Chipper Jones sends warning to Braves rivals

Braves legend Chipper Jones piled praise on top of the team’s elite offense and issued a vague warning to the rest of the league.

The Atlanta Braves have a World Series-winning roster that starts with their supremely talented hitting order: Ronald Acuña, Matt Olson, and Austin Riley.

Those three have occupied the top spots in the Braves’ batting order through Atlanta’s first seven games, and each player is expected to play virtually every game unless someone gets injured.

Manager Brian Snitker has fiddled with the backend of the hitting order at the start of the season, rotating hitters in and out of the different spots, but Acuña, Olson, and Riley are the holy trifecta keeping the offense together.

Braves third baseman legend Chipper Jones, who is working in Atlanta as a hitting consultant, is giddy with excitement about the level of talent and named each player in the trio as a legitimate MVP candidate this season.

Jones told The Athletic:

"“Oh, I don’t think there’s any doubt. You’ve got three legitimate MVP candidates right there at the top. Not many teams can get close to that."

Up first is leadoff man Ronald Acuña Jr, who has no shortage of jaw-dropping highlight reels in his storied career; so far in 2023, the two-time Silver Slugger has put his ACL issues behind him and dipped into his pre-2021 injury form.

Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones puts the team’s top hitters on a pedestal

Then there’s Matt Olson, who’s just “swinging the bat great,” according to Jones. In Olson’s second season in Atlanta, he’s slashing .333/.394/.767, and he apparently has a few “trigger points” that helps him mentally get out of a cold streak and start making contact just like that.

Olson’s ability to quickly learn from his mistakes and get over that hump in even the tensest games could make him a sneaky key piece to the Braves’ World Series title hopes.

Rounding off at third baseman is Austin Riley, who Chipper Jones naturally has a soft spot for. Jones called Riley a “Troy Glaus type of hitter” with a higher ceiling, and Riley has proved his worth on both offense and defense in the last several years.

The homegrown slugger showcased his incredible power in a sweep against St. Louis in which Riley hit the third-longest homer in Busch Stadium history and the longest by a visiting player.

With a slew of accolades under his belt (All-Star, Silver Slugger, MVP ballot candidate), Riley is well on his way to becoming the club’s most dependable third baseman for the future. Out of all people, Chipper Jones would know.

Will this hitting trio be enough to win Atlanta their second World Series title in the past three seasons? The cup overfloweth with hope for the Braves this year.