MLB progress report: Grading the best and worst teams in MLB
By Lbaquero
The 2023 MLB season has been utterly unpredictable. Yet, for some teams, not everything has gone according to plan.
The 2023 MLB season has been one of many surprises.
The emergence of breakout stars like Brent Rooker, Justin Steele, and Nolan Gorman has been well documented. Stories like Drew Maggi, Anthony Volpe, and Josh Palacios are what the sport is all about.
Not to mention, the standings are a complete mess. Just take a look at the NL Central division as an example. The Cardinals are hovering around the bottom, while the Pirates near the top. Baseball really is unpredictable.
But what should the curve be for supposed contenders this early in the year? Over a quarter of the way through the 2023 season, much can still happen. Any ‘MLB Progress Report’, however, can only take into account what we’ve seen so far compared to a team’s preseason expectations and talent.
For some teams, it’s time to panic.
Atlanta Braves progress report: A
At around the quarter pole, the Braves are right where they need to be. At 29-17, they are right at the top of the National League. Their lineup production is one of the best in the game, as they are in the top-3 in most standard stats including OPS, slugging percentage, home runs, and AB/HR. They also find themselves in the top-3 of most advanced hitting metrics like Barrels/PA, Barrels/Batted ball, hard hit percentage, and wOBA. The bottom line is, they hit the ball hard and they score runs by way of slugging.
Their pitching is closer to the middle of the pack, as their rotation is hobbled, with two injured stars in Max Fried and Kyle Wright. Although they do have the fourth-best ERA in the league, they allow the ninth most hard-hit balls by a team this year. But since they do play in a larger stadium in Truist Park for 81 games, they can manage to allow a few hard-hit balls, especially with Kevin Pillar, Michael Harris, and Ronald Acuña manning the outfield. If the Braves pitching was just slightly better, I would consider a bump up to A+
This is the pace to be at as the Mets stumble on through this season, and the defending NL champion Phillies look to dig out of their below .500 hole.