1. Mike Soroka
Soroka practically came out of nowhere this season to join in both All-Star and Cy Young contention. Both him and fellow rookie Max Fried have helped stabilize an initially shaky Braves pitching staff. With the recent addition of two-time MLB All-Star Dallas Keuchel, Atlanta now has one of the most effective starting rotations in all of Baseball.
Soroka has an 8-1 record with a 2.07 ERA to begin the campaign. Amazingly, through his first few starts, he had a sub-1.00 ERA which is an impressive feat. Soroka's dominance has won more than a few games for the NL East's top team.
2. Austin Riley
Another rookie, Riley has unlocked the potential of what now seems like an unstoppable Braves offense. With 12 home runs in his first 38 big league games, Riley's power certainly translated from an impressive minor league showing.
His defense is still a work in progress as he is transitioning from his traditional third base position to a much different task in left field. Despite the learning curve of a new position, Riley continues to come up clutch on the offensive end. It is no accident that since Riley was called up to the majors, the Braves offense has taken off.
3. Ronald Acuña Jr.
Another move coinciding with the offensive surge is the move to put Acuña in the leadoff spot. He already has 18 home runs on the year and at just 21 years of age is already a National League All-Star candidate in the outfield.
Acuña signed an 8 year, $100 million extension and is already putting that salary to shame. He is easily one of the Braves' top defenders and like Riley, always seems to come on strong in big spots. His flair for the dramatic always seems to put him on those weekly highlight reels.
4. Freddie Freeman
Freeman is quietly enjoying one of the most productive seasons in Atlanta Braves history. Despite already being one of the best players in the sport, Freeman continues to improve year after year. This season, just by seeing a small sample size of at-bats, it is easy to see how Freeman has become so much more of a complete hitter. Situational hitting is one of the most important aspects of baseball and Freeman has practically mastered it.
Offense is not everything though. Freeman's defense continues to be Gold Glove caliber and he saves numerous errors by his teammates by being so adept as his first base position. Freddie is easily one of Atlanta's best and most important players.
5. Dansby Swanson
Swanson has no doubt been the most improved player on this 2019 Braves club. He already has a career high in home runs (15) in just 80 games, a 30 HR pace for the year. He previously had 14 in 136 games last season.
As a former first overall draft choice out of Vanderbilt University, Swanson has finally begin to put the pieces together. He is yet another Brave in contention for the 2019 All-Star game in Cleveland. Manager Brian Snitker raved about Swanson's work ethic during the offseason touching on his recent maturation as an example.
Swanson's improvement is a representation of the teams improvement as a whole. Its time to take Atlanta seriously again.
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