Guys, it hasn’t been pretty for the Atlanta Braves this year. I know that writing this article will immediately ruffle the feathers of those who choose to read it and cannot resist the urge to call me stupid. Seeing any optimism about one’s favorite baseball team during challenging times instantly brings out the worst in humanity.

I did this once before in 2021, and the hate was through the roof. I understand the emotional reaction because you love the Braves, and they have hurt you with their miserable ways of losing and their insolence to your will for them to win. Some of you appear as if you hate the team you root for. If this is you, please tell me you have stopped watching every night because that is bad for your health. For that matter, why are you even reading this?

Your early-season fears have turned into hate. Surely you are familiar with where this trail leads? ‘Tis a dangerous path you are traversing.

I would also like to ask why you hate your team? Do you not watch the Braves to root for them to win? When they face adversity, two to two and a half months into the season, do you want to throw in the towel?

The Braves are in the Same Hole as the 2024 Mets

The Braves are 9.0 games back of the final Wild Card spot as of this writing.

They are 14.5 games back in the NL East.

The Braves have 95 games remaining on the schedule.

The Royals and the Tigers made the Postseason last year with just 86 wins.

At 29-38, the Braves would need to go 57-38 (19 games over .500) to match last year’s worst Postseason teams’ records.

We need look no further than last season within our division for an example of a team that climbed out of a similar hole. At this time last year (through June 11th), the Mets were 28-37. They were 17.5 games back in the NL East.

The Mets were 9 games below .500 after June 11th in 2024.

The 2025 Braves are 9 games below .500 after June 11th.

I had noted that this would be a good time to look back at 2021, but I won’t get into that breakdown again. We all know how bad they were and what happened. Even though the fans were waving the white flag at the All-Star break, they won the World Series.

Does this Braves Team Have the Talent to Make a Run?

Yes.

This Braves team is still loaded. Ronald Acuna Jr.‘s return has added an MVP-level talent to the top of the lineup. Acuna is hitting .353 with six homers. He has a .436 OBP and is slugging .647. His 162-game pace for this season is 54 homers, 99 RBIs, and 117 runs.

Matt Olson and Austin Riley‘s numbers are solid. Ozzie Albies is on a hot streak. Marcell Ozuna has been one of the best hitters in the game the past few seasons. It’s a deadly lineup that can catch fire and go on a run.

Michael Harris II has not been good, although he did homer in the last game. His defense has been stellar, but he’s been a void in the lineup where the Braves need production. Harris’s OPS+ is 69 this year. That means he’s been 31 percentage points below the league average in terms of OPS. It’s a far cry from his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2022. But, you gotta believe that the Rookie of the Year is somewhere in there!

This team has a lot of talent, and they are certainly capable of going on an elite run. The starting pitching is in pretty good shape right now. Since May 1st, the Braves’ starting pitching has a 3.18 ERA, good for sixth in baseball. They are doing this even with a struggling Spencer Strider, who is trying to find his groove after a start-and-stop in his return from a year off.

The Braves Bullpen Hasn’t Been AS BAD as it Seems

The bullpen has struggled this season, notably in the clutch. Believe it or not, Atlanta’s bullpen has had the 11th-best ERA since May 1st, with a 3.66 mark. They are 15th with a 3.82 ERA on the entire season. So, while they’ve been bad regarding our standards for the Braves, it hasn’t been a total train wreck. However, another bad stretch could knock the train off the tracks.

Raisel Iglesias has been terrible so far this season. When your closer is this bad, it puts a white hot spotlight on the bullpen. He is giving up runs and coughing up leads. When the bullpen costs us wins at the end of the game, it is much more conspicuous than when we give up runs early. Iglesias has single-handedly added about a third of a run to the team’s bullpen ERA.

On June 6, Closer Monkey moved the Braves’ closer situation to a committee. If you aren’t familiar with Closer Monkey, go check them out. They do an unbelievable job of analyzing reliever usage and outlining closer hierarchies. As a 12-year fantasy baseball player, I can tell you that they have been more accurate than the ESPNs and MLB.coms of the world.

Snit attempted to give Pierce Johnson the first crack, but it backfired. He got two shots back-to-back, and he blew them both. Johnson surrendered three runs over his last two appearances in just 1.2 innings. Johnson entered his previous appearance with a 3.18 ERA and left with a 3.86 ERA.

Either Iglesias gets this corrected and is lights out the rest of the way, or he is replaced. But I don’t anticipate that the late-inning implosions will continue at this pace. There are still solid performers up and down the 2025 Braves bullpen.

Dylan Lee has been one of the best relievers in baseball over the past two seasons. He has a spectacular 2.13 ERA since the start of 2024. Daysbel Hernandez has had issues with walks but has electric stuff and hasn’t allowed many runs this season. Hopefully, he comes off the IL with better command. He has the type of stuff that could make him a future closer, but he has to cut down on the walks.

Aaron Bummer has quietly posted an even 3.00 ERA over 27.0 innings. He’s one good outing away from a 2-something ERA.

Enyel De Los Santos has a 2.86 ERA in 28.1 innings, while Daysbel Hernandez still has a 2.22 ERA.

This bullpen has some really solid numbers. The backend of the bullpen has muddied the perception, and rightfully so.

Iglesias has a 6.48 ERA, allowing 18 earned runs in just 25.0 innings! The Braves need to find the formula at the back end of the bullpen. Whether that’s finding the right guy currently on the roster or shopping at the trade deadline, hopefully, Iglesias can work through this and get back on track.

The Optimistic View

Remember, in 2021 (yes, I AM going there now), the Braves were below .500 as late as August 4th before they went on a tear to win the World Series.

This 2025 roster has an MVP (Ronald Acuna Jr.), the franchise record holder for most homers and RBIs in a season (Matt Olson), one of the best DHs over the past several years, and most of the same guys who helped lead the Braves to the record-breaking 2023 offensive output.

Don’t forget Jurickson Profar will return at the end of the month. If he can slightly resemble the player he was in 2024, it will plug a gaping offensive hole in left field.

Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin have combined to pop 15 homers from the catcher position, which is the best in the NL and second in all of baseball behind only the Mariners (thanks to Cal Raleigh). The duo has combined for an .803 OPS.

This starting rotation has last year’s NL Cy Young Award winner (Chris Sale), two young studs named Spencer, and nice depth with Grant Holmes and a resurgent Bryce Elder. Don’t forget, Reynaldo Lopez is projected to be re-examined in July after he underwent arthroscopic surgery in April. If all goes well, he could return by August or September.

The Braves need to win now to give AA a reason to be a buyer and not a seller at the deadline. This roster has the talent. Now is not the time to give up on the Braves.

The Braves are in the same position as the Mets last year. Do you think this team has more talent than last year’s Mets team?

If the offense can get hot and this team can make a run, they only need to get into the expanded Postseason. Nobody wants to face a hot Braves lineup with a stacked top of the rotation. Sure, a lot of things need to go right, but that’s always the case in baseball.