Braves' Hitters Fantasy Baseball Preview | Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna, Ozzie Albies and More

Let's get right back to my fantasy baseball team previews with Atlanta Braves hitters.

We've covered Atlanta pitchers and Chicago White Sox's hitters and pitchers so far.

Check out Fantasy Baseball Average Draft Position data for 2025 and get ready for your fantasy drafts by utilizing the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Simulator.

Top Fantasy Hitters

There's several Atlanta hitters appearing on the FantasySP Average Draft Position list so far.

Ronald Acuna Jr. is the top option, going around pick 25 so far. Matt Olson is next, going around pick 38.

Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies aren't too far behind, going around picks 43 and 49, respectively. Marcell Ozuna is being picked around No. 60 so far.

Michael Harris II is the next hitter on the list, at around pick 80. Jurickson Profar checks in around pick 129 and is the last one listed.

Acuna was one of the top fantasy picks in 2024, but suffered a second long-term knee injury. His timetable to return to the field isn't known yet, but his MVP season in 2023 has fantasy baseball owners drafting for upside.

In 149 games in 2023, Acuna had a .337 average, .416 on-base percentage, 41 home runs, 106 RBIs, 73 stolen bases and 149 runs scored. He played just 49 games in 2024 before being ruled out for the remainder of the season.

There's some risk drafting him that early and hoping he bounces back to his pre-injury self. As his timeline is revealed, we should have a better idea on when exactly to draft Acuna. Regardless of when you draft and where you land Acuna, I'd make sure to have a backup plan in place in case he isn't the same player, or gets injured again.

Olson is a bounceback candidate after a down 2024 season. In 162 games, he had a .247 average and .333 OBP, with 29 home runs, 98 RBIs and 78 runs scored. Those numbers were much lower than the .283 average, .389 OBP, 54 home runs, 139 RBIs and 127 runs scored from his 2023 season.

I see several Atlanta hitters bouncing back this season, and Olson being one of them. His ADP seems pretty fair as is, with room to exceed expectations, but also to be a draft bust again if he replicates his numbers.

Riley had a down 2024 season as well. In 110 games, Riley had a .256 average, .322 OBP, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs and 63 runs scored. He had 33 or more homers and 93 or more RBIs in the previous three seasons, with much higher averages and OBPs too.

I like Riley's ADP and think he's a great value pick there. You have room for him to be a draft steal, and if he busts, it won't hurt as much as it did in 2024.

Albies is another guy who dealt with missed games last season. In 99 games, he had a .251 average, .303 OBP,  10 homers, 53 RBIs, eight stolen bases and 52 runs scored.

When healthy, Albies can be one of the better hitters in the game. Unfortunately, he's dealt with injuries in two of the past three seasons. If I'm taking him around his ADP, which is pretty fair, I'm going to also draft a backup in case he gets injured again.

Ozuna is one of the top designated hitters in the game, but his ADP has been falling since draft season opened. He was great in 2024, finishing with a .302 average, .378 OBP, 39 home runs, 104 RBIs and 96 runs scored over 162 games. 

I see regression coming in his age-34 season. If the guys ahead of him can stay healthy, Ozuna should be in for another big season. He can only slot in at DH, so that hurts his draft stock significantly. I see more positives than negatives if you are able to land Ozuna around his current ADP.

Harris seems like another great value pick around his ADP, but there's durability issues with him too. In 110 games last season, Harris had a .264 average, .304 OBP, 16 home runs, 48 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and 58 runs scored. He hasn't played in more than 138 games in any of his three MLB seasons, and has been at 115 or below in two of those years.

Likely leading off for Atlanta, Harris has the chance to be a great fantasy asset. Durability is his biggest issue, and that's why his ADP is as low as it is. He could be another big bounceback candidate, and is a great third fantasy outfielder.

Profar signed with Atlanta after a monster season with San Diego. He's expected to hit second in the lineup, which gives him room to really be a big fantasy star this season. In 158 games last season, Profar had a .280 average, .380 OBP, 24 home runs, 85 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and 94 runs scored.

Profar could be even better in Atlanta's lineup, especially if everyone remains healthy and can return to their career numbers. Profar seems like a great value pick, and could turn into a draft steal by the end of the season. Taking him as your final fantasy outfielder puts your team in a great spot, and if you get him as a secondary option, your team is probably stacked.

Other Starting Options

According to FanGraphs, Sean Murphy, Jarred Kelenic and Orlando Arcia are the other projected starters, with Bryan De La Cruz platooning with Kelenic.

Chadwick Tromp is the top backup catcher, with Nick Allen can play the infield and Luke Williams plays all over the field.

Murphy is another big bounceback candidate, and could be a daily starting fantasy catcher if he can. Tromp probably only becomes a big fantasy asset if Murphy misses extended time.

Kelenic and De La Cruz could be decent fantasy assets, but splitting a spot probably means they top out as deep-league options. Arcia starts the season as a deep-league fantasy option, but could be a standard league streamer if he gets hot at any point.

If Atlanta is healthy, none of the other bench guys are going to play all that much.

Top Prospects

Drake Baldwin is the team's lone hitting prospect in the top 100. He's expected to make his MLB debut in 2025.

Baldwin is a catcher who has a career .272 average in the minors across three seasons. He has 32 home runs, 158 RBIs, 158 walks, 218 strikeouts, three stolen bases and 136 runs scored across 257 total games.

Baldwin played in 72 Triple-A games last season, so he's about ready for a call up. He could make the team out of spring training, but unless there's a path to consistent playing time, he may be held in the minor leagues. An injury to Murphy or Ozuna could open a spot for him.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. is the only other top-30 hitting prospect from 2024 who ended the season in AAA or the big leagues. In eight MLB games, Alvarez had a .100 average and .156 OBP, with three hits, a run scored, no walks and 10 strikeouts over 30 at-bats.

Alvarez would only get a call up if Arcia or another Atlanta infielder went down with an injury. 

There's not many other highly-regarded hitting prospects in Atlanta, but they really aren't needed with the MLB talent the team has. If everyone is healthy, there won't be many starts to go around.

If an injury to a key Atlanta hitter happens during the season, FantasySP will cover how things might shake out, so check back throughout the season!