Predicting the Atlanta Braves Opening Day lineup

Predicting the Atlanta Braves Opening Day lineup as the reigning NL East champs open the 2023 season against the Nationals in Washington, DC.

The Atlanta Braves will start their 2023 season on Thursday with a matchup in Washington, DC against the Nationals on Opening Day. After falling to the rival Phillies in the postseason last year, the Braves are one of the favorites to win the World Series or, at worst, represent the National League in the Fall Classic.

Max Fried will get the nod to get that journey to reach those heights underway against the Nats as the Braves’ Opening Day starter. But after an offseason full of plenty of twists and turns in Atlanta with Dansby Swanson leaving, Sean Murphy coming in via another trade with Oakland, and Vaughn Grissom being optioned after spring training, what will be the Atlanta Braves lineup in DC?

Let’s go 1-9 through the predicted Atlanta Braves Opening Day lineup and see the kind of power that the team is working with as they hope to navigate a loaded NL East, make it back to the World Series, and perhaps hoist the trophy in two of the last three years.

Atlanta Braves Opening Day lineup: Stars load top of the order

Because of the decision to play for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, Ronald Acuña Jr. only played 11 games with the Braves in the spring, but still looked good. He slashed .313/.421/.500 with one homer, triple and double each and three RBI.

Acuña had ups and downs as he battled a return from injury and more injuries throughout the 2022 season but no one in Cobb County is doubting that the superstar outfielder is capable of an MVP-caliber season now that he’s healthy.

There were admittedly some tough stretches for Matt Olson in his first season with Atlanta a year ago, but that seems to be well behind him after the spring he just enjoyed.

Olson led all of baseball in spring training in home runs with eight but the pop wasn’t the only thing working. He also posted a ridiculous 1.509 OPS in his 18 games and 47 at-bats in the spring while scoring 13 runs, driving in 18, and just being downright dominant. He hit in the 2-hole in the late spring training games, so why stop what’s been working so well?

There was a dark horse case that Austin Riley could’ve been the NL MVP last season. He was pedestrian throughout spring training but the third baseman is clearly the goods after a season in which he led the team in OPS (.878) and home runs (38) while posting 93 RBI and 39 doubles, behind only Olson on the Braves roster in the latter category. Putting him behind Acuña and Olson has been the move and should pay dividends for Riley statistically.