Braves Pace the NL in Stars
With the addition of Austin Riley to the National League All-Star roster, the Braves are now sending six players & Brian Snitker to the All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
Braves All-Stars: Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson, William Contreras, Travis d’Arnaud, Ronald Acuña Jr., & Max Fried.
Acuña Jr. & William Contreras are the only starters in the bunch. William at Designated Hitter & Ronnie in the Outfield. It’s worth noting how peculiar it is for a team’s backup position player to start in the All-Star Game while the starter at the same position is selected as a reserve. As Braves starting catcher Travis d’Arnaud will serve as the National League’s reserve catcher.
Also at All-Star Week, Ronald Acuña Jr. will represent the Braves in the Homerun Derby. His first matchup as the seventh seed will be facing two-time defending champion Pete Alonso of the New York Mets.
I will say though, Austin Riley would probably be a better choice to represent the Braves in the Homerun Derby. He’s having a better year power-wise than Acuña & bigger-bodied hitters tend to fare better than the more slender-built guys in the derby; especially in the current format.