ESPN gives Braves unfavorable grade for April

ESPN’s David Schoenfield just released performance grades for the first month of the season, and the Braves, rather surprise, did not receive the highest rankings.

Atlanta Braves: B

Record: 19-8

Well, let’s see: Spencer Strider is out for the season, Max Fried isn’t pitching the best ball of his life, Ronald Acuna Jr. has one home run, and Matt Olson and Austin Riley haven’t gotten going, at least compared to last season. And the Braves still have the best record in the National League. Yes, they’ve taken advantage of an easy schedule with 11 games against the so-far horrible Marlins, Astros and White Sox, but they also won series against the Phillies, Rangers and Guardians and swept the Diamondbacks. It’s a little scary to think how many wins they might rack up once Acuna, Olson and Riley heat up.

Six teams scored a higher grade than the Braves, which is surprising given Atlanta’s superior record. It just goes to illustrate how high their expectations are compared to those of other clubs.

However, I disagree with Schoenfield’s view of the Braves. Spencer Strider’s season-ending injury is undeniably disappointing, but are we docking the Braves points for it? Seems silly.

Schoenfield’s view of Fried is similarly sloppy. Fried didn’t get off to the best of starts, but he’s now thrown 15 consecutive shutout innings. One was a complete-game shutout, while the other was six no-hit innings against the Seattle Mariners. Fried would admit that it was not his best month, but things are looking up.

But what irritates me the most is that Schoenfield failed to include all of the excellent aspects of the Braves rotation. They haven’t skipped a beat without Spencer Strider for a reason. Reynaldo Lopez has been a revelation as a starter, Chris Sale appears to be in peak shape, and Charlie Morton is aging like a great wine. Despite Spencer Strider’s season-ending injury and Max Fried’s early season problems, the Braves rotation has outperformed most predictions through one month of play.

Schoenfield’s perspective on Acuña, Riley, and Olson is accurate. It’s frightening to consider what this Braves club is capable of when their three-headed monster at the top of the lineup gets rolling. As a result, this team certainly deserves a higher rating for having the best record in baseball with their ace on the shelf and three greatest offensive players producing at league average rates through the first month of the season.