Atlanta Braves: Atlanta’s Top Five Players For 2017

Aug 17, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (2) collects his first major league base hit against the Minnesota Twins during the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 17, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (2) collects his first major league base hit against the Minnesota Twins during the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Who are the Atlanta Braves best players in 2017?

The Atlanta Braves have been in the midst of a major rebuild over the course of the last two years and are finally beginning to get close to competing again. The days of the Braves selling off their best players for prospects are over and were a little over hyped to begin with. They kept important core players and traded only players that were overvalued by fans and have under performed since moving elsewhere.

Dansby Swanson and Ender Inciarte are both young and exciting players that the Braves have added to their core and will continue to build from. With Swanson starting for a full season and an improved rotation the Braves hope to take a step forward in 2017 and compete. While it is doubtful postseason contention will happen the Braves roster is full of talent and capable of playing at least .500 or better.

With the season more than a month away we decided to rank the Braves’ five best players on their current roster. Please keep in mind that these rankings take a player’s career into account and are not based solely on potential or what players did last season. With that said before we get started here are a couple of players that didn’t quite make our rankings that are worth mentioning.

Oct 2, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Nick Markakis (22) hits an RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Nick Markakis (22) hits an RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Cardinals 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Dansby Swanson- Swanson didn’t make the cut based simply on the fact we have only seen him at the Major League level for a few weeks. Regardless his brief stint with the Braves along with his minor league performance are more than enough to convince the Braves and many other teams in the league that Swanson is going to be the starting shortstop in Atlanta for a long time to come.

Nick Markakis- Markakis is a very quiet player that shows up every day and does his job. He plays solid defense in right field and gets his hits toward the top of the lineup. There have been stretches when almost every ball he hit was deposited through the infield. Markakis isn’t a flashy player he is simply a good one who gets the job done.