ATLANTA – In 2018, the Braves were coming off four consecutive losing seasons, the final three having been the byproduct of a massive rebuild. In 2019, the Braves were picked by most to finish third or fourth in the East, analysts then being agog over the thought of Bryce Harper with the Phillies. In 2020, spring training was halted on March 12 and what remained of the baseball season didn’t get going until July.
Oh, and Freddie Freeman tested positive on the first day of summer camp.
Oh, and the rotation fell to pieces.
And yet: Here the Braves stand, National League East champs three times running. When last we saw them, they were playing – and for a while, leading – the Dodgers in Game 7 of the NLCS.
They haven’t been losers, intentionally or otherwise, since 2017. Their rebuild essentially ended last fall, when their lovingly cultivated young arms carried them to two postseason series wins and a 3-1 lead in the third. They’re no longer shocked when they do something good; they fully expect to do something great – i.e., win the World Series – before long.