As the Atlanta Braves head into the 2022 MLB season, the defending World Series champions will aim to duplicate last season's success. Atlanta finished the year at 88-73, but was able to walk away with a World Series title after beating the Houston Astros in six games.

The craziest part about Atlanta winning the World Series is that they did not have Ronald Acuna Jr for most of the season due to an ACL tear. Acuna is one of the best players in baseball. In turn, finding guys who were able to step up was definitely the biggest concern for the Braves.

Acuna should be back at the start of the season as he is already working out with the team during spring training. He finished the 2021 season hitting .283 with 24 home runs in only 82 games. He's one of the better hitters in baseball, and getting him back is certainly going to be a major addition to this Braves team.

Can Atlanta get back to another World Series and take over the crown for the second time in a row? Let's take a look at four bold predictions and find out.

Atlanta Braves predictions for the 2022 MLB Season

4. Acuna wins MVP

There is a good chance a season ago that Ronald Acuna could have been the league's MVP if he had just stayed healthy. He was having an incredible season and there was really no denying that he was a top-three player in the National League. He finished the 2021 season with a .596 slugging percentage and was able to hit 24 home runs and 19 doubles.

There have been many videos of him working out and getting some action against live pitching, and it looks like he hasn't missed a beat. He really took on his recovery strong and made sure that he's going to get back at that same elite level that he was playing at prior to the injury.

Acuna is going to have at least a top-two MVP season, and it's going to come down between him and Juan Soto.

3. Freddie Freeman is missed

It is somewhat questionable why the Atlanta Braves did decide to let Freddie Freeman walk. He hasn't been signed by anybody else, but it does seem likely that he is going to be moved in free agency. He is somebody who has spent his entire career with the Atlanta Braves, so getting rid of him doesn't really make sense.

He brought a World Series title back to his city, and every fan in Atlanta loves him. Freeman finished the 2021 season hitting .300 with 31 home runs. He has hit over .300 in nearly every season since 2016 and has also done so while hitting nearly 25 home runs in every one of those seasons as well.

Atlanta is going to miss him, but they are going to have star first baseman Matt Olson running that position now. Olson should be able to give them some of the same production that he was able to give Oakland for the past few years.

2. Matt Olson hits 35 home runs and wins a Gold Glove

With the ability that Olson has been able to play at for most of his career, it seems likely that he's going to excel in Atlanta. He has been able to belt at least 25 home runs since the 2017 season (outside of the Covid season).

Oakland is one of the worst-hitting parks in all of baseball, so if he was able to put up those types of numbers with the Athletics, his numbers should only see an increase in Atlanta. Olson is also one of the best defensive first basemen, so it seems likely that he could potentially walk away with the Gold Glove award.

1. Atlanta wins another World Series

Outside of losing Freddie Freeman and a few other guys, Atlanta is going to be returning most of its key players. They're also going to be able to get Ronald Acuna back. Winning another World Series is certainly a good possibility.