Chandler Smith

New Account. Old one was hacked

[Kirk Herbstreit @KirkHerbstreit]

Looking back at this past Saturday night...

UGA defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann, Kirby Smart, and the Dawgs defense reminding the nation last week that you never underestimate an angry and motivated @GeorgiaFootball team

[HunteR @HunteR229369]

Next time a Michigan fan talks shit just send them this.

[Chandler Smith @_ChanSmith_]

@akadreamboat @BrooksAustinBA Brock already did…. NFL

[Kevin Keneely @KevinKeneely1]

“Dad, what was Ron Washington like as the Braves third baseman coach”

[Atlanta Braves @Braves]

All 52 of @mattolson21's home runs this season!

#ForTheA

[Brooks Austin @BrooksAustinBA]

Oooo spicy Kirby

[MLB Network @MLBNetwork]

60 steals in 60 seconds - Ronald Acuña Jr. is lightning fast ⚡️⚡️

[KC Covington @Fried_Baseball]

How the Braves Win with Moneyball

(Mini-column)

When you hear the term “Moneyball,” you may reflexively imagine Jonah Hill repeating the words, “because he gets on base” on cue like a life sized Tickle-Me-Elmo every time Brad Pitt points to him.

But as I recently heard an MLB analyst point out, Moneyball, at its essence, is about finding and maximizing value.

And by that definition, the Atlanta Braves under Alex Anthopoulos are as Moneyball as it gets.

As of Monday, the Braves were top-15 in WAR in the NL at FIVE positions: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, RF.

The Braves are paying the players who man those positions a total of $72 million this year.

The Mets, by contrast, were set to pay $72 million to just two players, Francisco Lindor and Max Scherzer — with the latter no longer wearing a Mets uniform.

Like every other team in baseball, circumstances will force the Braves to change their plans from time to time, but they never stray from their methodology. VALUE is paramount.

Some fans mistake the Braves reluctance to join bidding wars for top shelf free agents for being “cheap.”

Not so. The Braves are spending. But they’re doing it their way. The Moneyball way.

Some fans argue that with all the money they’re saving on team-friendly contracts like those signed by Ronald Acuña Jr and Ozzie Albies, the Braves can afford to swim in the deep waters of free agency, hunting whales like Moby Dick.

These fans miss the point. The Braves don’t drive past Bloomingdale’s on their way to Kohls because they can’t afford the big name brands. They do so because they believe they can maximize value by spreading it out, carefully weighing the likely return of each dollar they spend.

The more money, Alex Anthopoulos has to spend, the more he will dispense it in the exact same manner he has since arriving in Atlanta.

“Yeah, but [insert player name] is worth it!”

Maybe so. But Alex Anthopoulos believes everything he could buy with that money instead of [big name, free agent] is *more* worth it.

What’s more, maximizing value means minimizing risk. And paying Juan Soto a half billion dollars to suit up in Atlanta doesn’t accomplish that.

It was fair to question AA’s methodology at the start. But 5 NL East titles and one World Series victory later, with the closing of Atlanta’s World Series window, nowhere in sight, it’s hard to argue that Moneyball, at least the way the Atlanta Braves play it, works.

[Texas Rangers @Rangers]

Scherzdays are serious.

🎧 https://t.co/6Xqi501SHK

[Eric Spracklen 🇺🇸 @EricSpracklen]

Who remembers? https://t.co/AAwzRMi1am

[Braves On FanDuel Sports Network @FanDuelSNBraves]

𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙏𝙃 𝘾𝘼𝙈 🎥

Watch all FIVE @Braves home run calls from last night's incredible broadcast.

[2ᑭEᗩT ✍🏾 @2PeatAx]

Boys ain’t know what hit ‘em lmao.

[Baseball @mlbelites_]

This father-son swing compilation is amazing

[Braves On FanDuel Sports Network @FanDuelSNBraves]

Watch @ronaldacunajr24 take advantage of the new "two disengagements" rule for his first stolen base of the season 👀

[Braves On FanDuel Sports Network @FanDuelSNBraves]

Launch mode 🚀

@ronaldacunajr24 is ready.

[Graham Coffey @GrahamCoffeyDC]

Was driving down the road today and randomly thought of the time against Tennessee when Brett Thorson nailed the type of punt that I thought was only possible in a video game

[Dalton @daltine_cracker]

The 3 greatest home runs in Truist Park history

[NFL @NFL]

Couple of absolute beauties. 🎯

@StetsonIv | @GeorgiaFootball

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