Hudson Webb
Jul 9, 2025
In this article we will discuss how the Braves found themselves playing meaningless baseball in July.
It has been no secret that this year has been a rough one for Atlanta. They currently sit a staggering 10 games under .500 and in a stacked NL, only some of the best play we’ve ever seen could get them out of this. I don’t even think a 2021 type turn around would get this team a playoff spot come October. So that makes it official, the Braves will be playing meaningless regular season baseball games for the first time since August of the 2017 season. Sure the injuries that lingered from last year, Ronald Acuña and Spencer Strider, and the ones we picked up along the way, Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Schwellenbach, and AJ Smith-Sawver (to name a few), held us back, but they are no excuse for the utter crap show our offense and bullpen has been. So let's get to the bottom of this, what is to blame for the Braves miraculous fall from grace?
Foreshadowing
Jurrickson Profar being suspended 81 games for PED use really set the tone for the season ahead, didn’t it? In the midst of the Braves 0-7 start it was announced the aforementioned Profar had tested positive for PEDS. Jurrickson Profar was the only notable addition general manager Alex Anthopoulos made and many fans were very excited. Profar being removed from half the season and all postseason play near immediately into the season completely foreshadowed the team's future woes and embodies the 2025 Atlanta Braves.
The Offense Collapse
Once the heartbeat of this team, the Braves’ offense has cratered. Over the past month, key bats: Harris, Albies, Ozuna, Riley have slumped into the bottom 20 in OPS since June 1. They rank a middling 10th in Barrel %, 12th in Hard‑Hit %, 19th in HR and 24th in ISO, a far cry from the crushing offense of 2022–24. They’re swinging less frequently when it counts—especially in the zone—and have neutralized the aggressive, pull-heavy swing that made them elite. Mechanically, they’re less explosive; pulled flyballs have dwindled, hard-hit balls are down across the board—Olson, Riley, Harris, Albies all showing declines. Tough to watch.
The Injury Toll
The returnees haven’t carried the load. Acuña and Strider are back, but injuries to Sale (fractured rib), López (shoulder), Smith‑Shawver (Tommy John), Schwellenbach (elbow) decimated rotation depth. And Profar’s 80‑game PED suspension knocked out a veteran bat early on. Even with the big names healthy, the blueprint they followed before isn’t working.
Pitching Struggles
Despite punchy starts—Holmes fanning 10 in June—the pen can’t hold leads. Seven shutouts already this year. Iglesias, De Los Santos, Lee—they’re bleeding innings. Nobody’s shutting the door. With offense stagnant, any hiccup from the pitchers and it’s over.
Organizational Offense Decline
This isn’t just the MLB roster, it’s systemic. The minor leagues are hitting .243/.318/.379. Triple‑A Gwinnett is at .228/.308/.343, Columbus .207/.298/.309, no one is performing. They’ve drafted pitchers six years in a row, left hitters on the back shelf. When star bats underperform, there’s nobody to plug the gap.
Mentality and Coaching Shift
New hitting coach Tim Hyers was brought in to instill patience and discipline. But the results show a failure in execution. The team’s newfound plate discipline has yielded little – they’re swinging less but not better. The aggressive mindset that brought success has been replaced by hesitation. Swinging slower, pulling less—that isn’t a strategic shift; it's regression.
Road Woes
Atlanta is significantly worse away than at Truist Park—batting average down 50 points, slug .069 lower. Confidence matters: this team built on home dominance is now mentally beaten on the road.
Trade Deadline Timing
As the calendar flips to July, talk of sellers grows louder . Production from shortstop (Allen, Arcia) has been nonexistent, prompting talk of shopping names like Bo Bichette. If the offense doesn’t stabilize, they’ll blow it up to restock.
Bottom line: This collapse isn’t about one or two flaws, it’s a cascading failure. Ran out of gas at the plate. Injuries exposed thin pitching. Minor-league offense is dry. Coaching philosophy misfired. Mental fatigue. With all cylinders failing, you don’t need miraculous health to make the playoffs, you need evolutionary whole-system repair. At this rate, a “2021-type” turnaround won’t crack October.
What needs to be fixed? Reignite aggressive, middle-middle hitting. Redistribute batting development down to Gwinnett. Bolster depth at shortstop and the bullpen at the deadline. And get Tim Hyers, Snitker, and Anthopoulos rowing in the same direction before they discover this dumpster fire is systemic, not just circumstantial.