There was a time in Spring Training where the Braves rotation could have been in the discussion for best staff in baseball.
Since then, Felix Hernandez decided to opt out, Mike Soroka injured his Achilles and was lost for the season, Sean Newcomb and Mike Foltynewicz have been sent to Gwinnett, Cole Hamels still hasn't thrown a real pitch, and the Braves prospects have yet to live up to their expectations.
Despite to the struggles to find some consistency out of their starters, the Braves have started the season 11-9 and are still in solid position to reach the playoffs.
The lone bright spot the Braves have seen while navigating these rough seas has been the performance of Max Fried. Fried is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA on the season, and has been among the best pitchers in the NL.
With so many issues from their rotation, John and Hugh discuss the idea that Max Fried may actually be the most important pitcher in baseball.
“Does Max Fried have to carry more of a load than any other pitcher In baseball? Yes," declares John Fricke. "The Braves aren’t going to do anything without Max Fried at this point. There’s more on his shoulders."