ESPN handed out midseason grades for all 30 MLB teams, and spoiler alert, the Braves did not score well.
The club received an “F” for its first-half performance, making it one of three organizations (with the Rockies and Orioles) to earn a failing grade.
ESPN reporter David Schoenfield called the Braves “the biggest disappointment in the National League” and said the club is falling short of its preseason expectations of battling for a World Series, a statement reflected within its 39-51 record and 13-game deficit in the NL East.
“(The Braves are) fighting the Orioles for most disappointing overall,” Schoenfield wrote.
The Braves had lost 10 of their past 12 games entering Wednesday, which included five consecutive losses to the Angels, Orioles and Athletics. And the team’s postseason chances appear bleak.
The club has a 3.8% chance of making the playoffs — 3.5% to earn a wild-card spot and 0.3% to win the division — according to FanGraphs Baseball. Those odds are only better than the Angels (3.4%), Orioles (2.8%), Marlins (0.5%), Athletics (0.2%), Nationals (0%), Pirates (0%), Rockies (0%) and White Sox (0%).
The Braves also have a 0.3% chance of winning the World Series. And although that ironically is the same percentage FanGraphs gave the club to win the title July 13, 2021 — just over three months before it won the World Series — the Braves at least had a 7.5% chance of making the playoffs at the time with only a 4.5-game deficit in their division.
“We’re struggling,” manager Brian Snitker said during the Braves’ series with the Orioles. “It’s frustrating to me. It’s (frustrating) for the coaches, for the players, everybody — nobody likes where we’re at right now.”
The Braves have time to turn their season around, but the clock is ticking. There are only 21 days until the July 31 trade deadline, and the club currently resembles a seller more than a buyer.
And after slapping an “F” on the Braves’ report card, ESPN seems to agree.
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