two.
I used to love watching the Braves play. When I lived in Florida it was the team that they played locally and I always got to watch them. Those were some good times, I need to catch another game but here in Iowa it is hard to get.
Sounds like they are a great team! I would love to watch them play when I get a chance.
This looks like such an amazing experience. I would love to attend a baseball game with my family.
Sounds like the team is doing well. I always loved going to baseball games. I usually go to one every summer. Kids always have fun too.
How fun! I haven’t watched baseball in such a long time. I actually miss watching! Sounds like this team is doing well
I love learning about the different ball players. I wish we were closer to a baseball stadium. LA Dodgers are about 3 1/2 hours and San Francisco is more than 4 hours away.
I just went to a baseball game locally, our team is not doing as good as yours, but the game is fun
I haven’t been to baseball game lately. Looks like great team. Yes watching game in stadium is always special experience.
Sounds like you might enjoy a baseball game, and even know a thing or two. ; ) Babushka loves it when fans share their love.