How the Atlanta Braves Have Rebounded from a Missed Postseason to Baseball’s Best Record in 2026
There’s no other team in baseball that’s gotten off to a better start than the Atlanta Braves so far during the 2026 season. On Wednesday night, Braves first baseman Matt Olson crushed a walk-off two-run homer to right-center field, which gave them the series win over the Tigers. Atlanta would drop the series finale this afternoon, but they still own a 22-10 record. It’s the best record in baseball and good enough for a six-and-a-half-game lead in the National League East Division. To put into perspective how impressive a lead that is at this point, no other team in the majors has a division lead of over two games. That has to be a good feeling for Braves fans, considering how uncharacteristically poorly the 2025 season went for Atlanta, when they finished 76-86, which was 20 games back of first place in the division.
The Braves have featured the best offense and the best pitching staff in baseball throughout the first month of the season. Their pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.05, and their lineup is averaging 5.65 runs per game, both of which are the best in the league. This is significantly better than last season, when Atlanta finished the season averaging 4.47 runs per game, which was 13th in the Majors, while having a team ERA of 4.26, which was 22nd in the league. This shows just how quickly this group has flipped into one of baseball’s most complete teams.
The main reason as to why Atlanta’s turnaround is so fascinating is that it’s not like they really added many new faces to their squad during the offseason. Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos did make a couple of moves, but they didn’t totally break the bank. All the more intriguing, the Braves' biggest addition this offseason in terms of average annual value has yet to step on the field so far this season. Atlanta inked free agent shortstop Ha-Seong Kim to a one-year, $20 million contract, expecting him to be the team's everyday shortstop this season. Kim had an unfortunate finger injury this offseason that was caused by slipping on the ice back in his home country of South Korea. The plan is for him to begin a rehab assignment with Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate by the end of this week. Luckily for the Braves, an under-the-radar trade the club made this winter has made Kim’s absence less significant than some may have thought. Atlanta acquired utility man Mauricio Dubon from the Giants this offseason. The 31-year-old has done a great job as their primary shortstop. At the plate, he’s hitting .282 and owns a .764 OPS through his first 110 plate appearances. Dubon has also been awesome defensively with plus-three outs above average so far, which puts him in the 95th percentile amongst all Major League defenders.
Atlanta also brought in two other new players via the free agent market this winter: right-handed reliever Robert Suarez and corner outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. Both veterans have been fully healthy so far this season, and of the two, Suarez is the one who’s made more of an impact. The Braves signed him to a three-year, $45 million contract this winter, and he’s done an outstanding job as a high-leverage arm out of the Braves' bullpen so far. The 35-year-old has given up just one earned run over 12.2 innings while racking up 13 strikeouts. As for Yastrzemski, he’s been off to a relatively cold start at the plate so far in 2026. Through his first 97 plate appearances, the 35-year-old is batting just .205 with a .551 OPS.
The driving force as to why the Braves have been such a better team up to this point has been the simplest way for a team to improve after a down year: Getting better results out of the players that they already had. Pretty much every core player in Atlanta’s lineup from last season that the team retained is outperforming the numbers they put up in 2025. The team’s current leader so far in wins above replacement is first baseman Matt Olson. He’s already accumulated a 2.0 bWAR this season, which is tied for the most in baseball by a position player. The 32-year-old was still impactful last season, posting an .850 OPS, but that’s not nearly as good as the .993 OPS he’s put up so far in 2026. Another infielder that’s followed suit is second baseman Ozzie Albies, who is the longest-tenured player on this Braves team. The three-time all-star selection had a down year in 2025 for his standards, recording a .671 OPS, which is over 100 points lower than his career mark. Albies has looked like a completely different hitter so far in 2026, as he’s hitting .316, which would be by far the best clip of his 10-year Major League career. His early-season turnaround has played a major role in Atlanta’s strong start.
Additionally, Braves fans have to be very pleased with what they’ve seen out of young outfielder Michael Harris II so far this year. The 25-year-old had gotten off to an extremely successful start to his major league career when he posted a 5.1 bWAR in 2022 while winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The former top prospect had the worst year of his career at the plate last season as he was a below-average hitter for the first time, recording a .678 OPS and slugging just over the .400 mark. That has not been the case for him this season, as Harris has been raking so far throughout his first 104 plate appearances. He’s already homered six times, and he owns a .902 OPS to this point. Harris is also an elite defender, so if his bat can perform at this pace over the full season, he’ll certainly be an MVP candidate.
Catcher Drake Baldwin is another young player on this Braves roster who’s made a significant impact on the team's hot start. The 25-year-old did have a really good 2025 season for Atlanta, as he was the recipient of the National League Rookie of the Year Award last season. However, he’s actually been even better so far in 2026, posting an .881 OPS, which is a step up from the .810 OPS he had last season. Baldwin has taken a step forward in the power department; he’s currently on a 35-homer pace with seven long balls in the team's first 30 games of the season. That added pop has helped elevate Atlanta’s lineup to another level.
On the pitching side, things have also dramatically improved for the Braves compared to last season. Atlanta’s pitching staff has followed a similar trend to the lineup in terms of their path to being one of the best units in baseball so far this season. Just like their lineup, the Braves have seen notable improvements from several pitchers who are having career-best seasons so far in 2026. Perhaps the most notable breakout so far has come from right-handed starter Bryce Elder. The 27-year-old came into this season as the Braves' fifth starter, but he’s quite possibly been the best arm in their rotation through the first 31 games of the season. Through his first six starts, Elder owns a 1.95 ERA, and he’s been one of the most efficient pitchers in the league with a 0.97 WHIP.
Atlanta’s opening day starter for this season was left-hander Chris Sale, who won the National League Cy Young Award with the Braves during the 2024 season. The nine-time all-star pitched well in 2025 but was limited to just 20 starts due to a fractured rib. Sale has been healthy so far in 2026 and has also been amongst the best starters in the National League. Through his first six starts, the 37-year-old has a 2.31 ERA to go along with a 0.91 WHIP and a 9.8 K/9. With Sale healthy and performing at an elite level again, he’s reestablished himself as a true anchor at the top of Atlanta’s rotation.
The Braves have also seen key contributions in their impressive starting rotation from another unexpected source. Veteran left-hander Martin Perez actually signed with Atlanta just after the season had already started on a minor league contract. However, he is still fourth on the team in innings pitched, and he’s been a crucial part of Atlanta's pitching staff. The Braves are the seventh team that the 35-year-old has pitched for during his 15-year major league career. He's putting up career-best numbers so far with a 2.22 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP through 28.1 innings on the season.
Possibly the scariest part of the Braves' success so far this season is that they still have several talented players who have yet to step on the field this season but are expected back in the near future. For example, right-handed starter Spencer Strider, who has a career 3.74 ERA and 12.74 career K/9, has yet to pitch in Atlanta’s rotation this season due to an oblique injury. However, the 27-year-old is expected to make his season debut on Sunday. In the lineup, former all-star and Gold Glove-winning catcher Sean Murphy has yet to play this season due to a torn labrum. The 31-year-old is also expected to be back with the major league team soon, as he is currently on a rehab assignment. As mentioned earlier, veteran shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, whom the team signed to a one-year $20 million contract this winter, is also currently on a rehab assignment and should be back with the big league club soon.
Atlanta’s dominant start to the 2026 season is a testament to just how quickly things can change when a team gets the most out of its core players. What’s made the Braves' run to having baseball’s best record more impressive is that they didn’t have a massive roster overhaul this offseason. They have improved mostly by bounce-back performances from players that were already in the organization. Atlanta also didn’t break the bank this offseason, but they have seen key contributions from the players that they did bring in. If this level of production continues within their lineup and their pitching staff, the Braves could continue to run away with the NL East and be one of the most complete teams in all of baseball. After a disappointing 2025, Atlanta has firmly reestablished itself as a legitimate World Series contender.
