Braves analyst suggests ideal batter behind Ronald Acuna Jr. in two-hole

The Atlanta Braves are in the middle of a frustrating season. They'll be relieved with Ronald Acuna Jr.'s blockbuster return, but if the team wants to go on a winning run, their offense needs to start firing, especially the top of the order.

While Acuna Jr. is the leadoff order, it gets messy from there. Ideally, the top of the order should consist of your best three hitters in the lineup, but manager Brian Snitker has gone with an order designed for pitching matchups.

MLB analyst Stephen Tolbert spoke on who should be hitting in the two-hole behind Acuna Jr. on Hammer Territory. He suggested going with Matt Olson and then Marcell Ozuna in the third spot.

“I can’t stand when you get to the ninth inning of a game, and you only have three guys getting that extra at-bat — and one of them is not one of your best hitters,” Tolbert said. “That always pisses me off.

“If I’m ever filling out a lineup card on this team: Acuña’s one, Olson’s two, Ozuna’s three. I don’t think that’s how Snit will do it, but that’s how I would do it.” (28:40 onwards).

Acuna Jr.'s MVP presence at the top, coupled with Olson’s power from the left side and Ozuna’s RBI prowess, gives the Braves a devastating 1-2-3 punch.

Stephen Tolbert doesn't like the magical chair going on at the heart of Braves batting order

During the podcast, Stephen Tolbert pushed back on the team’s configurations that have featured players like Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II in key top-of-the-order roles.

Tolbert believes that at this point of the season, the Braves must have keyed on who they want to play most of the at-bats.

“Dropping Riley down to five — I mean, you kind of have to at this point, honestly,” Tolbert said. “The problem is the Braves just have like four guys right now that you’re like... ‘It’d be nice if we could bat him ninth,’ but you can’t.”

One way to address the lineup would be to bump a red-hot Ozzie Albies back up to the second spot, especially when Sean Murphy catches. However, Tolbert believes that having the best three hitters at the top of the order is the most ideal scenario.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra