Vegas Finally Calling the Braves 2018 World Series Contenders

• The Baby Braves are in first place in the NL East. Is their early season success for real?
• Will Nick Markakis make his first All-Star team at age 34? 
• Can the Diamondbacks pull out of their month-long nosedive?

The Baby Braves are looking mighty grown up these days.

Atlanta is in first place in the NL East and has the second best record in the National League. It’s quite a turnaround for a team that lost 90 games last season and was supposed to be in the midst of a long and painful rebuild.

The Atlanta Braves: Good at Baseball

— Barstool UGA (@ugabarstool) May 20, 2018

Vegas has taken note of the Braves’ red hot start and has made the necessary adjustments. Atlanta’s average odds to win the 2018 World Series have improved from +2700 on May 11th to +1500 on May 24th across a number of top online betting sites. The Braves are currently available as short as +1400 and as long as +1600 .

The secret to Atlanta’s success has been unbelievable hitting. The Braves rank first in the National League in batting average, total bases, slugging percentage, runs, and RBI, and are second in doubles, on base percentage, and OPS.

First baseman Freddie Freeman has been spectacular, as expected, but the Braves have also gotten big time contributions from a pair of fresh-faced rookies. Second baseman Ozzie Albies is hitting .280 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI, and leftfielder Ronald Acuña Jr hit .326 over his first 11 games after being called up on April 25th.

Both players are under 22 and figure to be permanent fixtures on the NL All-Star team for the next decade.

And then there’s the matter of Nick Markakis. The 34-year-old is having the best year of his career at an age when most players begin to fade like an old Polaroid. Markakis has cut his strikeout rate in half and is hitting .344 with seven home runs and 32 RBI while supplying Gold Glove-caliber defense in right field.

No one could have seen it coming, but he deserves as much credit as anyone for the Braves’ sudden revival.

It’s a little early for All-Star talk, but how cool would it be if Nick Markakis played in his first ASG at age 34?

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 10, 2018

The Braves may not be able to hold onto the top spot in the NL East all season long, but they do have a legitimate shot at claiming a wild card berth come October. Expect them to be buyers at the trade deadline as they try to bolster their rotation and find an upgrade at third base.

The Braves aren’t the only team whose odds have changed. Here are the biggest risers and fallers from May 11th to May 24th.

Biggest Risers

The Rockies have leapfrogged the Diamondbacks to claim the top spot in the NL West, but they might not stay there for long. Colorado ranks 25th in on base percentage, OPS, and runs per game, and is 27th in batting average. Their rotation has kept them afloat during the first quarter of the season, but it’s only a matter of time before their sputtering offense catches up with them.

Colorado ranks 25th in on base percentage, OPS, and runs per game, and is 27th in batting average.

The Pirates, on the other hand, appear to be trending in the right direction. Pittsburgh is 11-4 against division rivals in 2018 and has been taking care of business against cellar dwelling clubs like the Tigers, Reds, and Marlins. They’re even starting to see some positive returns from their much maligned Gerrit Cole trade.

Third baseman Colin Moran is hitting .271 with four home runs and 22 RBI, Michael Feliz has struck out 26 in 20 innings pitched, and right-hander Joe Musgrove is set to make his first start on Friday. All in all, not a bad haul.

Biggest Fallers

No team has fallen harder or faster than the Diamondbacks, who have lost 13 of their last 14 games. Torey Lovullo’s club ranks dead last in the Majors in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, and runs per game over their last ten contests, and could be without leading hitter AJ Pollock for another six-to-eight weeks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOAfxr6nUK8

The Angels have also fallen on hard times lately. LA recently lost five straight to the Astros and Rays and needed a brilliant seven inning-nine strikeout outing from Shohei Ohtani to snap out of their funk. Unfortunately it could be a while before he takes the mound again as the Angels have chosen to push back Ohtani’s next start in an effort to better manage his workload.

Be sure to check out our 2018 World Series Odds Tracker to see how each team’s odds fluctuate as the season unfolds.