The 2019 season is just a few days away and that means it is time for another year’s worth of predictions for the upcoming season. Coming off of a division championship in 2018, there is renewed hope surrounding the Atlanta Braves but a busy offseason by many of their division rivals has put a damper on the offseason.
This will be part of a three-day series where we also predict who we think will be the team’s biggest surprise and disappointment as well as our final predictions for Atlanta’s record and where they will finish in the division. As always, let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Who will be the Braves’ position player MVP in 2019?
Doc: Not only is Ronald Acuña going to put up an 8 WAR season and be the biggest power bat the Braves have seen since Andruw Jones, he will be in contention for NL MVP. We are watching a talent on the precipice of superstardom.
Ivan: Everyone’s gonna go with Ronnie, but I’m sticking with Freddie Freeman. His power/OBP mix is phenomenal offensively, and the Braves’ blend of positioning was exceedingly good at putting him right where he needed to be to reap a ton of defensive value despite the adjustment. The phenom is going to have to go through adjustment after adjustment as pitchers poke and prod their way to assessing chinks in his armor; that dance with Freeman has already happened again and again and we know what he’s capable of.
Dillon: Everyone will probably go with either Freeman or Acuna, so I’ll go against the grain and say Ozzie Albies. His floor, given his outstanding defense at second base, is probably around a 2-2.5 win player, and with a more consistent season at the plate, he could push for anywhere from 5 to 7 wins. His approach needs refinement and he will need to better cope with the fatigue that set in during the second half of last season, but Albies has a chance to vault himself into elite territory with a big 2019.
Kris: The easy answer is Freddie Freeman or Ronald Acuña Jr but I am going to go with Josh Donaldson. The Braves made an early splash nabbing Donaldson to a one-year deal which if successful, will allow him to reestablish his value before hitting the open market again. He has looked healthy and motivated during the spring and that could be good news for the Braves.
Anthony: Ronald Acuña, Jr. This could easily go a few different ways, but I have seen nothing out of Acuña since August that makes me think he’s going to do anything but mash this year. I could see a 30 HR/30 SB and 7+ WAR year out of the 21-year-old. I also predict that he will have a lot of fun while doing it.
Aaron: Just gonna say this right now. If Donaldson isn’t this team’s MVP, then AA really messed up. I know Acuña and Freeman are really good. But if the Braves are going to make the playoffs, they need Donaldson to stay healthy and play like an MVP.
Eric: This is a much closer choice than we have had in years past, that is certain. However, I am pretty firm in my belief that it is Ronald Acuña Jr. I can’t fault anyone for picking Donaldson or Freeman, but this team’s playoff chances hinge on Acuña being a big time source of production. Even when he is crushing home runs, he provides value and energy on the basepaths and his presence in the lineup changes a lot of dynamics during the game. I would not be shocked at all if he posted a top 5 finish in MVP voting this year.
Demetrius: Oh, this should be fun because you have three obvious choices for this one. Freddie Freeman is the safe and reliable choice because you know exactly what you’re going to get from him and you’re going to get a high level of production, at that. If Josh Donaldson is healthy, you know he’s going to mash. Still, Ronald Acuña Jr. is easily the most tantalizing player on this roster and it’s going to be intriguing to see how much he progresses this season. If he takes the leap to being an elite player in all of baseball, then this season is going to be amazingly fun to watch since you figure he’ll bring a dynamism to this lineup that we haven’t seen in a while. He’s got the highest ceiling here, so he’s my pick.
ABsinceWayBack: Acuña, Acuña, Acuña, then everybody else. Freeman will be solid. Donaldson will be strong. I don’t think anybody is prepared for what Acuña will be.
Shawn: I am going to go with Freddie Freeman. Whether it makes sense or not, Freddie has never been sandwiched between better talent than he will be this year. Besides the protection, a year removed from his wrist injury should help some power return. If Freddie returns to 2016-2017 from, this Braves lineup becomes one of the best in baseball. And Freddie may have his best MVP case to date.
Matt: There’s just no way not to go with Ronald Acuña for me. Freeman is close, and he’s going to be his same consistent All Star level player, but he’s not going to be that guy who can put the team on his back the way Acuña has already shown he can do in stretches as a rookie.
Who will be Atlanta’s pitching MVP in 2019?
Doc: This is a split answer for me - I’m taking equal parts Max Fried and Touki Toussaint. I think this is finally the year Fried is allowed to settle into a rotation spot, and I think that level of comfort will let him flourish. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him second in the pecking order by the end of this season. As for Toussaint, we’ve all seen that NSFW curveball, and we’ve seen what he can be when he’s on. While there will be some bumps in the road for him, I think he will be one of the most electrifying pitchers in the game by the end of the year - we’re talking appointment-level television any time he makes a start - and is in contention for Rookie of the Year.
Ivan: Mike Soroka emerges from the ash-besodden landscape of digital ink proclaiming his potential demise, kicks ass, and takes names.
Dillon: Josh Tomlin. Not really, but that would be pretty cool I guess. I’ll go with Touki Toussaint. His stuff is borderline pornographic and he gained valuable experience last season. With Mike Foltynewicz on the shelf early and an increasingly bleak outlook on his return date, Touki seems like a reasonable choice here.
Kris: There is a lot of young options but I think Mike Soroka is the best of the bunch provided that he is healthy for most of 2019. He is going to get a late start, but once he joins the rotation I think he is going to be there for many seasons to come.
Anthony: Kyle Wright. There is so much uncertainty with the rotation right now. I think Folty is currently the best pitcher, but his elbow concerns me. I think at least one of the young starters will step up and have a breakout year. I’ll take the guy whom many considered the best player in the 2017 draft. I think Wright (narrowly) has the highest ceiling of the young pitchers we’re likely to see this year. I think he’ll display that potential on his way to claiming a few Rookie of the Year votes.
Aaron: Max Fried. I’ve been talking this guy up for a while, but that’s because I’m a huge believer in his stuff. He’s a LHP that sits around 94 mph. He’s got a killer curve and his change is pretty good too. He keeps the ball on the ground and racks up the strikeouts. What more do you want in a starter? His only question mark is can he avoid the weird injuries and blisters. By seasons end, he’ll be right there with Folty as the Braves best pitcher.
Eric: I am actually shocked at the lack of folks picking Folty here. The guy was really good last year, although his health right now is a pick question mark. I’ll pick him, although if he ends up missing extended time, I’ll pick Mike Soroka. The shoulder issues are always going to be a concern, but I do think that he will get healthy and could be a dark horse candidate for Rookie of the Year this year.
Demetrius: I’ll have to go with Eric and say that I’ve still got plenty of faith in Folty to be the rock of this rotation for this season. I will say that if the Braves are going to take a serious shot at defending the divisional title, they’re gonna need one or more of the young pitchers to have a breakout season of sorts. I’d bet on the one (or more) being Soroka or (and) Touki Toussaint. I think if one or both of those guys takes the leap this season then the rotation will be fine. Still, Mike Foltynewicz will have to be “the guy” around here.
ABsinceWayBack: I want it to be Teheran, but it won’t. Gausman to me is another guy. I don’t want to look hot-takeish after his Spring Training start, but last year made him look like a league-average starter. Foltynewicz will have another year like 2018 but I don’t know how he takes another step forward unless the walk rate comes down. And will Soroka be fully healthy again? So I will go with Newcomb here. He will be the guy that comes in and gives the Braves five spotless innings every five days with regularity.
Shawn: Kevin Gausman. While he may be entering the year with a few concerns, I feel he will be consistent. His second half last year was a big boost to giving the a needed horse who can produce. He may not have the best numbers, but if he can stay healthy, I feel there will be plenty of big games that he will have pitched well in.
Matt: This is very hard. Folty would be obvious, but with health questions I can’t feel comfortable here. I’m not comfortable enough with Newk’s consistency, nor Gausman’s. I also don’t feel comfortable picking any rookie as the MVP even though Wright has been amazing this spring. So that leaves Julio Teheran for me. I know I’ll be in the minority here, but I was in the minority with my feelings on Julio last year and I think he looks like he may have taken a step back in the right direction this spring.