New York Mets: The biggest threats in the National League

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 18: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves at bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning in Game Seven of the National League Championship Series at Globe Life Field on October 18, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Atlanta isn’t going anywhere and will be the biggest obstacle in the NL East, let alone the National League. While it’s possible that Marcell Ozuna doesn’t return for them this year, they still have a ton of firepower.

You can’t think about the Braves lineup without thinking about two guys: Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr. Freeman was the NL MVP in 2020, slashing an absurd .341/.462/.640 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs. He’s also a former gold glove winner and is easily the best first baseman in the game.

Acuna meanwhile, is one of the most electric young stars in the game. He had a bit of a down year as far as batting average goes, but he did have 14 home runs and slugged .581 with a .406 on-base percentage. Let’s be honest, we all know what he can do. In 2019, he was 3 stolen bases shy of becoming the fifth player in league history to join the 40-40 club (40 home runs and 40 stolen bases).

Their starting rotation is nothing to sneeze at either. Max Fried is a bonafide stud just entering his prime, coming off a 7 win season with a 2.25 ERA. Mike Soroka will also be back this coming year, albeit off of an Achilles injury. When healthy though, he was an All-Star in 2019 and was the youngest opening day starter in Braves history in 2020.

Also hoping to further establish themselves in the rotation are young guns Ian Anderson and Bryse Wilson. Anderson pitched to a 1.95 ERA in his 6 regular-season starts, and an impressive 0.95 ERA in his 4 starts during the postseason.

Wilson beat Clayton Kershaw in game 4 of the NLCS. He threw 6 brilliant innings, allowing just one run on one hit, with one walk and five strikeouts. He showed not only impressive stuff, but amazing poise on such a big stage. He should be a good one for them.

I will admit, the Braves roster isn’t as all-around impressive as the Dodgers or the Padres, but they are top-heavy with stars, and they certainly have depth throughout their 40 man roster to be able to provide a ton of punch in the division.

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