Keys to victory
Olson fills Freeman’s shoes: He doesn’t necessarily need to duplicate the numbers Atlanta has become accustomed to over the years by 2020 National League MVP Freddie Freeman, new first baseman Matt Olson just needs to be himself. One of the finest allaround first basemen in the game, Olson hit a career-high 39 home runs with 111 RBI last season. The Atlanta area native will be under tremendous pressure to succeed.
Survive until Acuña returns: Atlanta won the World Series without him last year, but they certainly need Ronald Acuña Jr. this season. Acuña is coming off a torn ACL that he suffered in July, prematurely ending his fabulous season in which he was hitting .283 with 24 homers and a .990 OPS. Atlanta wants to be cautious with him and anticipates he’ll be ready by late May. The biggest question will be whether he can return to greatness so quickly after the major injury.
Fried pitches like a Cy Young winner:
Left-hander Max Fried will long be remembered in Braves history for his six-inning scoreless performance in their World Series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Houston Astros. Now, after a long postseason, and a career-high 1921⁄3 innings in the 2021 regular season, Fried will be relied upon again with a rotation that includes Charlie Morton, Ian Anderson, Huscar Ynoa and Kyle Wright.
Rookies Tucker Davidson, Kyle Muller and Spencer Strider are competing for the sixth spot. Fried, 28, who opened last season with two stints on the injured list with a strained hamstring and finger blister, was baseball’s best pitcher down the stretch with a 7-0 record and 1.46 ERA in his last 11 starts.