Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Atlanta Braves are prepared for another face-off with Philadelphia.
They won’t have to wait long: it's opening day, first pitch.
The current NL MVP and his Braves teammates start their 2024 schedule back at Citizens Bank Park, where last season ended with a painful playoff loss in Game 4 of a Division Series.
Just like the year prior.
With six consecutive NL East titles and a 2021 World Series championship, the Braves are the top team in the division. No doubt about it. But the Phillies have had the upper hand in October, making it to the past two NL Championship Series at the expense of Atlanta, only to fall short of winning World Series rings.
“We have a limited time to win,” Philadelphia slugger Bryce Harper said at spring training in Florida. “Our ownership and fans deserve that.”
The recent power struggle between the teams has created a growing rivalry. While the surprising Marlins provided the NL East with a third playoff team last year, the top of the division looks like a battle between two teams this season.
At least according to expectations.
Never big spenders, Miami is without 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara after undergoing Tommy John surgery last October.
The inconsistent New York Mets are focusing more on 2025 following their costly failure last season, which led to a deadline trade-off of veteran players for prospects.
And the Washington Nationals are still in the process of rebuilding around young players.
Here we go again.
Atlanta had the best record in baseball last year at 104-58, finishing 14 games ahead of the Phillies for the second straight season. After matching a major league record with 307 homers, the Braves added outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall to a strong lineup that includes Acuña, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Marcell Ozuna.
They also traded with Boston to acquire starting pitcher Chris Sale, a seven-time All-Star who has been hindered by injuries in recent years.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this staff,” Sale said. “We can inspire one another and compete for another division title and hopefully a World Series championship.”
Philadelphia made significant investments to re-sign Aaron Nola ($172 million) and extend Zack Wheeler's contract from 2025-27 ($126 million).
Acuña is expected to lead off the season opener on March 28 against Wheeler. And might meet again in the fall.
“Playing in Citizens Bank in October, there’s nothing like it,” Wheeler said.
HOW THEY FORECAST
1. Atlanta Braves. The 2023 Braves led the majors in hits, homers, runs, RBIs, and batting average (.276) — exceeding the Texas Rangers’ .263 mark. They need to fill the void left by left fielder Eddie Rosario’s 21 homers, so the focus is on the 24-year-old Kelenic, who displayed promising power potential during last season’s strong start with Seattle. Atlanta also reacquired Duvall in mid-March to platoon with Kelenic. Another hitter to keep an eye on is Michael Harris II, who will move up to the sixth or seventh spot in the lineup after batting ninth for most of last year. Harris, at only 22, is displaying power this spring and could join the team’s list of 30-homer hitters, which last season included Acuña, Olson, Ozuna, Riley, and Albies. Four of them recorded at least 100 RBIs, while Riley finished with 97.
2. Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies didn't make many big changes to their roster in the offseason and chose to keep things the same. They re-signed Nola and gave Wheeler a contract extension to keep their top pitchers. The Phillies want to be a strong team in the NL East and challenge the Braves for the division title. Making the playoffs as a wild card has been successful for Philly. Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, and J.T. Realmuto are key players in an offense that should help the Phillies reach the postseason for a third time. Harper will play first base full-time after switching from the outfield.
3. Miami Marlins. Even without Alcantara, the young and athletic Marlins have a good rotation led by talented left-hander Jesús Luzardo, who had a 10-10 record with a 3.58 ERA and 208 strikeouts in 2023. New president of baseball operations Peter Bendix didn’t make many flashy signings in the offseason but did bring on former AL batting champion Tim Anderson with a one-year contract. The Marlins made the postseason last year for the first time in a full season since 2003 thanks to NL Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker and big league batting champ Luis Arráez (.354). Both are back to build on that success.
4. New York Mets. After a disappointing season despite having the highest payroll in baseball history, the team is under new management. Mets owner Steve Cohen brought in new president of baseball operations David Stearns, who hired rookie manager Carlos Mendoza — the former Yankees bench coach. Star player Pete Alonso’s upcoming free agency next winter will make him the center of attention all year. A suspect rotation suffered a blow when Kodai Senga, runner-up for 2023 NL Rookie of the Year, got injured early in spring training with a shoulder strain. He’s expected to be sidelined until at least late April or May. All-Star closer Edwin Díaz, who missed last season with a knee injury, returns to lead a stronger bullpen. The core position players from a 101-win playoff team in 2022 are still here, but this team seems headed for third or fourth place.
5. Washington Nationals. The Nationals care more about progress than their win-loss record and are counting on certain potential stars to keep improving the team and move it away from four consecutive last-place finishes. Will 2023 NL All-Star Josiah Gray, CJ Abrams and Keibert Ruiz develop? Could outfielders James Wood and Dylan Crews make appearances in the majors? One thing no longer hanging over the franchise: The Lerner family has decided not to sell the club after nearly two years of looking for a buyer.
LONDON CALLING
While the Braves and Phillies seem most likely to dominate the division, it will be the Phillies and Mets who play a two-game series in London from June 8-9, the latest international showcase for Major League Baseball.
RECORD COMPANY
The talented Acuña had an incredible 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases last season. Olson set a new Braves record with 54 home runs. What will they do next?
Acuña didn't play for two weeks during spring training due to pain in his knee that had previously been operated on, but then came back to play two weeks before the season started.
