Braves: Alex Anthopoulos biggest winner from Game 1

Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has been the big winner from Game 1 of the 2021 World Series.

Game 1 of the 2021 World Series isn’t in the books yet, but there is already one clear winner from this contest between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros: Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

Anthopoulos has been with Atlanta for a few seasons now, joining the organization in 2017. While he’s made several good moves over his relatively brief tenure as Atlanta’s GM, his decisions to trade for Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall, and Jorge Soler have been completely perfect for the Braves.

That’s certainly evident with how Game 1 is going.

Eddie Rosario trade

The Braves went out and got Eddie Rosario in a deal that moved Pablo Sandoval to Cleveland. In the top of the third inning of Game 1, Rosario was on base at the perfect moment. He’s been a fairly timely hitter for Atlanta, but his single in the top of the third helped set up a fantastic moment for the Braves.

Adam Duvall trade

And that moment is when Adam Duvall launched a two-run home run to give Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez a headache.

Duvall, like Rosario, was acquired in a trade in June. Atlanta was able to strike up a deal with the Miami Marlins and brought Duvall in to help rebuild an injury-decimated outfield.

Jorge Soler trade

Jorge Soler has been a crucial addition to this team for multiple reasons, but he’s been thriving in Game 1 against the Astros so far. Atlanta landed Soler through a trade with the struggling Kansas City Royals. Given Soler’s history making home run in the top of the first inning, it’s safe to say that trade has worked out well for Atlanta.

Despite all the injuries that Atlanta had to deal with, Anthopoulos was able to carefully craft a team that got hot at the perfect moment. Now the Braves are up 5-0 over Houston and are looking to win the World Series this season. Anthopoulos and his staff have a lot to be proud of with how this team came together.