Atlanta Braves News: Busy Sunday Sunday

What a weekend!

Sadly, that’s not a reaction to the Braves ending the first half of their season with a series victory over the Marlins.

Over the past 48 hours, the Braves have seen a lot of negative news, with some silver lining for their future.

Away from the MLB action on the field, Michael Harris II and Drew Waters represented the Braves well during the 2021 MLB Futures Game on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field. Hours later in Denver, the Braves returned to a source familiar with their first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. With the 24th pick, the Braves selected Wake Forest University flamethrower Ryan Cusick. .

While a few current and new elements of the Braves’ long-term future were presented yesterday, the near-term future of the Big League team is certainly up in the air. Now that Ronald Acuna Jr. is sidelined for the season, many questions will be answered about the Braves for the remainder of 2021 in the coming days after the All-Star Break:

Will they be able to prevent further serious injuries?

Can they regain ground on the Mets with a difficult start to the second half?

How does the offense react to the loss of Acuna Jr.?

Will they be looking to buy, sell, or do both before the trading deadline?

More information over the next few days may still indicate the answers to a few of these questions. Without a doubt, the first half of the season has been unexpected and unfortunate for the Braves. Hopefully, with the necessary break for the team, a series of good news will begin with a much needed positive update on one of their best young talents.

Brave News

• A day after the Braves suffered Acuna Jr.’s horrific injury, it was revealed that Braves starter Ian Anderson would have his shoulder examined during the All-Star Break. While it’s too early to speculate on what the problem might be, or if it’s just fatigue, the Braves certainly don’t need other injury issues with their talented core.
• While there hasn’t been much to be excited about on the pitch over the past few months, the Braves brass certainly seemed excited about the addition of Cusick. While the goal is obviously to make him a long-term incumbent, the Braves are realizing he could make a short stint in the minors and start his MLB career in the bullpen. At the very least, Cusick probably has one of the best fastballs in Atlanta’s system going forward.
• Some of the best in Talking Chop have reacted to Acuna Jr.’s injury and its impact on the Braves going forward. Demetrius Bell, as he always does, has wonderfully captured how the loss of Acuna Jr. will impact the Braves and the rest of baseball.
• Cory McCartney has joined 92.9 The Game to discuss what is now in play with Acuna Jr. being unavailable for the Braves. The impact of his absence could go beyond this season.
• Matt Powers and Eric Cole got the coffee going when they gave their first reactions to the Cusick selection in the latest “Road to Atlanta” podcast.

MLB NEWS

• Overall, the 2021 MLB Draft was full of intrigue and surprises. It started with the very first pick, as the Pirates selected wide receiver Henry Davis as the top pick.
• From there, some of the project’s most notable names went to unexpected new homes. As Jack Leiter landed in Texas as some had predicted, Kumar Rocker fell to the New York Mets with the tenth selection. The entire NL East had an exceptional first round, as the Nationals arguably picked the best power bat in the draft at Brady House at 11 while the Marlins picked Khalil Watson with perhaps the best pick in first round value at 16. Many teams improved their futures last night.
• One of the best stories of the first half of the MLB season has been the San Francisco Giants. In a sweep of the national championships, the Giants set the best record in the majors before the All-Star Break. They’re definitely going to make things interesting with the Dodgers and Padres in the second half of the season.
• The 2021 Home Run Derby takes place tonight and MLB.com has great coverage of what to expect. They both scanned the terrain and ranked the attendees to set expectations for tonight’s festivities. With a few notable names in the business, there could be one or two surprises awaiting MLB fans.