There have been plenty of Braves teams with much more power than the current lineup, and even more Braves teams that had significantly better pitching than this one. But there might never have been a Braves team that’s more aggressive than the one we’re seeing now.
In its approach at the plate and on the basepaths, this youthful team has seized upon the edict of a new analytics-intensive front office and revamped coaching staff and been resolute in its plan to push hard, throttle wide open, allowing opposing pitchers and defenders fewer opportunities to catch their breath or get comfortable.
And it’s working.
The 16-11 Braves, who swing at a higher percentage of first pitches (34.8) than any other major league team and take a lower percentage (51.8) of overall pitches than any team except the Tigers, begin May with the majors’ third-highest scoring average at 5.59 per game, nearly a half-run above the National League’s next-highest scoring average, the Cubs’ 5.12.
With one-sixth of the season completed, the Braves led the majors in OBP (.343) and led the NL in batting average (.268), slugging percentage (.440) and OPS (.781) entering Tuesday’s series opener against the Mets, who are 1½ games ahead of the second-place Braves in the NL East.
The Braves’ league-leading 101 extra-base hits and 66 doubles -- a franchise pre-May record – are a reflection of the team’s decision to be much more aggressive this season, always trying to take an extra base, always barreling out of the batter’s box at full bore, willing to risk being thrown out because management has determined that the benefits outweigh any negatives from such an approach. As one Braves official said, the brass doesn’t mind seeing players make aggressive mistakes.
“Just trying to be aggressive on the bases,” said Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte, who leads the majors with 13 stolen bases. “Everybody here’s been doing a great job. If you put pressure on their pitchers, you can take their focus off the hitter and also make them think about a lot of things on the bases too.”
It bears repeating, a Braves team that leads the majors in percentage of first-pitch swings also leads the majors in on-base percentage. And, by the way, the Braves have the second-fewest strikeouts in the NL (222).
“It’s being on the attack in the zone,” Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer said. “We really focus on hunting pitches in our spot instead of just hunting heaters (fastballs) and going on strikes. We’re trying to get it dialed in to where we can get something we can drive. I mean, big-league pitching’s nasty, so there’s going to be chases.
“But we’re trying to shrink the (number of) chases and increase the in-zone swinging, and all the analytics and new stuff that we’re getting daily reports on – you know, exit velocities and launch angles and in-zone swings, decision-making – throughout the game, for each guy individually I’m getting daily (analytics). So we’re able to have more ongoing conversations, especially with the young guys.”
Guys like Ozzie Albies, who in his first full season in the majors is playing not just like a leading All-Star candidate, he’s playing like an MVP. Granted, it way early for such discussions, but Albies begins May as the major league leader in extra-base hits (22) including nine homers to tie for the NL lead. He’s batting .293 with a .341 OBP and the league’s second-highest slugging percentage (.647).
This from a 21-year-old second baseman who is generously listed at 5-foot-8 and was the youngest player in the majors until last week when the Braves called up phenom Ronald Acuna. Braves slugger Freddie Freeman (.995) and Albies (.988) are second and fourth in the majors in OPS.
Seitzer doesn’t need to tell Freeman anything at this point of his career, but he stays in the ears of Albies and others about the need to be ready to make adjustments.
“With Albies, the way he’s getting pitched and the adjustments that he’s going to have to make as they accumulate data and video on him,” Seitzer said, “I’ve been telling him, these guys are preparing a plan of attack for us the same way our pitching coaches are preparing to go after other teams’ hitters. Where their hot zones and cold zones are, count-to-count, lefty, righty, certain pitches, what type of hitter you are, where you’re doing damage, when you’re doing, and so we have to make adjustments with our approach depending on how they’re going after us.”
The same will apply to Acuna eventually. Baseball’s consensus No. 1 prospect is off to a resounding start, batting .421 (8-for-19) with four doubles, one homer, four RBIs, three walks and a .500 on-base percentage in his first five games.
For now, other than gently pointing out to him how long he was getting in his swing at Triple-A Gwinnett before his call-up and in his first pregame batting-practice session last week, Seitzer said, “We’re just going to let him play. Not going to hit him with too much early. Let him settle in, get used to big-league lifestyle.”
While Albies has helped the Braves vastly improve their home-run rate from the past few seasons, they’ve boosted their stolen base numbers just as dramatically, entering May tied for third in stolen bases (24) and with more attempts (32) than any team except the Nationals (36).
The Braves last finished among the top 10 in steals in 2000.
“That’s what speed allows you to do,” said Braves right fielder Nick Markakis, a team elder statesman at 34, who’s off to one of the best starts of his career, batting .302 with four homers and an .876 OPS. “The top of our lineup has got speed. We’ve got speed up and down the lineup, which is nice. We’re aggressive. That’s what they preach to us; we want to push the envelope, make (opposing teams) make perfect plays. And if they they don’t make that perfect play, we get the extra bag.
“You get as many guys in scoring position as you can, with our lineup anything can happen. We’re doing it good and we’ve just got to continue it.”
Inciarte’s 13 stolen bases came in 15 attempts through the end of April, just nine steals shy of the career-high 22 he set in 2017. He credits offseason work he did with an Orlando speed coach and continues doing with Braves strength and conditioning coaches, but says much of the improvement in his theft rate is because of new first-base coach Eric Young Sr., a former stolen base champion who gives Braves runners tips on technique and pitchers’ tendencies.
“Like I say, everybody’s been aggressive on the bases, so it’s not only me that they’ve been aware of,” Inciarte said. “Freddie stole a base (Friday at Philadelphia), they thought they could get him out and he had a great jump. Ozzie ended up stealing home on that play (on a double steal). So the more aggressive we can be on the bases, the more pressure we can put on their pitchers.”
Young also works on generally aggressive baserunning technique with the Braves, work that began in the first week of spring training.
"EY picks up on a lot of things and he's got a lot of good stuff for these guys," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "We've got half the team probably, at any given time, have that ability (to steal a base). More than stolen bases I just like the way they're taking the extra bases, leaving home plate looking for two and getting it, and we're going first to third and getting it. Scoring from first on doubles. Those are the things that, to me, help more than the stolen base."
