For the second year in a row, the Atlanta Braves are clear favorites to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. It didn't help the Braves in the 2022 postseason, and there are concerns that the Phillies will pull off another upset over Atlanta in the 2023 MLB Playoffs. Despite all of the mounting pressure, Braves manager Brian Snitker isn't worried about how his players will respond.
“These guys have experienced everything you can experience in the game — all the big games, the must-win games, all that,” Brian Snitker said, via The Athletic. “They’ve experienced everything. They’re all still young big leaguers in my opinion, and they’ve experienced everything that they could. So I don’t know that any situation is too much for them. They embrace it, and that’s why they work. I think they enjoy this time of year and having to win games.”
The Braves have won six straight NL East titles. Two years ago, many of the players on the current Braves roster were part of Atlanta's World Series championship run. After losing to the Phillies a year later, they've experienced the highest highs and many of the lows that the MLB playoffs have to offer.
None of Snitker's previous Braves teams have experienced these kinds of expectations. Atlanta isn't simply favored to advance beyond the NLDS; these Braves are the 2023 World Series favorites. Atlanta won an MLB-high 104 regular-season games, earning home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Ronald Acuna Jr. is the likely NL MVP. He's part of one of the best offenses MLB has ever seen. Will all of that regular-season success translate to another Braves World Series title? Atlanta will soon find out.
The Braves host the Phillies in Game 1 of the NLDS Saturday night.
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