Fantasy baseball: 2020 Atlanta Braves fantasy preview

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - OCTOBER 07: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates after hitting a double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Busch Stadium on October 07, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves, MLB (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

2020 Atlanta Braves projected starting lineup:

Ronald Acuna, RF (.280, 41 HR, 101 RBI, 37 SB in 626 AB)
Ozzie Albies, 2B (.295, 24 HR, 86 RBI, 15 SB in 640 AB)
Freddie Freeman, 1B (.295, 38 HR, 121 RBI, 6 SB in 597 AB)
Marcell Ozuna, LF (.241, 29 HR, 89 RBI, 12 SB in 485 AB with STL)
Austin Riley, DH (.226, 18 HR, 49 RBI in 274AB)
Travis d’Arnaud, C (.251, 16 HR, 69 RBI, 0 SB in 351 AB with NYM/TBR)
Ender Inciarte, CF (.246, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 7 SB in 199 AB)
Dansby Swanson, SS (.251, 17 HR, 65 RBI, 10 SB in 483 AB)
Johan Camargo, 3B (.233, 7 HR, 32 RBI, 1 SB in 232 AB)

I have seen Acuna go first in many mocks so far, and I really can’t argue the logic. He wont hit 40/40 in a 60 game season, but he’s one of the few that could go 20/20 in this truncated 2020 schedule. If someone takes Trout first, Acuna should be next and vice versa.

Freeman is also a first-round pick considering the scarcity at 1B. He’s going to flirt with .300 and hit around 15 homers. He’ll continue to have elite RBI numbers with Albies and Acuna in front of him. That is, so long as he sheds the coronavirus before the season starts.

Speaking of Albies, he sometimes goes unnoticed since 2B is fairly deep. He’s not quite in that top tier, but he’s close. I’d be happy to have Albies in the late second or early third round.

Can Marcell Ozuna get the average back up there? I think it’s very possible, so I like him as a bounce-back candidate. Ozuna probably wont be my second outfielder, but third is a good possibility.

The bottom of this Braves order doesn’t offer you much, but adding a DH is going to perk up RBI numbers across the board. Swanson is a solid MI option in the last third of your draft. Inciarte has enough speed to take a shot on him late. d’Arnaud still has good power at a position that lacks it after the top three players.

Prospects to watch:

Both Cristian Pache and Drew Waters handled AAA in their stints there last year. Markakis is getting older and Inciarte is far from a sure thing. Neither of these guys will be huge for your team, but they are both worth a look if they find themselves in a starting role. Both are solid contributors in all categories.

Alex Jackson needs to get the average up, but he did smack 28 homers in just 306 at bats for AAA Gwinnett last year. If d’Arnaud falters, Jackson could get an extended look and he has serious power.

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