Three MLB legends name Braves World Series favorites

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MLB: JUN 07 Mets at Braves

The NL All-Star team beat the AL All-Star team by a score of 3-2 last night. It featured several cool moments for the Braves.

Sean Murphy threw out a baserunner at second, with Orlando Arcia making the tag. Ronald Acuna Jr. nearly missed a leadoff home run. Austin Riley had a hit and a couple of fantastic defensive plays. And at one point, the entire National League infield featured just Braves, a testament to what this team has been able to accomplish through the first half of the season.

The Braves seem to break an MLB record every week. They are on pace for the most home runs of any team and lead the league in ERA. It’s all led to the best record in baseball by a wide margin. They are 4.0 games clear of Tampa Bay and 8.5 games clear of the Marlins, who own the second best record in the National League. The Braves are hands-down the best team in baseball at this moment, and frankly, it’s not close.

So, it’s no surprise three MLB legends — Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and David Ortiz — all believe the Braves should be World Series favorites going into the second half of the season.

If the MLB playoffs started tomorrow, I couldn’t be more confident in the Braves raising the trophy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, and a lot can happen between now and then.

Perhaps the best way for opposing teams to even the playing field is the trade deadline. I don’t expect the Braves to make many moves, but others could, and Braves fans know all too well what some added juice can do to a team down the stretch.

But what could really spell doom for the Braves going into October is their intensity, or lack thereof. They are playing better than anyone in baseball right now. Because of that, they’ve damn near wrapped up the division and the #1 seed in the National League by the middle of July. It would be easy for them to take their foot off the gas a little bit, something they must avoid.

The best team over the regular season rarely takes home the trophy. Oftentimes, they don’t even make it to the World Series. The teams playing at the top of their game come October are the ones that are the most dangerous. Baseball is a game where everything builds toward the postseason. What happened in the first half of the season means nothing. The Braves seem to have a keen understanding of that, but they’ll have to prove it the rest of the way.

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Photo: Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

 

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