Which Atlanta Braves Player Need a Bounce Back the Most?

On paper, this Atlanta Braves team is better than the one that finished with 76 wins last year. However, like the previous season, they're going to need some key players to return to form if they want to turn the corner.

There is a list of those who need a bounce back. However, to dig a little deeper, let's determine who needs it more than the others. We'll discuss four players and work our way toward who the leading candidate is. Let's get the countdown started.

4) Michael Harris II

The reason he's on this list is because of how poorly his season began. He was statistically the worst-qualified hitter in major league baseball up until the All-Star Break. There are still some things he needs to work on.

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However, what has him at No. 4 is that he was great after the break. Here are his splits for before and after the Midsummer Classic.

• Before: .215 avg, .551 OPS, six home runs, 44 RBIs 
• After: .299 avg, .845 OPS, 14 home runs, 42 RBIs

It's night and day. We're going to be fair here. He has needed work to do, but he's far from being the one who needs to bounce back the most.

3) Spencer Strider

Strider had his ups and downs as he got back on the mound following his missed time. The long ball killed him for a good stretch in the middle of the summer. He has six starts in which he allowed multiple home runs in the game.

However, his last six starts were promising. He had a 2.50 ERA in that span, but baserunners were still an issue. The key difference was that he started keeping the ball in the yard.

He gets some benefit of the doubt for last season because he was coming back from an injury. That being said, the Braves need all the help from the rotation they can get, making Strider an early X-factor.

2) Austin Riley

Multiple injuries. Multiple slow starts. Austin Riley has had it rough the past two seasons. All things considered, his numbers haven't been bad, but they're far from what many had grown accustomed to during his All-Star seasons.

Just staying healthy would be a good start. If the Braves can get 150 games out of him, he and the team will already be in a better spot by default. Getting closer to where he was when he was considered a top third baseman in the game would be massive. That could be the difference for whether or not the Braves resume being an offensive force.

1) Ozzie Albies

Albies has had plenty of the same issues as his counterparts. He's had multiple injuries, slow starts, and strong performances late in the season. It would have been tougher to rank him if not for one crucial detail.

He lacks the same job security. He has a club option for next season. That's it.

Riley is locked into what is essentially a lifetime contract, through his age-35 season, with a club option for one more year. Harris is signed through the next decade as well. Strider is locked in for at least the next three seasons.

Then, there is the man in a prove-it year. He got a chance because his contract is cheap, $7 million, and it's the same for next season. However, the longer he struggles, the more likely his time in Atlanta is numbered. It makes his future beyond 2026 iffier. What helps Albies is that if he has a good year, the worries could vanish into thin air.

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