The new-era Braves had long planned to win a World Series with pitching as the foundation, just as they did during their 1990s heyday. The Braves won the championship in 2021, but it didn’t go according to that plan. Instead of thriving with a deep group of arms, the Braves grinded through the regular season and then got good performances from unlikely candidates in the playoffs.
That’s very hard to do. The odds are against the Braves doing it twice. There are a lot of good reasons to believe the Braves can repeat as Series champs. A lack of pitching depth is one good reason to doubt them.
The Braves will open the season Thursday with only two starting pitchers who’ve spent at least two full seasons in the majors. Right-hander Charlie Morton, 38, is old reliable. Lefty Max Fried, 28, is the late bloomer. The Braves can expect those pitchers to give them quality starts each time out. The other three rotation slots are filled by Ian Anderson, Kyle Wright and Huascar Ynoa.
