The Atlanta Braves and their starting rotation are making some serious noise in Spring Training. If you were hoping last year’s pitching dominance was a fluke, it wasn’t.
As of Sunday morning, the Braves’ starting pitching leads all of Major League Baseball with a sharp 2.60 ERA, just ahead of the Detroit Tigers (2.70).
It’s not even close when you compare them to other National League teams. The San Francisco Giants are the next best in the Cactus League with a 3.31 ERA.
Carrying Over Last Season’s Dominance
This is coming off a season where Atlanta’s rotation had the best ERA in the National League (3.58) and ranked third across all of MLB. In other words, this isn’t some early spring fluke—this staff knows how to get the job done.
Chris Sale and Ian Anderson are leading the way. Sale has been absolutely spotless, throwing six innings without giving up an earned run. Anderson, meanwhile, has surrendered just one run over eight innings. It’s not a bad way to start the year.
And it’s not just ERA that they’re crushing. They’re tied with the Angels for third in opponent batting average (.221), meaning hitters aren’t exactly lighting them up.
They’re one of just two teams whose starting staff hasn’t allowed a single home run yet—the other being the Tampa Bay Rays. So, yeah, the Braves are keeping the ball in the park and limiting damage.
The Underlying Concerns
There are a few areas where this pitching staff isn’t exactly dominant when you dig in a bit further. Their WHIP sits at 1.33, which is good but not elite.
There’s room for improvement when it comes to strikeouts and walks as well. They rank 22nd in strikeouts and 26th in walks allowed, meaning they’re letting more hitters reach base than you’d like to see.
And here’s why that matters: No team with at least 15 walks allowed so far this spring has an ERA below 4.66—except for the Houston Astros (3.25). So, history suggests that the Braves’ low ERA might not hold up if they don’t tighten up their command.
Braves Have Potential for Even More Dominance
But here’s the other way to look at it: What if this is just the beginning? What if this rotation, already leading the league in ERA, gets the walks under control, gets a little more swing-and-miss action, and takes that dominance to another level? If they’re already this good while still figuring things out, what happens when everything clicks?
Right now, the Braves rotation is built on run prevention, and if they can refine the details, this staff could become flat-out terrifying for opposing hitters.
