Whether it’s relievers going from Independent Ball to the game’s biggest stage in October, star players turning in historic seasons, or rookies bursting on the scene and setting records, the Braves have had no shortage of surprises over the last six seasons. It’s a testament to how the organization is run, beginning at the top with Alex Anthopoulos and all the way down to the developmental figures in the lower levels of the minors. Everyone is tugging on the same rope, and when that happens, it’s a formula for something special.
Because of everything the Braves have accomplished in recent years and the current talent on the club, there aren’t too many things that would surprise anybody. Not only do they have arguably the best lineup in baseball, they also might have the best pitching staff after acquiring Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Aaron Bummer, and returning several key pieces. It very well may be the best roster ever assembled in franchise history, but there are a few potential problem areas, which is where my biggest surprise of the 2024 campaign lies.
Braves Biggest 2024 Surprise
There are twenty different directions I could have taken. Ronald Acuña Jr. could make his 2023 season look like a walk in the park, smashing 50 homers to go with 50 stolen bags. Austin Riley, Matt Olson, or Michael Harris II could potentially win their first MVP award. Multiple Braves arms might contend for the NL Cy Young award, and the pitching staff as a whole could end up being the best in baseball. However, all of those things are somewhat expected. What would really be out of left field (pun intended) is if Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall turned out to be the perfect platoon next to Acuña and Harris in the outfield.
At the time of this writing, Kelenic has had a nightmare of a Spring. In 42 at-bats, he has just three hits (.071 batting average), none of which have gone for extra bases. I’m not sure that’s all that went into the Braves signing Adam Duvall last week, but one would think it played somewhat of a factor.
However, I’m not one to get hung up on Spring Training stats. When the Braves acquired Kelenic in a trade from the Mariners, they knew he would be a project, and hitting coach Kevin Seitzer has gotten straight to work with the adjustments. It’s not necessarily surprising that he’s struggling this Spring while working on his swing. It may even take him a couple of months into the regular season for him to start to feel comfortable, but the Braves have been incredible at finding underachieving talent around the league and getting the most out of them. Seitzer is a wizard at helping hitters tap into their full potential, and the Braves are betting on him doing the same with Kelenic.
I firmly believe Kelenic can hold up his end of the bargain against right-handed pitchers, and Adam Duvall is about as solid of a backup plan there is in the league. His last fully healthy season was in 2021, and he mashed 38 homers to go with a league-leading 113 RBIs. Injuries have plagued him the last couple of years, but in just 92 games last season, he had 21 homers.
Duvall is still fully capable of flirting with 40 homers and playing above average defense in the outfield. He could play every day if need be, and the Braves would be more than fine. It’s a tremendous insurance policy, but I’m not giving up on Kelenic after 40 Spring at-bats.
Alex Anthopoulos and Kevin Seitzer clearly see something in him, and you can count the number of times they’ve been wrong on one hand. Perhaps this is one of the few, but I’ll go out on a limb and say the combination of Kelenic and Duvall will accrue over 4.0 WAR this season, giving the Braves by far the most complete outfield in baseball.
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Photo: Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire
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