Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Braves have one of the best records in MLB. They are currently riding a six-game winning streak that has given them an 11-game lead over the second-place Washington Nationals in the NL East, and there are several reasons why.
Atlanta has one of the best offenses in the league, having tallied the most home runs (130) of any team in the NL to go with the second-most runs (483).
The Braves also have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball, as they entered Wednesday’s game with the Colorado Rockies boasting a 3.35 ERA that ranked third in the majors and a 2.58 bullpen ERA that was the best mark in the league.
Perhaps the most underrated part of the Braves, however, is their bench, which has been absolutely phenomenal.
The players they’ve brought off the pine have performed so well, in fact, that they entered Wednesday with the second-best batting average (.297) and the third-most hits (35) among pinch-hitters. Rookie Joey Terdoslavich is the latest in a long line of successful Braves bench players that has included — but certainly isn’t limited to — Evan Gattis, Jordan Schafer, Reed Johnson, Jose Constanza and Gerald Laird.
Terdoslavich’s name may be hard to pronounce, but he is making hitting at the big league level look fairly simple.
While he has a small sample size, having compiled nine hits in just 33 at-bats (.281) since being called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on July 4, he has batted well from both sides of the plate when opportunities have arisen, providing the squad with a great switch-hitting option in late-game situations.
Add in the fact that the 24-year-old can play both corner infield positions as well as both corner outfield positions, and his value rises even more. As of right now, Terdoslavich has earned himself a spot on the postseason roster, and I see no reason why he’ll slow down anytime soon.
And as for his name, well, you can just call him “Terdo” or “Joey T.” That’s what everybody else seems to do.
Josh McKinney is an Atlanta Braves writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
