Braves have ridiculous 'fatal flaw' for MLB postseason from ESPN

The Atlanta Braves are heading towards the 2026 MLB postseason, likely to win the NL East over the Philadelphia Phillies. Though they're likely to win the division, it's likely they'll be forced to play in the NL Wild Card round.

This Braves team might not be the best in baseball, but it has a real chance of making a deep run in October. Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, and Chris Sale, among many others, will lead this team in what could be a deep run.

However, ESPN's David Schoenfield shared the Braves' "fatal flaw" that could derail their postseason this year. But it's a ridiculous "fatal flaw" for the 2026 Braves, as the team's offensive struggles from 2022 through 2024 in the postseason shouldn't be a problem.

Braves' 'fatal flaw' is questionable offensive production

"Atlanta Braves. Fatal flaw: Can they hit in the postseason? (.186 average from 2022 to 2024)," Schoenfield writes.

The Braves have struggled offensively during their last few postseason runs, and they've made those runs with a lot of the same players on the MLB roster.

Acuna, Olson, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, and Austin Riley have been mainstays of the lineup since 2022, and their history in the postseason suggests they could struggle.

But while the team's struggled the last few trips to the postseason, it's hard to imagine that this is really their biggest flaw heading into October.

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There are other issues the Braves could be worried about. How will their starters not named Chris Sale or Tyler Mahle fare? Is the bullpen good enough to thrive in October if needed?

Sure, the offense is a question, but that's the case for every team heading into the playoffs. This Braves team is no different. It's a bit ridiculous to put the team's "fatal flaw" down as their history of offensive struggles in the playoffs recently.

What makes this even harder to fully get behind is that the Braves missed the playoffs last season. If it was four straight years of postseason struggles, then it would make sense for there to be some real worries heading into the 2026 season.

But this offense should be okay come the postseason, even though they've struggled in prior seasons. Besides, it's not a very large sample size for the Braves during those seasons. It would not be shocking if they turned things around in 2026.

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