Believe or not, the Atlanta Braves have played better baseball of late. After an 0-7 start, the Braves are 10-7 in their last 17 games. Yes, they may have faced easier competition of late, but a win is a win is a win is a win! Atlanta just took two of three at home from the St. Louis Cardinals, fresh off a three-game home sweep of the Minnesota Twins. What has gotten into these Braves of late offensively?

Well, for starters, calling up veteran outfielder Alex Verdugo from Triple-A Gwinnett has been a huge boost to the offense. He signed with the organization late in the spring, and needed a bit more time to get ready for the MLB season ahead. Verdugo is not a perfect player, but he is great at making contact with the baseball, something that Atlanta’s centerfielder Michael Harris II has struggled with.

In David O’Brien’s latest for The Athletic, he touched on the positive impact Verdugo has had on Harris at the plate. For the most part, Verdugo has manned the leadoff role for Atlanta, forcing Harris further down the lineup. Because they are both left-handed hitters, Verdugo has been able to give insights on how to hit left-handed pitching better for Harris. Verdugo constantly works on his craft.

The thought was Jurickson Profar would help the Braves offense out, but it has been Verdugo of late.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

Alex Verdugo has helped Michael Harris II development plate discipline

What people tend to forget is Harris is somewhat of a younger player in this game. He may have won NL Rookie of the Year in 2022, but he has missed ample time over the last few seasons due to injury. That point aside, he may not have had all that many at-bats at the Double-A level. If I recall correctly, he did not play a game for the Gwinnett Stripers at Triple-A before making his major league debut.

Admittedly, I have been very harsh on Harris this season. He only just turned 24. Like me, he is an Atlanta area native. While I am hoping for the best for the Braves, only he has the ability to make any discernible difference for the team. I think what gets to me is the amount of Ford Bronco spots that show up on the local telecast. Couple that with the occasional awful day at the plate, it is just painful.

Truth be told, Verdugo is not that much older than Harris. Then again, he has been in the big leagues since 2017. With this being the fourth blue-blood franchise he has played for, the spotlight has always been on the team the Tucson native has played for. He has come and gone with teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, but Verdugo is an asset for the Braves.

While I remain adamant that Verdugo is not panacea, he has provided some relief to the overall roster.