Four Braves who surpassed expectations in 2021

Pleasant surprises help drive team to top of NL East.

The Braves are trying to hang on and earn their fourth consecutive National League East title in the coming weeks. They’ve overcome myriad misfortune along the way, but not every surprise was a bad one. Here are several players who’ve surpassed expectations:

Third baseman Austin Riley

Riley producing at the plate isn’t a surprise. His defensive improvement isn’t, either. But Riley forcing his way into the fringes of the National League MVP conversation was unexpected. His plate discipline has made enormous strides. He’s hitting around .300 late in the year. He’s earned his first 30-homer season.

Riley arguably has been the Braves’ best player, which about nobody would’ve predicted, and he’s established himself as the long-term answer at third base. He’s hitting .298 with an .886 OPS in a league-leading 143 games.

“I don’t know how he wouldn’t be in the (MVP) conversation,” starter Charlie Morton said this month.

Starter Huascar Ynoa

Ynoa was the Braves’ best pitcher earlier in the season before a self-inflicted broken hand sidelined him for months. But he returned in August and didn’t seem to miss a beat, continuing to build on his breakout 2021. He has a 3.26 ERA in 15 games (77⅓ innings). And he learned a lesson in maturity along the way.

“I got taken out of the game, and I was frustrated,” Ynoa said, recounting the day he broke his hand May 16. “I sat down, and I punched the bench. Just sort of those things that happen when you’re frustrated and angry . ... The lesson would be just how you handle yourself during those frustrating moments and how to conduct yourself in the right manner.”

Whether Ynoa is a starter longterm is yet to be determined, but he’s proved he can excel in the majors with a crisp fastball-slider combination. How he expands his repertoire could determine his future in a rotation. Regardless, Ynoa, acquired in the Jaime Garcia trade of 2017, is looking like a steal.

Reliever Luke Jackson

Some fans moaned when the Braves decided against nontendering Jackson in December. Their choice looks brilliant: Jackson, coming off a dreadful 2020, has been the team’s best reliever. The right-hander struck out the side Wednesday, including fanning Rockies shortstop Trevor Story on a fastball down the pipe.

It was just his latest superb performance.

Jackson is among the more reliable relievers in the majors. He has a 2.06 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 56 innings (63 games). He’s kept the opponent scoreless in 52 of those appearances and has allowed more than one run in only two outings.

Outfielder Jorge Soler

The Braves made six trades in July to bolster an ailing roster. Each of them worked to some extent, particularly in the outfield, where four newcomers have stabilized the group after the Braves lost superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. to a torn ACL just before the All-star break.

Adam Duvall has been crucial, and while he’s having a career year at the plate, it’s difficult to call that a true surprise. Joc Pederson and Eddie Rosario, meanwhile, have filled their roles admirably. But Soler has been better than imagined, and vastly better than his first-half production in Kansas City.

Soler hit .192/.288/.370 with 13 homers, 37 RBIS and 38 runs in 94 games with the Royals. He teased his Braves tenure during his last nine games in Kansas City when he homered six times, but few saw this coming. Soler has hit .277/.362/.523 with 10 home runs and 22 RBIS with the Braves, hitting second in the lineup ahead of reigning MVP Freddie Freeman. He had a career-best 12-game hitting streak entering Friday.

“He’s been so good here and so clutch,” manager Brian Snitker said. “And consistent. When we talked to the Kansas City guys, they told us you need to get him in there (the lineup) because at the time that he left, they said he was swinging the bat pretty well. He’s continued to do that. Just some really good at-bats, taking his walks and everything. He’s been really, really good here.”

Honorable mentions:

Pitching prospects Kyle Muller and Tucker Davidson, both of whom showed promise in their first extended time in the majors, deserve mention. Both lefties will factor into the Braves’ plans in 2022, especially Muller, who flashed front-line starter potential earlier this summer.

Shortstop Dansby Swanson’s power surge can’t go unmentioned. Swanson, whose career high in homers was 17 entering the season, has slugged 26 home runs. The Braves are close to becoming the first infield in which each member hit 30 home runs. Swanson and second baseman Ozzie Albies (28 homers) will try to reach that mark.

Edgar Santana last pitched in 2018 while with the Pirates. The Braves acquired him from Pittsburgh in April, and unexpectedly, Santana has become a routine contributor in the bullpen. Santana has a 3.67 ERA over 40 appearances (41⅔ innings). He’s been far from perfect, but the Braves acquired a quality reliever for “cash considerations,” which is a win.

One more surprise worth noting: When the 44-44 Braves lost Acuna, many wrote them off. They’re 32-24 since, taking over first place. Whatever happens in the coming weeks, the Braves deserve kudos for how they’ve handled themselves since losing their MVP candidate.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos nailed the trade deadline. The players he acquired — at a minimal cost — made an astronomic difference and helped save the Braves’ season. In the mediocre NL East, everybody had a chance. The Braves never lost sight of that despite all their misfortune, and by month’s end, they might secure their toughest division title in recent years.