Fansided

4 Braves who impressed during opening week and 1 who struggled

By Cody Williams

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 02: Marcell Ozuna #20 of the Atlanta Braves runs in from the outfield during the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 02, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 02: Marcell Ozuna #20 of the Atlanta Braves runs in from the outfield during the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 02, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images) /

Scouting Report. SP. Atlanta Braves. Spencer Strider. Pick Analysis. . player. 17

Spencer Strider looks dominant again in his second season with Braves

The Braves got some bad news for the pitching staff on Opening Day when staff ace Max Fried left the game early with a hamstring injury. That put pressure on the rest of the rotation to step up, especially with Fried ending up on the IL. Spencer Strider, after finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, definitely answered the bell.

Atlanta’s mustachioed king with the hot, stinky cheddar picked up right where he left off a year ago, going six innings against the Nats and giving up only three hits, and three walks while allowing no runs and striking out nine. Suffice it to say, he doesn’t look like a one-year wonder and, in fact, looks like a second ace for the Braves rotation to rely upon.

And a special shout to Dylan Dodd as well, who made his first major-league start and performed exceptionally with one earned run allowed over five innings. With the Fried and Ian Anderson injuries, that’s huge for the rotation moving forward.

C/DH. Travis d'Arnaud. . 17. Pick Analysis. Atlanta Braves. player. Scouting Report

Travis d’Arnaud has been absolutely raking to start the Braves season

All of the talk after the Braves traded for catcher Sean Murphy was what it would mean for the role of veteran Travis d’Arnaud, who was a key cog in the lineup last season. He definitely still has a role, and that role early in the 2023 campaign has been getting on base all the damn time.

Through six games, d’Arnaud leads Atlanta in batting average as he’s slashing .385/.385/.500 on the season with three doubles and four RBI on the year. But even when he’s not been getting on base, he’s almost often making loud contact and putting the ball in the field of play, striking out just three times in 26 at-bats thus far.

Murphy has started out a bit slow in his Braves career but d’Arnaud has more than made up for it. If the newcomer can get out of the early funk, then this duo at catcher is going to be a lethal combo for Atlanta throughout the season.

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