The Braves have a 3.04 ERA and a 3.82 FIP, and though they don’t rank at the top of the Defensive Runs Saved leaderboard, it’s pretty easy to see the impact that good defense has had on the team’s producing an ERA that exceeds expectations. The Braves currently rank 5th in Defensive Runs Saved.

Most Defensive Runs Saved – 2026 Season

The Braves are the best team in baseball at turning balls hit into the outfield into outs and a look at their highlight reel shows they’ve got a good collection of run-saving plays.

“The whole crowd was ready to erupt,” said Dodgers broadcaster Joe Davis after this sprinting catch by Michael Harris II in the right center gap that kept a run off the board.

Ronald Acuña Jr. made a game-saver, preventing one run and maybe two from scoring on a would-be extra-base hit by Kyle Schwarber to end the game and preserve a win.

Here’s a wall-crashing catch by Eli White with the bases loaded at Dodgers Stadium that would have certainly scored three runs had he not made the play.

And here’s one by Mike Yastremski, a diving catch that took a hit from Xavier Edwards and a run from the Marlins.

Harris and Yastrzemski both have good histories. Harris has 6 Runs Saved. Yastrzemski, White, and Acuña have 1 Run Saved each (Yaz has 3 in left field, as does Mauricio Dubon). Acuña, who had -12 Runs Saved last year, seems to be feeling a little better this season with regards to his past knee issues.

MLB Out Rate – Fly Balls & Line Drives Hit To The Outfield

As noted in the chart above, the Braves are 6.2 percentage points above the MLB average when it comes to their outfielders catching balls hit in the air. There have been 545 balls hit to the outfield against the Braves, so a rudimentary calculation, not taking into consideration catch difficulty, would show that the Braves have caught 34 more balls than an average team would have.

In addition to the impressive work on fly balls and line drives to the outfield, the Braves have gotten standout defense from the right side of their infield. That’s a given with first baseman Matt Olson, whose 5 Runs Saved co-lead the position. But Ozzie Albies is also playing his best defense in a while. His 5 Runs Saved rank tied for third among second basemen.

The Braves have gotten at least 5 Runs Saved from four positions, first base, second base, left field, and center field. The only other team to do that this season is the Red Sox.

The other way to be a good defensive team is to not have bad defensive players and this is something that stands out. The worst Runs Saved total for any Braves player is -1. They’re basically assured of putting out a lineup that has nine defenders that grade out average or better (or a hair below).

In their last 18 games the Braves have given up more than three runs three times. You’re not going to beat them by scoring a lot against them. The way to get them is the way the Nationals got them the last two games – keep them off the scoreboard, which isn’t easy either.