(All stats referenced come from mlb.com.)
The Braves won just their second division title since 2005 and first since 2013 last year, the culmination of a great rebuild and an outbreak season. While they may have lost in the NLDS to the Dodgers, all baseball fans saw that the Braves were here for years to come.
With young talent in the likes of Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, Mike Soroka, Austin Riley, and much more on the way, the players are there for Atlanta. And now in 2019, the team has gotten into a groove and we are seeing the high potential come into play in June.
An offensive outburst has led Atlanta to lead all teams in the MLB in June so far in HR with 39, which has helped them to an MLB-best 14-4 record this month. They also lead the league in runs, with 133, at a rate of over 7 runs a game. This great play means they also are 2nd in batting average, 1st in On-Base Percentage, 1st in Slugging Percentage, and 1st in OBP so far in June. Their pitching may be lagging behind this month, but who needs pitching when you have an offense?
I have enjoyed watching the Braves for many years and have never seen a streak quite like this. The Braves have been playing so well for such an extended period of time, and have vaulted themselves from three games back of the Phillies to 4.5 games ahead. I just see so much passion in this team that it is hard not to get roped into every pitch and every at-bat when this team plays. We score so many runs late in the game and have mounted most of the completely unimaginable comebacks in all of baseball this year. This is a team that simply does not give up and has the fight-to-the-death mentality that just seems to never disappoint.
From top to bottom, I sincerely believe that there are no weak points in the lineup from Ronald at leadoff to Ozzie in the 8th spot. According to Baseball Reference, the league average OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage) is 0.751. The lowest OPS in the Braves' lineup right now is Markakis at .780. This means every player in the everyday starting lineup is an above average hitter. Every player. So even when this team is not producing the same offensive numbers they are producing right now, they will still be a well-above-average offense. If you ask me, having assets like that in every spot in the lineup is what makes the team so exciting.
Even if you are just a casual baseball fan and have not kept up extremely well so far this season, now is the time to get excited about this team. We are only going to better this season and for years to come. There is so much energy and enthusiasm in this team that makes watching the games so much fun for everyone involved. Now is the time for you to start seriously supporting the Atlanta Braves.