What's in store for the Braves in 2024?

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- Winning a seventh consecutive National League East title would be great. But the Braves came to Spring Training this year with their focus far beyond the capture of another division crown.

“There should be no acceptance of anything less than winning a World Series in this organization,” Braves Opening Day starter Spencer Strider said. “I’m biased, but this is the most talented team in baseball. We need to set our bar as high as possible. Anything less than that is an underachievement for us.”

The Braves have no hardware to show for the 100-win campaigns they have produced each of the past two seasons. Both years ended with them losing to the division rival Phillies in the NL Division Series.

Could this year be different? The Braves return all but one player from the historically great lineup that produced a AL/NL-record .501 slugging percentage and matched the 2019 Twins' MLB record with 307 homers last year. The newcomer is Jarred Kelenic who has the chance to be more productive than Eddie Rosario.

The bullpen has also been fortified and the rotation is headed by two National League Cy Young Award candidates. A third straight 100-win season is possible. But this requires many things to go right. Here are some keys, and some superlatives, for the Braves this coming season.

What needs to go right?

This team simply needs to stay healthy. They return many of the same players from a team that claimed 104 wins, despite going most of the season without two of their top starting pitchers (Max Fried and Kyle Wright). Fried and Strider are legit NL Cy Young candidates, and Ronald Acuña Jr.’s bid for a second straight MVP could be threatened by the production of teammates Matt Olson and Austin Riley. Atlanta possesses one of the game’s best offenses and an elite rotation, but it won’t be surprising if the team’s fortified bullpen draws equal praise as the club bids for a seventh straight NL East title.

Great unknown

Kelenic doesn’t have to immediately be an All-Star, but he must at least create confidence he is capable of living up to his great potential. He created encouragement near the end of camp as he started to produce results with the new swing he developed at the start of Spring Training. The 24-year-old outfielder is a better defender than Rosario, and he is certainly capable of besting what Rosario provided as Atlanta’s left fielder last year. But until Kelenic finally finds some consistency, there will be some who doubt his bid to show why he was the game’s No. 4 prospect just three years ago.

Team MVP will be?

As long as he is healthy, Acuña will serve as the team’s preseason pick through at least the 2028 season, which is the last controllable year of his current deal. Riley and Olson are legit NL MVP candidates, but Acuña spent last year showing why he may one day be remembered as one of the greatest of the greats. The Braves' right fielder probably won’t match last year’s historic 40-70 season, but could he become the first player to record a second consecutive 40-40 season?

Team Cy Young will be?

Coming into Spring Training, Fried felt like the right choice. But even if Fried does indeed shine during what might be his final season with Atlanta, it’s hard to pick against an improved Strider.

Strider established himself as the game’s top strikeout artist the past two seasons. With his offseason addition of a curveball, he may quickly become widely recognized as the game’s top pitcher. The 25-year-old hurler was highly effective with a fastball-slider mix. The addition of a more vertical breaking ball should give him a chance to vie for a 300-strikeout season.

Bold prediction

Honestly, Acuña notching a second straight 40-40 season doesn’t feel all that bold. There are a lot of ways to go when choosing from a lineup that begins with five players who have at least one 30-homer season.

But my most confident prediction is that Michael Harris II will become the latest member of this offense to hit 30-plus homers. A back strain sidelined and hampered Harris during last season’s first two months. He still flirted with a 20-homer season. The 23-year-old center fielder will enjoy a 30-homer season on the way to winning both a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove Award this year.