ATLANTA -- Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson and Max Fried are among the 11 Braves who earned a spot on the 2022 All-MLB Team ballot. This is the fourth year fans can vote for which Major Leaguers best filled their specific roles this past season.
While the Braves have an MLB-high 11 players on this year’s ballot, the World Series champion Astros rank second with nine candidates. The Mets and Dodgers are the only other teams with at least eight players in consideration.
The Braves on the ballot include Riley (third base), Swanson (shortstop), Matt Olson (first baseman), Michael Harris (outfielder), Fried (starting pitcher), Kyle Wright (starting pitcher), Spencer Strider (starting pitcher), Travis d'Arnaud (catcher), William Contreras (catcher), Kenley Jansen (relief pitcher) and A.J. Minter (relief pitcher).
Fans can visit MLB.com to cast a ballot once every 24 hours through Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. ET. The winners will be determined through a process in which 50% of the vote comes from fans and 50% comes from a panel of experts. The All-MLB Team is split into a First and Second Team, each with one catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop and designated hitter, plus three outfielders, five starting pitchers and two relievers.
The winners will be announced on MLB Network on Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. ET.
Braves candidates:
Catchers: d’Arnaud posted the fifth-highest fWAR (Fangraphs’ Wins Above Replacement model) among all catchers and he ranked ninth among this group (min. 350 plate appearances) with 120 wRC+, meaning he was 20 percent more offensively productive than the average player. d’Arnaud and Contreras were both selected as All-Stars. The latter thrived under d’Arnaud’s tutelage and ranked first among all MLB catchers (min. 350 plate appearances) with 138 wRC+. Contreras tallied 20 homers over just 376 plate appearances.
First base: Olson ranked third among all MLB players and first among all first baseman with 78 extra-base hits. The first baseman tallied 34 homers and constructed a .802 OPS during his first year with the Braves.
Shortstop: Swanson ranked second among all MLB players and first among all shortstops with 21 Outs Above Average. Along with being the game’s best defensive shortstop, the veteran contributed 25 homers and put together a 116 wRC+.
Third base: Riley ranked second among all MLB players and first among third basemen with 79 extra-base hits. The young Braves slugger hit a career-high 38 homers and ranked fourth among all third basemen with 142 wRC+.
Outfield: Despite not making his MLB debut until May 28, Harris ranked eighth among all outfielders with a 4.8 fWAR. The 21-year-old hit .297 with 19 homers, 20 stolen bases and an .853 OPS. He finished one homer shy of becoming just the second NL player to ever record 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in one season. He also finished fifth among all center fielders with eight Outs Above Average.
Starting pitchers: Fried ranked seventh among all MLB pitchers in both ERA (2.48) and fWAR (5.0). Wright led all MLB pitchers with 21 wins, and Strider highlighted his great rookie season by reaching 200 strikeouts in fewer innings than any other pitcher in AL/NL history.
Relief pitchers: Jansen ranked second in the Majors with 41 saves, and Minter ranked fifth among all relievers with a 2.1 fWAR.