Eight Braves Headline NL All Star Representatives

Jul 1

After earning three All Star starters, five more will join them in Seattle, including Matt Olson and Austin Riley (Photo by John Bazemore, AP)

The 2023 MLB All Star Game rosters were fully unveiled on Sunday. The Braves won three of the National League starters ballots earlier, with the likes of Ronald Acuña Jr., Orlando Arcia, and Sean Murphy earning the starter’s roles in the outfield, shortstop, and catcher respectively.

All three alone have earned their status as starters. Acuña is playing at an historic pace, Arcia has been a nice all around find, and Murphy has instantly become one of the best catchers in the NL.

However, on Sunday’s roster and reserves reveal, five additional players will be joining them. The five reserves they earned include Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Bryce Elder, and Spencer Strider. Their eight nominees are the most for a single All Star Game in their franchise’s history.

While the Braves are cruising their way to an NL East crown and are a powerhouse, this number is unprecedented. The last time a team had that many nominees was the Seattle Mariners in 2001, a team that played at a level as high as this year’s Braves. It’s especially surprising considering the road a few players took to this point.

Spencer Strider has seen his numbers regress after winning the Rookie of the Year award, but made the All Star roster regardless (Photo by Jim McIsaac, AP)

Riley got off to a sluggish start to the season, with a batting average hovering around .250 in May. However, since then he’s gotten that number up to .270 with 15 homers and 43 RBI’s. Even Strider has had a bad year to this point, with the Rookie of the Year finalist pitching to a 3.66 ERA in his sophomore season. However, with a 10-2 record, it was enough for him to win a spot on the roster.

However, the rest of the roster is much deserving of the honors. Olson has the most homers in the NL, Albies has bounced back after an injury-riddled 2022, and Elder has broken out after an up-and-down rookie campaign.

Even if the Braves may have some interesting nods, it truly is unprecedented with how rare it is to have that much. It proves that the Braves are a force to be reckoned with and will be for years to come.