Chop Cast

The Braves still appear to be a little hungover but they broke the losing streak with a dominant performance against Philly (and honestly should've won the last game but whatever.) We're not worried though...for the most part. Definitely need to get into a rhythm again before the postseason starts. Griffin, Sam, and Will discuss the Braves remaining schedule and look over the very interesting Wild Card races.

What the title says. Griffin and Will discuss the record-breaking 2023 Braves and their path to winning a 6th NL East Division in a row, but primarily focus on the current postseason race for the whole MLB.

The dog days of summer truly have felt monotonous...but in a good way. The Braves have lulled us to sleep with how easily they've been winning games. The team is firing on all cylinders right now and it's very impressive to watch, but honestly makes it a little difficult to talk about because everything seems to be going smoothly. Griffin, Sam, and Will find some things to talk about though starting with that weird interaction that Acuna had with some fans at Coors Field. We also talk a little bit about the disaster that is the angels and some potential destinations that their guys on waivers could go.

The Braves lineup and [mostly] bullpen are both firing on all cylinders right now, but the rotation has been kinda stinky. Griffin and Will briefly go over some stellar performances of some of the guys in the lineup and bullpen and then direct their attention to what's going on with the rotation right now and how they think it should be fixed.

So...not much happened. Watch Griffin and Sam be sad about a pretty stale trade deadline.

Yes, we lost a series to the White Sox at home. Am I worried? No, not at all. We should be fine. HOWEVER, we do have some needs in the bullpen now with some recent injuries. So, Griffin and Will discuss some trade targets, who we'd have to give up for them, and what we're wanting out of the deadline. Also, Griffin shares a trade idea that could VERY REALISTICALLY bring in Shohei!??!!?!?

We are now at the All-Star break and the Braves are ALREADY at 60 wins!!! This team is a well-oiled team of destruction. They have had 12 series wins in a row, the most home runs before the All-Star break by any team in MLB history, and have the 2nd most players from one team selected to the All-Star Game (8) in MLB history—just nuts. Griffin, Sam, and Will reflect on the last month of series wins, discuss Fried's return, and glance at the NL East standings [like they even matter at this point LOL].

Griffin and Will talk about the recent win streak and discuss Spencer Strider's recent woes.

This episode starts with some live commentary from Griffin and Sam of the 10th inning against the Tigers. What was supposed to be a super happy episode was dragged down a little bit courtesy of Raisel Iglesias serving up batting practice. BUT STILL, what a week it was for the Braves as they sweep the Mets all with comeback victories. Griffin and Sam also talk a little bit about the resurgences of Ozuna, AJ Minter, and Michael Harris II.

Interesting week. However, it seems like the Braves have started to climb their way out of their slump. Griffin and Sam talk about each series, Soroka's return (recorded before he was quickly sent back down), Michael Harris II's struggles, and AJ Smith-Shawver's first appearance.

This has definitely been the toughest stretch for the Braves so far this year. It feels like we lost A LOT (which we certainly lost more than normal) but we got a few series wins against some good teams. Scraping together that last win against the Dodgers was HUGE. Griffin and Will go over the past couple series and take a deep dive into a few overperforming players (*cough* Ozuna *cough*) and a couple of very underperforming players.

Max Fried and Kyle Wright are out for at leat 2 months...which sucks. Now the Braves have to figure out how they're going to fill those 2 holes in the rotation. Also, Ozuna has CONTINUED to hit the ball!?!?!?!?!?? Should we trade him? Should we keep him? Griffin, Sam, and Will ramble about all of these questions.

This was one of our favorite episodes in a while! We look at Elder's stats and project whether this is a flash in the pan or if it's legit, Griffin breaks out some wicked stats on A.J. to prove his point, briefly discuss Kyle Wright going back on the IL, and OZUNA...HITTING???? Great episode. You should listen.

Ouch...rough series with the Astros. Should've at least won two of those games but our bullpen kinda blew up. Also, Ozuna can no longer be a Brave. He is a negative on this team.

There was way too much to talk about in this episode so we (mainly Griffin) just kinda rambled about everything that's happened so far in the season, but you guys...this team IS SO GOOD!!! Very few holes...except one absolutely gaping one...Marcell Ozuna. He needs to be DFAd and we talk about why. P.S. Next week's episode will be much more structured, and hopefully, we'll have the whole crew back together.

ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL OPENING DAY!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!?!?!?!? Unfortunately, Griffin will be out of the country for Opening Week :( :( :( BUT in this episode, Griffin and Will talk a little bit about the WBC Final, the strange move of Grissom and Shewmake to AAA, the intense battle for the 5th spot in the rotation, and give a few predictions for the Braves, MLB awards, and postseason. (Also, there's a little delay between Griffin and Will's audio tracks, so some of the conversations might sound a little off pace. Sorry about that.)

We're back after a long hiatus. Griffin and Sam go over some early Spring Training performances, make some predictions, and talk about some of the new rule changes. (Spoiler: we believe the pitch clock should at least be extended.)

I have no idea how this didn't get posted when it was supposed to be but here it is now. A nice look into the past I guess. We talk about Duvall and some trade ideas.

Yes, yes. We missed the Dansby signing. We didn't have many chances to talk about it with our messy schedules during the holidays, but, honestly, we saw it coming and we're not too terribly concerned overall. Anyway, the BIGGEST concern right now to us is what will happen with Max Fried. There have been a lot of trade rumors revolving around him right now and that terrifies us. Yes, we could get some great packages for him that could even further our dynasty, but looking at it purely from the perspective of fans, it terrifies us. In this episode, we talk about some potential trade packages, what we think the best outcomes from the situation are, and briefly BRIEFLY glance over the Dansby deal. Also, this episode was recorded right before the news about Adam Duvall. However, we all projected that the Braves wouldn't sign him so we weren't surprised.

Man, this is a tough one. I really still don't know how to feel about it. I guess only time will tell. Listen to Griffin and Will's immediate thoughts on the 3-team trade.

Trea Turner turned down an extra $30 million from San Diego to go to Philly...that's gross. Oh, well. I never thought we were going to get deGrom but I'm glad he's off the Mets (even though they already filled in his role with Verlander). What will the Turner signing mean for Dansby, though? Will we pay a little more than we should for him or will the Dodgers throw all the money in the world at him? Listen to this episode to find out what we think.

There haven't been many moves happen in the first week of free agency, however, the Braves have made 2 of the first couple signing by resigning Jesse Chavez to a minor league deal for one more go of it and signing former stud reliever, Nick Anderson, to a very club friendly split deal. Very happy with both signings, but I'm definitely excited for more to come. Griffin, Sam, and Will go over Anderson's stats and look at the Shortstop market a little bit.

UGGGGHHHHHHHHH noooooo whyyyyyY???? I guess there's always next year. Got a ring still freshly in our pocket anyway. Griffin and Sam cover that abysmal NLDS, talk about the playoff format, and give a little preview of the Braves who are now free agents and what we think will happen with them.

Braves will face off against the Phillies in the NLDS, and boy am I eager to watch us destroy them. Phillies take the spot of 2nd most hated baseball franchise for the Chop Cast team and I'm sure they sit in a similar spot for all of Braves country. Hopefully, this will be a quick 3 or 4-game series win for the Braves but regardless tensions are gonna be high. Game 1 is going to be PIVOTAL for the Braves to win as Wheeler and Nola are sure to follow Suarez. Also: DUUUH DUH-DUH-DUUUUH DUH DUH-DUH-DUH-DUUUUHHH DUH DUH-DUH DUUUH DUH-DUH-DUUUH DUH-DUH-DUUUUUH

The Braves swept the Mets in basically a take all or nothing series and get the last needed win of the season in Miami somehow behind the arm of Jake Odorizzi. God, I love this team. We go over that series and make a few postseason predictions.

When we recorded this episode we were 1.5 GB, but as of publishing it, we are 1 GB. It can happen just like that. (That is when the Mets don't play but you win, but still). We knew the last series against the Mets was gonna be essential but OH MY it is about as vital as it can possibly get. The Braves bats were dragging their knuckles into Philly after a sluggish performance against the Nationals, but then life sprung out of nowhere the day that Olson finally gets a day off, which seemingly rejuvenated both him and the team. On that same day, deGrom was absolutely crushed by the A's of all teams and what seemed to be a beeline for the WC has turned back into a heavyweight bout for the NL East. Exciting and anxiety-inducing stuff happening in Braves Country right now.

Braves sluggish performance in San Francisco wasn't very opportunistic in terms of the divisional race...happy the Mets decided to get swept by the Cubs, however. The Phillies kindly rolled over for us in Atlanta but the Mets swept the Pirates. It's tit-for-tat right now but all we can do is keep winning.

Kenley has gotta hit the bench...at least for a little while. I mean c'mon. Dude's serving up some massive meatballs. Braves are 1 GB of the Mets again. Mariners series was a fun watch...until the last half inning.

Wow! What a week! Braves win 6 out of 7 from the Rockies and Marlins including a huge win over Sandy Alcantara, Spencer Strider breaks the franchise record for strikeouts with 16, Ozuna is looking maybe viable again, and with the Mets losing a home series to the Nasty Nats we're now only 1 GB of the division. Now this is epic.

AGAIN, THE TROUT TRADE WASN'T MY IDEA! However, Griffin and Sam talk about how it's not as unreasonable as people made it out to be. We also go over the Pirates and Cardinals series a little bit, address how Ozuna hasn't had an AB since his weird start against the Astros, and answer some questions from our Instagram followers about the offseason.

Wow!!! What a complete 180 from that series in New York. After getting pummeled in Flushing, we won 7 straight and went 5-2 against the Mets and Astros in succession. Those are two of the best teams in baseball and we kinda shat on them (except Odorizzi). We still got a few issues every now and then but we're playing good ball in every aspect of the game right now. Phillies let us down against the Mets and so we're 4 GB right now, but we're inching closer to the division lead every day. Also, we haven't even been talking about how good Vaughn Grissom has been. Also also, Ozuna found himself in a sticky situation...again.

Well...we went to New York and got absolutely humiliated. Maybe this is the kick in the nads that we need to really fire this team up for the postseason though. I don't know. That was rough to watch. Griffin and Sam talk about the awful series and discuss our trade deadline acquisitions a little bit.

It's Christmas in August for baseball! Get excited with us!!!! Will Smith was traded after this was recorded and we couldn't be happier.

Griffin, Sam, and Will briefly go over the Angels series, in which the last game really showed us a potential need for the trade deadline as Ian Anderson gave up 5 runs in the first inning and now his ERA has ballooned to a 5.31. We review a list of potential trade targets, pick which ones we see as the best, most realistic choice, and discuss where big-name targets like Soto and Ohtani will end up. (Audio not as great in this episode, but Griffin is fixing to travel so...it'll get better in a couple of episodes.)

We're back. We recorded a long hour and a half episode 2 weeks ago with some new software where we talked about everything we missed: the 14 game win streak, the emergence of two great rookies in Harris and Strider, Matt OIson starting to be the player we were promised, and so much more!...but then that video never uploaded and is lost. SO INSTEAD we talk about some predictions we made at the beginning of the season and how stupid (or good) they were and just go over the 1st half of the season in the MLB as a whole.

The bullpen, Travis d'Arnaud, Austin Riley, Kyle Wright, and Travis Demeritte are the only things keeping us alive right now. Ronald needs to start every day as soon as possible. There are two glaring holes in the rotation with Charlie not producing and Elder/Muller gone. We got our first series win against the Cubs, but times are tough right now. April was a forgettable baseball month. CHOPCAST10 for 10% off https://sweethandssports.com/

Oh geez man. This feels like we're right back in the first half of last season. Acuna could not get here sooner. 10% off https://sweethandssports.com/ with code CHOPCAST10

3-4 isn't too bad all things considered when taking a road trip to the Padres and Dodgers, but this trip as a whole was kind of a roller coaster. We looked dominant and competitive in some games and absolutely terrible in others. Griffin and Sam go over each series and talk about the recent moves involving Ynoa, Newcomb, and Chavez. DON'T FORGET!!! Get 10% off storewide for Sweet Hand Sports with promo code CHOPCAST10. https://sweethandssports.com/

Game 1: Ouch. Game 2: YEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! Game 3: Ouch. Griffin also talks about his experiences with delta 8 gummies and Sam talks about how cool he is for going to Coachella this weekend.

The Braves split the series 2-2, but Matt Olson is coming out of the gate HOT! Can't say the same for Fried, Anderson, Swanson, Ozzie, and Rosario though. It's fine coming out with two, but we gotta shape up...and FAST!

Griffin played the game of his life in an intramural softball game last week and no one cares.....Anyway, Griffin, Sam, and Will make some predictions about the Braves rotation and lineup and discuss some changes we would make to the opening day roster. MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM AND WATCH US ON ON YOUTUBE!

Griffin, Sam, and Will briefly bring up Freddie's newest comments, discuss our new and returning free-agent signings, the guys we lost, and glance a little at how spring training has been going for the Braves.

WE'RE BACK...but Freddie isn't...Anyway, Griffin, Sam, and Will give some life updates, talk about spring break, and go over our takes on the whole Freddie situation. We did briefly go over our new signings and talk about Matt Olson but my janky computer cut out the last 10 minutes. We will be going over our new signings and discussing spring training in our next episode though. Great to be back, Braves Country!

Welcome to Atlanta, Manny Piña! Happy to have you! Also, Griffin, Sam, and Will talk about some potential agents the Braves could look into and make some predictions about where the top 10 free agents will go. We were so close to getting Kate Upton :(

Braves are still the CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD BABY!!! We gotta reload for next season to get a 2 peat, so Griffin, Sam, and Will run through our 2021 roster to see what moves we should make with our players going through free agency or arbitration. Let us know what y'all think.

WEEEEEE ARREEE THE CHAAAAAAMMMPPPPIOOOOONSSSSS, MYYYY FRIEEEEEEEEEENNNNDD!!!!!!!!!! ANNND WEEEEEE WIIIILLLL KEEEEEPPP FIGHTTING TOOOOOO THE ENNNNNNNDDD!!!!!!!! BRAVES WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!! BRAVES WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!! WE'RE SO HAPPY! WE'RE SOOOOOO HAPPY!!!!

One win. That's all we need. Sam and Griffin ramble about their thoughts about the first half of this series and talk some about the game 5 matchup. This doesn't feel real. One win.

I simply cannot believe the words that I wrote for the title of this episode. WORLD SERIES BOUND!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!? The Braves absolutely handled the Dodgers and are on to face the red-hot Astros. We are still in shock. Griffin, Sam, and Will cover the rest of the games from the NLCS and preview THE FREAKING WORLD SERIES!!!

OOOOOHHHH BOOOYYYY!!!! Let's wrap this one up fellas. A bullpen game against Max Fried with a 3-1 series lead is exactly where we wanna be. I'd love to see a game in Atlanta personally, but I WOULD NOT MIND if this game didn't return home. LET'S END IT TONIGHT!!!! (Answer our poll on Spotify!!!)

Crazy how the Brewers thought that they were gonna advance at all in the postseason when they had to play us. Three-headed monster what? Insane bullpen who? Fat guys, who hit home runs sometimes where? All we saw was the Braves shutting these Brewers down. Incredible performance from our pitchers especially and good job from our hitters stepping up when they needed to. One more step to the World Series. Chop on!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NLDS BABY HERE WE COME. Griffin, Sam, and Will talk about the Phillies series, glance over the Mets series, reflect on the season, and make some playoff predictions. LETS GO BRAVES!!! (Follow us on Instagram and Twitter which are linked on our Anchor page.)