The Atlanta Braves have been a disappointment this season, and their offense deserves most of the blame.
Just two years ago, the Braves hit 307 home runs, tied for the most by a team in a single season, but Atlanta’s offense in 2025 looks like a shell of itself compared to 2023.
The Braves’ underwhelming offense is a big reason they’re 10.5 games back in the National League East, but their stellar defense has prevented the bottom from completely falling out.
Atlanta leads all of Major League Baseball with 59 Defensive Runs Saved, a whopping 18 runs more than the next closest team. It’s been a collective team effort, but a few players deserve special recognition.
The Gold Glove Award is given annually to the best defensive player at each position in each league, and MLB.com predicts that Atlanta will have three recipients, more than any other team in the National League.
Of the three players projected to win the award, Matt Olson is the most deserving. Olson leads all first basemen with 8 Outs Above Average (OAA) and 12 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). Olson won back-to-back Gold Gloves with the Athletics (2018-19), and he looks like a lock to win the award for a third time.
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Nick Allen has never won a Gold Glove Award, but his performance this year should change that. Another defensive wizard the Braves acquired from the Athletics, Allen is first among NL shortstops with 9 OAA and 11 DRS.
While the Braves have two position players projected to win the award, their pitchers have cornered the market on Gold Gloves in recent years. Chris Sale and Max Fried have combined to win the award four times in the last five seasons, and Spencer Schwellenbach could keep that trend going.
Schwellenbach leads all pitchers with 6 DRS, and he’s the only player MLB.com voted as a unanimous pick for the award.
If there is one thing the Braves can be proud of in this turbulent season, it’s their defense. The stellar play of Olson, Allen, and Schwellenbach has kept Atlanta afloat, and it should lead to them receiving some hardware at the end of the season.
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