Good Luck Pitching to This Braves Lineup — It’s Only Getting Stronger

Apr 26, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (20) readies himself to bat during the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images

Marcell Ozuna has been nothing short of a nightmare for opposing pitchers this season. He makes them pay when given the chance, and yesterday was another reminder — a towering 443-foot shot to the second deck off Arizona’s Merrill Kelly. It was an absolute no-doubter that sent a loud message.

Heading into today’s series finale, Ozuna leads all of Major League Baseball with 26 walks. There is a big difference between a hitter grinding out at-bats and pitchers basically deciding they want no part of him. With Ozuna, it feels like the latter, even though Ozuna is a disciplined batter as well, but who could blame them? You really do not want to necessarily pitch to Marcell Ozuna.

Not only is he patient at the plate, he is selective and still dangerous even when he chases. Ozuna sits in the 95th percentile in chase rate, swinging at just 18.3 percent of pitches outside the zone. Even when he does expand his zone, he still makes contact 53.5 percent of the time. Simply put, he is not giving away many at-bats.

The bigger problem for opposing teams? This Braves lineup is loaded around him. Sean Murphy has already crushed seven home runs in just 15 games and 50 at-bats, and Austin Riley is right behind him with six bombs of his own. Atlanta as a team is currently top 10 in the Majors with 35 home runs, and with their upcoming series in Colorado, that number could inflate even more.

This is a very opportunistic team at the plate. While Ozuna might garner a lot of the attention and detailed scouting from opposing pitchers, there is plenty more where that came from. You cannot dodge everyone.

Now, Atlanta still has work to do to become a fully well-rounded offense. As a team, they are hitting .238 with a .717 OPS — numbers that sit around the middle of the pack overall. However, the improvement lately has been dramatic.

According to Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley on X), since April 4th, Atlanta ranks among the top five in several major hitting categories:

• 1st – .456 SLG

• 2nd – .267 AVG

• 3rd – 31 HR

• 4th – 121 wRC+

• 5th – .339 OBP

The Braves' offense also owns the third-highest fWAR (4.6) over that stretch, while posting a 12-7 record during that time. It is clear that Atlanta is heating up, and when they are rolling, there might not be a tougher lineup to navigate in baseball.

The emergence of Eli White just backs that up even more. White is sneaking up on teams with the way he has been producing, and it will not be long before people around the league start taking real notice. Last night, White came through in a big way again, hammering a seventh-inning home run to help Atlanta claw back against the Diamondbacks. It was another reminder of how deep this roster can go — even the guys that are the least known can flip a game.

White brings a different kind of energy to this group. His elite speed, strong defense, and timely bat are giving Atlanta another weapon in a lineup that was already stacked. He is the kind of player that shows why this Braves lineup is dangerous — it is not just the big names you have to worry about anymore.

This lineup is exciting. It is dangerous. The cream is rising, and players are making strides and improvements. The scariest part is, the Braves have not even come close to playing their best baseball yet.

It has all the makings of a very fun summer in Atlanta.