This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ATLANTA -- You can easily argue that this year’s National League All-Star team will include nine Braves. This would trump the franchise record set in 2023 when Atlanta sent eight players to the Midsummer Classic.
Who are the nine Braves positioned to possibly be elected to this year’s All-Star team?
Why Acuña? Would three Braves relievers likely be selected? Will Baldwin’s oblique stain hurt his bid for his first All-Star selection?
Before answering these questions, I want to point out that Olson, Elder and Acuña are the only 2023 All-Stars who are included among these nine hopefuls. The abundance of talent within this organization over the past few years has been impressive.
Now a look at each of the Braves hopefuls:
Acuña: You can look at the fact that he has just two homers and a .714 OPS, or you can remember that he has been elected to be part of the NL’s starting lineup for five of the past six All-Star Games. He garnered more votes than any NL player in 2022 and gained a MLB-high vote total in 2023.
Does he currently deserve to be an All-Star? No. He still has time to get rolling, but even if he doesn’t, the fan vote will add to his list of All-Star selections.
Olson: He was leading the Majors in fWAR before falling into a slump that started around the time he showed some discomfort in his right elbow. Still, even after struggling the past couple weeks, he easily leads NL first basemen in home runs and runs scored. Olson says the elbow isn’t a problem. As long as this proves to be true, his stats will create either an election or selection.
Harris: The Braves center fielder owns the seventh-best OPS among NL outfielders going back to April 10. Too many qualifiers? Well, despite dealing with some bad luck during the season’s first two weeks, he also ranks sixth among NL outfielders in fWAR. If he continues to play like he has over the past six weeks, he’ll gain his first All-Star selection.
Baldwin: The reigning NL Rookie of the Year may remain on the injured list until the latter portion of June. But even if he does, he might still be leading NL catchers in home runs and fWAR. He currently owns a comfy lead in both categories. I would be surprised if he’s not elected to be the NL’s starting catcher.
Sale: As long as the 37-year-old hurler remains healthy, he’ll gain his 10th All-Star selection.
Elder: The 2023 selection was a surprise. The only shock this year would be if Elder isn’t selected. He owns one of the game’s five best ERAs going back to Aug. 24 of last season and like Sale, he owns a sub-2.00 ERA this year.
Iglesias: The veteran closer has converted each of his eight save opportunities and he’s held opponents scoreless over 15 2/3 innings. Is that good? It’s certainly All-Star worthy.
Suarez: Atlanta’s future closer ranks second among NL relievers with the 0.81 ERA he’s posted through his first 22 appearances. Is that good? See above.
Lee: The lefty ranks fifth among NL relievers with a 1.11 ERA. The only relievers ahead of him are Mason Miller, Suarez, Jason Adam and Didier Fuentes. Yes, Fuentes deserves consideration if he extends his success.
Now, getting back to Lee’s candidacy, there’s nothing fluky about his credentials. His .201 Expected Weighted On-Base Average ranks fourth among all MLB pitchers. What is xwOBA? It’s an on-base percentage formed with quality of contact, strikeouts and walks serving as the variables.