Thursday, February 20

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Remember how quickly you were ready to put an injury-filled 2024 season behind you and be reminded of how good the Braves can be when healthy? Well, the page has turned to 2025 and Atlanta fans can reunite with the World Series hopes they had before a multitude of significant injuries wrecked last year’s dreams.

Can the Braves bounce back to reclaim National League East dominance and make a run toward their first World Series title since 2021? The PECOTA projections from Baseball Prospectus confirm the analytics and believe both goals could be realized.

PECOTA projects the Braves to have a 9 percent chance to win the World Series, matching the Yankees’ odds. The only team with better odds? The Dodgers at 22 percent. 

So the Braves again look strong on paper. But after seeing six members of their Opening Day lineup miss at least two months last year, this is not a team that will take anything for granted.

As Braves pitchers and catchers prepare for their first workout on Wednesday, here are three top storylines we’ll follow during Spring Training.

1. When will Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider return?

We know both superstars will begin the season on the injured list and we know both are going to push to be activated as early as possible. Strider has been completing bullpen sessions and may be permitted to throw in at least one game before the end of Spring Training. If he doesn’t have any setbacks in his recovery from elbow surgery, he could rejoin Atlanta’s rotation by the end of April. His progress throughout camp will create a lot of excitement.

The same can be said about Acuña, who tore his right ACL near the end of May. There’s a chance he won’t return before the second half of May. Does he need a full year to recover? Well, remember he tore his left ACL in July 2021 and returned by the end of April 2022. The 2023 NL MVP battled discomfort throughout that season. So it won’t be surprising to see the Braves give their right fielder extra time to ensure he won’t have any lingering issues after he returns. Regardless, there will be a lot of attention placed on him as he aims to regain his place as a top MVP candidate. 

2. Will Chris Sale prove 2024 wasn’t just a fluke?

Sale’s performance during Spring Training won’t determine whether he has a legit shot at winning a second straight National League Cy Young Award. The revitalized lefty has already shown he is still elite when healthy. But his ability to make normal preparations should increase excitement about the possibility of him further distancing himself from the injuries that limited him to a total of 151 innings from 2020-23.

Unfortunately for Sale, his great 2024 season ended with a sore back that sidelined him over the regular season’s final week and into the postseason. A side session completed before he went home for the offseason quieted concerns and created the assumption the back discomfort was just the product of the 35-year-old hurler completing a full season for the first time since 2019. But his work over the next six weeks will give Sale a chance to further prove he’ll be entering the 2025 season in healthy fashion.

3. Will the bullpen overcome a couple of key absences?

With the departures of Max Fried and Charlie Morton, the rotation still has a chance to be the game’s best. But can the bullpen compensate for the absences of A.J. Minter, who signed with the Mets, and Joe Jiménez, who will miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season while recovering from knee surgery? Dylan Lee and Pierce Johnson currently stand as closer Raisel Iglesias’ top setup options. Will Aaron Bummer be effective when placed in more high-leverage situations? Will Daysbel Hernández take advantage of his opportunity to stick in the Majors? What should be expected from Angel Perdomo, who had 44 strikeouts over 29 innings for the 2023 Pirates before missing all of last year while recovering from Tommy John surgery?

These are just some of the key questions that will surround the bullpen construction.

How many starting pitchers did the Braves use during the 2024 season?

A. 16

B. 15

C. 14

D. 13

MLB unveiled the 2025 Spring Training caps for every club on Monday. These caps, designed by New Era, will be worn only during Spring Training.

You can purchase the Braves’ new lid here.

• How many times have you said, “The wind blew that one out” or “The wind knocked that one down?” Mike Petriello looks at some of the most wind-influenced moments from 2024.

• You know that AJ Smith-Shawver was supposed to follow Patrick Mahomes’ path by playing football and baseball at Texas Tech. So you shouldn’t be surprised to see him listed among these top prospects who also excelled on the gridiron. Some of his impressive high school highlights are included in this story.

• Who will be each team’s top prospect in 2027? 

D) 13

The Braves used 13 starters, with the 40-year-old Morton making the most starts (30) and the 21-year-old Smith-Shawver making the fewest (1). Pitchers who made a start for the Braves in 2024 were Morton, Fried, Sale, Reynaldo López, Spencer Schwellenbach, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, Ray Kerr, Strider, Darius Vines, Hurston Waldrep, Allan Winans and Smith-Shawver.

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