The Atlanta Braves, who began Saturday with the third-best record in the National League, had just one played named to the 2013 NL All-Star Team on Saturday: Craig Kimbrel.
Kimbrel was named to the team for the third-straight year, and if the National League holds a lead late, he will likely serve as the 9th inning guy. He has 23 saves on the season with a 1.72 ERA and 13.21 K/9.
Freddie Freeman was placed on the Final Vote ballot along with Ian Desmond, Adrian Gonzalez, Hunter Pence and Yasiel Puig. Freeman has been terrific this season with a .309/.385/.468 line. Unfortunately for him, the NL is loaded with first basemen who are slightly more deserving. You can vote for Pedro Freddie here, as well as on Twitter with the #VoteFreddie hashtag.
Justin Upton began the week as a starter in the outfield but was overtaken by Bryce Harper during the final days. Word is the outfield walls at Dodgers Stadium really gave him a push.
Here's the simple fact: the Braves have a lot of good players. All-Star caliber players? No, not really. And that's perfectly fine. Honestly, I'm more than OK with getting most of our guys four days off to freshen up for the pennant chase.