Fantasy Baseball: Which Atlanta Braves Pitchers Can You Trust?
The Atlanta Braves are the best team in the National League.
Wait, say that again?
That's right, the Atlanta Braves, those rebuilding Atlanta Braves, are the best team in the NL right now. Entering play Friday, they have a 19-11 record and hold a 1.5-game lead over the New York Mets, whom they just swept in a three-game series in the Big Apple.
Although the Arizona Diamondbacks have the best record in the NL (21-10), the Braves' +57 run differential is the largest in the NL, much better than the D-Backs' +39, and it's tied with the Boston Red Sox for the second-largest in baseball (just behind the Houston Astros' +58).
Much of this is due to the offense, which is piling up the runs thanks to the Mike Trout-like performance of Ozzie Albies, the incredible start by Ronald Acuna, the continued excellence of Freddie Freeman, and solid play from veterans Nick Markakis and Ender Inciarte. All these players have been fantasy studs for owners, and if you were smart enough to draft both Albies and Acuna, you're loving life right now.
But the starting pitching staff has been just as big a reason for the Atlanta turnaround. During fantasy drafts back in March, there was only one starter on teams' radars, Julio Teheran. The rest of the rotation was filled with injury-prone veterans or unproven younger players, all of whom are pitching extremely well so far.
Which Atlanta pitchers can you trust in fantasy, and which should be ready to sell at the first sign of trouble?
