Due to a devastating problem, Jake Mastroianni the most talented key player would terminate his contract.

ATLANTA — Listeners asked host Jake Mastroianni of the Locked On Braves podcast this week to rank his top five Braves players.

He talked about how good the Braves were and how the team has up to seven players of all-Star caliber who will be playing in 2023 before revealing his picks to the audience. He believes this should get the fans excited for the upcoming season.

The Braves won the 2021 World Series, and the previous season they again took first place in the NL East before losing to the Phillies in the NLDS. In 2023, they’ll try to win six straight NL East championships in the hopes of returning to the World Series.

Ronald Acuña Jr., who is likely at the top (or very close to the top) of most Braves fans’ lists, is ranked first. Regarding Acuña Jr., Mastroianni stated, “I’m assuming he’s going to be back and be healthy and I still think he’s the best player on the team.” “He’s an MVP-level talent—what he gives you offensively and what he can do defensively when healthy,” Mastroianni continued. With health concerns in 2022, Acuña Jr. began the season later than usual and ended up playing in just 119 games. Despite this, he managed to bat 266/.351/.413 with 50 runs batted in and 15 home runs.

2. Strider Spencer
Spencer Strider is the next person listed. In 2022, Strider came in second to teammate Michael Harris in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Mastroianni thinks Strider has the potential to win a Cy Young Award as early as 2023 and that he could be a valuable pitcher for the Braves.

For the Braves, Strider made 20 starts out of 31 appearances, going 11-5 with a 2.67 ERA in 131 ⅔ innings. “He is a must-watch on TV whenever he is on the mound,” Mastroianni said on the show, citing his stellar 202 strikeouts and just 45 walks.

3. Michael Lee Harris
Michael Harris, the previously mentioned Rookie of the Year, comes in third for Mastroianni. Harris batted.297/.339/.514 in his fantastic rookie season, with 19 home runs and 64 runs batted in. In addition to winning Rookie of the Year, he participated in 114 games, garnered some MVP votes, and finished 13th.

Mastroianni believes that fans enjoy watching Harris because of his ability to play both offensively and defensively. Furthermore, Harris is still young—he turns 22 in March—so if he’s this good now, what can we expect from him when he reaches his prime years from now?

4. Max Fried
Mastroianni ranks Max Fried at number four, and he notes that some people are omitting Fried completely from their own lists. Mastroianni notes that while he finds Fried’s work to be enjoyable, it may not be to everyone’s taste. With a 2.48 ERA in 185 and ⅓ innings pitched, Fried—who came in second to Sandy Alcantara in the National League Cy Young vote in 2022—went 14-7.

Fried’s fastball averages about 94 mph, so he’s not a hard-thrower, but he can get guys to chase the ball and induce weak contact with his slider. Mastroianni went so far as to contrast Strider and Fried, stating that while Strider has greater strength, Fried puts more effort into getting hitters out.