Braves: 3 terrible takes Atlanta has already proven wrong this season

There are bad takes, and there are the ones certain people had about the Atlanta Braves during the offseason…

Today is a day where we will continue to praise the remarkable partnership between general manager and skipper in Alex Anthopoulos and Brian Snitker of the Atlanta Braves.

This tandem has been dynastic over in the NL East for the better part of a decade now. The five-time defending division champions are poised to make it six in a row. However, their eyes are on the prize of something much bigger. Atlanta is on a shortlist of teams who can realistically win the World Series. We know this because the plucky 2021 team did the improbable only two years ago.

With the halfway point in the year approaching, here are three oh so stupid offseason takes people way smarter than me got so horribly wrong when it comes to the only team that matters.

Atlanta Braves: 3 stupid offseason takes that are already been proven so wrong

3. Atlanta Braves must cut ties with the rusty boat anchor that is Marcell Ozuna

This one should be the most surprising, given what we saw out of him the last two seasons, but we kind of always knew Marcell Ozuna had this kind of turnaround in him. Ozuna led the NL in home runs and runs batted in during the 2020 COVID campaign. It led to him getting a massive four-year extension with the Braves. He was terrible during the first two, and in April of this year.

Then, everything changed… Ozuna started finding his powerful stroke from the right side of the plate at the home of his former employer. As it turns out, all it took was a trip to South Beach in May for Ozuna to get right in the batter’s box. His willingness to spray the ball to all parts of the field has been a massive boost to the Atlanta batting order. The Braves are reaping the benefits.

Ozuna has not been asked to man left field this season, focusing on what he does well at the plate. With plenty of excellent batters all around him, it has served Ozuna to undergo a bit of a renaissance offensively. He may struggle for stretches during the latter part of the season, but Ozuna’s production at the plate in May and June have been a pleasant surprise to say the least.

There is no sense in cutting ties with the former rusty boat anchor on an albatross of a contract.