Braves players begin reporting to spring training camp in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Friday, Feb. 15.
Atlanta made the postseason last season for the first time since 2013. The division winners of the National League East, Atlanta finished the 2018 regular season with a 90-72 record, their best since 2013.
The Braves had the Rookie of Year in Ronald Acuna and the Manager of the Year Brian Snitker.
But the team’s performance was greater than most of baseball. Here are six stats from Major League Baseball in 2018 and a look at how the Braves compared:
Batting average
• Big league batting average dropped seven points last year to .248, its lowest level since 1972.
• Braves' team batting average in 2018 was .257, down from .263 in 2017.
Hits vs. strikeouts
• Strikeouts set a record for the 11th straight year, increasing by 1,103 to 41,207, and topped hits (41,019) for the first time in major league history.
• Braves had 1,467 hits in 2017 (4th in the N.L.) while Braves pitchers recorded 1,258 strikeouts. In 2018, Atlanta pitchers threw 1,423 strikeouts, while batters compiled 1,433 hits (2nd in the NL).
Average innings pitched
• Average innings per start dropped from 5.89 in 2012 to 5.65 in 2016, the last year of the old labor contract. The average sunk to 5.51 in 2017 and 5.36 last season.
• In 2017 and '18, Braves pitchers averaged 5.6 innings per start.
Pitches per start
• Average pitches per start fell across MLB, from 95 in 2012 to 93 in 2016, 92 in 2017 and 88 last year.
• On average, Braves starters averaged 91 pitches per start in 2018 vs. 93 in 2017.
In relief
• Teams averaged 3.4 relievers per game last year, up from 3.2 in 2016 and '17 and 3.0 in 2012, according to Sports Info Solutions. The total number of relief pitchers used was 16,339 last season, up from 15,657 in 2017.
• Braves used a total of 26 pitchers in 2017 — 20 in relief. That number rose in 2018 with Atlanta using 36 total pitchers — 31 in relief.
Average game time
• Nine-inning games averaged 3 hours, 44 seconds last year, down from 3:05:11 in 2017.
• The Braves' average game time for nine-inning games was 2 hours, 59 minutes and 11 seconds in 2018, down from 3:00:58 in 2017.
— This article includes information from the Associated Press.
