Atlanta Braves: lineup and rotation patterns
What 2023–2025 Retrosheet data tells us about how the Atlanta Braves set their lineups and used their pitchers.
A record of past seasons, not a forecast: 2027 projections will be added once rosters take shape. About these team pages.
Our read on the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta used 19 different starting pitchers in 2025, the most of any club, and its five most frequent starters made only 67% of the starts (league average 76%). Bryce Elder led with 28 starts. That spread makes the Braves' probable pitcher harder to read from the rotation order alone.
Catcher looked like a platoon. Drake Baldwin, who made the most starts there (85), started 74% of games against right-handed starters and 21% against left-handers, while Sean Murphy started 38% against right-handers and 79% against left-handers. Baldwin's start rate at catcher was actually higher in day games after night games (63%) than in other games (49%). Marcell Ozuna was close to a full-time DH with 137 starts (85%), and the lineup overall was fairly settled: 120 different batting orders, fourth fewest in the league.
Where the Atlanta Braves ranked in 2025
| Atlanta Braves | Avg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 76 | 81.0 | T-22 |
| Different batting orders | 120 | 135.9 | 27 |
| Same order as previous game | 10.6% | 4.8% | 3 |
| Most uses of one order | 5 | 4.8 | T-8 |
| Same leadoff as previous game | 83% | 75% | T-12 |
| Players in the lineup | 26 | 24.4 | T-9 |
| Games vs LHP | 43 | 42.6 | 17 |
| Lefty hitters vs RHP | 3.3 | 3.6 | 24 |
| Lefty hitters vs LHP | 2.2 | 2.0 | 13 |
| Starting pitchers | 19 | 13.2 | 1 |
| Top-five starters' share | 67% | 76% | 27 |
| Starts on 4 days' rest or less* | 38% | 31% | 5 |
| Starts after 10+ days* | 3% | 5% | 22 |
| Primary catcher's starts | 52% | 58% | 19 |
| Players at DH | 6 | 10.7 | 26 |
| Top DH's share | 85% | 51% | 3 |
Three seasons at a glance
| Season | W–L | Games vs RHP / LHP starters | Different batting orders | Different players in the starting lineup | Starting pitchers used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 104–58 | 130 / 32 | 80 | 20 | 16 |
| 2024 | 89–73 | 116 / 46 | 119 | 27 | 13 |
| 2025 | 76–86 | 119 / 43 | 120 | 26 | 19 |
Who played where, 2023–2025
| Position | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Sean Murphy (98) | Travis d'Arnaud (79) | Drake Baldwin (85) |
| 1B | Matt Olson (162) | Matt Olson (162) | Matt Olson (162) |
| 2B | Ozzie Albies (148) | Ozzie Albies (99) | Ozzie Albies (157) |
| 3B | Austin Riley (159) | Austin Riley (110) | Austin Riley (102) |
| SS | Orlando Arcia (136) | Orlando Arcia (156) | Nick Allen (124) |
| LF | Eddie Rosario (122) | Jarred Kelenic (63) | Jurickson Profar (79) |
| CF | Michael Harris (137) | Michael Harris (109) | Michael Harris (157) |
| RF | Ronald Acuna (157) | Ronald Acuna (49) | Ronald Acuna (89) |
| DH | Marcell Ozuna (140) | Marcell Ozuna (162) | Marcell Ozuna (137) |
Month by month in 2025
| Month | Games | W–L | Games vs LHP | Different batting orders | Starting pitchers used | First start of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | 30 | 14–16 | 3 | 25 | 8 | – |
| May | 27 | 13–14 | 9 | 18 | 6 | Luke Williams, Ronald Acuna |
| June | 26 | 11–15 | 6 | 17 | 6 | none |
| July | 25 | 8–17 | 9 | 22 | 9 | Nacho Alvarez |
| August | 29 | 16–13 | 9 | 22 | 9 | Jake Fraley, Jonathan Ornelas, Vidal Brujan |
| September | 25 | 14–11 | 7 | 21 | 7 | Brett Wisely, Ha-Seong Kim, Sandy Leon |
Batting order and positions in 2025
Most starts by batting slot: 1. Jurickson Profar (72); 2. Matt Olson (87); 3. Marcell Ozuna (51); 4. Matt Olson (52); 5. Ozzie Albies (52); 6. Ozzie Albies (53); 7. Michael Harris (32); 8. Michael Harris (49); 9. Nick Allen (112).
| Position | Next most starts (leader: see above) | Players who started there | Starter changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Sean Murphy (72) | 4 | 68% |
| 1B | – | 1 | 0% |
| 2B | Brett Wisely (3) | 3 | 2% |
| 3B | Nacho Alvarez (56) | 5 | 7% |
| SS | Ha-Seong Kim (23) | 5 | 14% |
| LF | Alex Verdugo (49) | 6 | 21% |
| CF | Eli White (4) | 3 | 4% |
| RF | Eli White (38) | 7 | 26% |
| DH | Drake Baldwin (12) | 6 | 23% |
Against left- and right-handed starters
| Opposing starter | Left-handed | Right-handed | Switch-hitters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed | 3.3 | 4.1 | 1.5 |
| Left-handed | 2.2 | 5.2 | 1.6 |
| Player | Bats | Start rate vs RHP (starts) | Start rate vs LHP (starts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drake Baldwin | left-handed | 74% (88) | 21% (9) |
| Sean Murphy | right-handed | 38% (45) | 79% (34) |
Gaps may reflect timing, not a platoon (guide).
Rotation and rest in 2025
| Pitcher | Throws | Starts | First start | Last start | Median days of rest | Starts on 4 days or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Elder | RHP | 28 | April 2, 2025 | Sept. 24, 2025 | 4 | 13 |
| Spencer Strider | RHP | 23 | April 16, 2025 | Sept. 27, 2025 | 5 | 7 |
| Grant Holmes | RHP | 21 | March 31, 2025 | July 26, 2025 | 4.5 | 10 |
| Chris Sale | LHP | 20 | March 27, 2025 | Sept. 22, 2025 | 5 | 7 |
| Spencer Schwellenbach | RHP | 17 | March 29, 2025 | June 28, 2025 | 5 | 6 |
| Joey Wentz | LHP | 13 | July 19, 2025 | Sept. 26, 2025 | 5 | 4 |
| AJ Smith-Shawver | RHP | 9 | March 30, 2025 | May 29, 2025 | 5 | 2 |
| Hurston Waldrep | RHP | 9 | Aug. 9, 2025 | Sept. 23, 2025 | 5 | 3 |
| Rest before start | Atlanta Braves | League average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days or fewer | 38% | 31% |
| 5 days | 39% | 49% |
| 6 to 10 days | 19% | 15% |
| More than 10 days | 3% | 5% |
Catcher and DH in 2025
| Games | Team-games | Primary catcher started | League average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 162 | 52% | 58% |
| Day game after a night game | 38 | 63% | 44% |
| All other games | 124 | 49% | – |
| Player | DH starts | Share of DH starts |
|---|---|---|
| Marcell Ozuna | 137 | 85% |
| Drake Baldwin | 12 | 7% |
| Sean Murphy | 7 | 4% |
Most common lineups in 2025
The most common exact batting order was used 5 times, more than the club average of 4.8.
Lineup 1 (5 times, last on May 5, 2025): 1. Alex Verdugo LF, 2. Austin Riley 3B, 3. Marcell Ozuna DH, 4. Matt Olson 1B, 5. Sean Murphy C, 6. Ozzie Albies 2B, 7. Michael Harris CF, 8. Eli White RF, 9. Nick Allen SS.
Lineup 2 (4 times, last on July 1, 2025): 1. Ronald Acuna RF, 2. Matt Olson 1B, 3. Marcell Ozuna DH, 4. Austin Riley 3B, 5. Drake Baldwin C, 6. Ozzie Albies 2B, 7. Alex Verdugo LF, 8. Michael Harris CF, 9. Nick Allen SS.
Lineup 3 (3 times, last on May 7, 2025): 1. Alex Verdugo LF, 2. Austin Riley 3B, 3. Marcell Ozuna DH, 4. Matt Olson 1B, 5. Ozzie Albies 2B, 6. Michael Harris CF, 7. Eli White RF, 8. Drake Baldwin C, 9. Nick Allen SS.
Top nine vs RHP (14/119): Alex Verdugo, Austin Riley, Drake Baldwin, Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson, Michael Harris, Nick Allen, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna.
Top nine vs LHP (5/43): Jurickson Profar, Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson, Michael Harris, Nacho Alvarez, Nick Allen, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna, Sean Murphy.
Our own calculations from Retrosheet game logs, regular seasons only: notes, methodology.