3 players who could make or break Braves’ World Series chances
By John Buhler
Scouting Report. SP. Atlanta Braves. Kyle Wright. 2. player. 17. Pick Analysis
Kyle Wright must build off last year’s 20-win season to be playoff dependable
Much will be made about Max Fried’s contract season with Atlanta. While Braves Country will want their ace back on a new contract, we have seen how general manager Alex Anthopoulos operates. For that reason, it serves Fried to go out and prove to everyone that he is worth every penny on the open market. All the while, it should also be Kyle Wright’s time to shine this season.
Fried may have made the All-Star Game, but it was Wright who won 21 games last year. He was a former blue-chip prospect drafted out of Vanderbilt by the Braves. Though it took a few years for him to finally put it all together, how he performs in 2023 will go a long way towards Atlanta’s overall viability in October. He needs to be a high-end, top-three starter in their playoff rotation.
Simply put, Spencer Strider is too green and Charlie Morton is too old to be seen as pillars in the postseason rotation … for now. In due time, that all could change, but Wright is in the midst of his prime as a professional. Thus, he must go out and prove that Atlanta is going to take two-of-three in every postseason series it plays. His rise to prominence will give the Braves rotation some bite.
The team with the superior pitching staff in the end usually comes out on top in October anyway.