By: Colin Lacy

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

As we turn the calendar into July, the Braves have been sitting on the line teetering around 10-15 games back in the NL East race for the past few weeks which lead to the question…What’s the problem with the Braves?

While all wanna-be managers on social media know exactly how to solve the issues overnight, I think a bigger question may be “what’s not the problem?”

When I ask, “What’s not the problem?” I fully realize that there are many problems that the Braves are facing through 2025 (and stem from issues in the past couple of years), but there are remedies that Braves Country are calling for that aren’t the answer.

The biggest flawed remedy that many are shouting from the tops of the mountains is Michael Harris II and the lack of production at the plate.

While that’s true, his .215 average is a career low, but “Money Mike” is not the issue. In my eyes, Harris’ defense makes up for a lot of lack at the plate, but I also believe that he can be an integral part of the offense if used correctly.

I think Harris would be best suited in the struggling lineup in the leadoff spot. Harris got on base the best this season (.268 OBP) in the 13 games in the leadoff spot.

Yes, I know some of you are wondering “has this guy seen what Acuna has done in the leadoff spot?” and the answer is YES, I get it that Acuna is crushing it in the leadoff spot right now. That said, I would love to see how much the lineup gets lengthened by having Harris leadoff ahead of Acuna batting second.

Over the past decade, baseball has adopted the thinking of the team’s best hitter batting second in a “best of both worlds” mindset. With Acuna batting second, it would allow him more at-bats on average throughout the season than hitting third or clean-up but also putting him in more situations to hit with runners on base than the leadoff spot.

At the end of the day, it’s no secret that the main issue facing the Braves the past few years is the fact of living and dying by the long ball along with the “big names” in the lineup not producing as expected.

Atlanta has seen how exciting and magical this lineup can be with the record setting offensive production in 2023, and the World Series run in 2021.

2023 saw a microcosm of what the past two seasons have been with the live and die by the homer mentality. The Braves tied the MLB record with 307 homers with Matt Olson set the Braves single season record with 54 long balls. All of that accumulated in 104 wins, the first team to clinch a playoff berth in MLB and so much excitement coming into the playoffs.

That would be spun on it’s head with a quick exit with the Braves being beaten in three of four games against the division rival Phillies while scoring just three runs combined in the three losses.

For someone that is an old-school baseball purist at heart, while a 500-foot homer is great when it’s happening, it’s excruciating to watch when it’s not for an extended period of time and also magnifies struggles.

To me, the biggest issue has been brewing for a couple years with Atlanta and it’s the inability to manufacture runs.

This may be an old-school approach, but getting on base, using productive outs, and stringing together hits is what leads to sustained success in an organization, and that’s what has been missing from this lineup especially in 2025.

I know I’m not breaking news with this revelation, but contrary to popular opinion, Michael Harris isn’t the problem in this lineup, Austin Riley has struggled at times but has also been one of the more productive hitters at times as well.

It’s time to step back and really look at the big picture that has been being painted over the last two plus seasons and will come to fruition around the trade deadline depending on what the Braves do roster wise over the next month.