This won’t exactly go down as a season to remember for the Atlanta Braves but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t any fun times to look back on — especially at the plate. A big hit at a crucial moment
is always incredibly exciting to witness and while the Braves didn’t have nearly enough of those to help make this a great season, there was still plenty of big knocks in big-time situations to talk about.
So without further ado, let’s get into the 10 most important hits of 2025 for the Atlanta Braves. We’ll be using Baseball-Reference’s Win Probability Added metric as our guide here, so if you have Stathead then you might be able to see where this is going. Let’s get into it, though!
No. 10 – Drake Baldwin, May 8 vs. Reds, B11, Walk-Off Single, .387 WPA
This won’t be the last time we see this game on this list, as there was actually a bigger hit (according to WPA) earlier on in the game that set the table for Drake Baldwin to eventually come through with a walk-off single. It’s pretty simple: He came through with the game on the line and sent everybody at the ballpark in Cobb County happy. Pretty simple but still very exciting!
No. 9 – Michael Harris II, August 13 at Mets, T4, Grand Slam, .399 WPA
This was part of a huge nine-run fourth inning at Citi Field for the Braves, which turned the game completely on its head over the course of a few minutes. This was the biggest bop of the night, as Money Mike delivered a grand deposit in order to break the game open and give us all the sweet, sweet sound of New York baseball fans booing their own team. Delicious.
No. 8 – Drake Baldwin, August 31 at Phillies, T9, 2-run Home Run, .444 WPA
Speaking of fans booing in their own home ballpark, Drake Baldwin certainly brought out the boobirds in Philadelphia with this homer. This was a pitchers’ duel that came down to which team would pick up the big hit when it mattered the most. It ended up being the Atlanta Braves and this ended up pushing Atlanta to a win against the eventual Divisional Champions.
No. 7 – Marcell Ozuna, June 17 vs. Mets, B8, bases-clearing Double, .447 WPA
The Braves ended up pulling off a walk-off win in extra innings over the Mets (again, delicious) but they don’t get there without this huge hit from Marcell Ozuna in the bottom of the eighth. The bases were loaded and the Braves were down to their final out of the inning, at that, so this was absolutely a hit worthy of being on this list.
No. 6 – Sean Murphy, July 2 vs. Angels, B6, 3-run Home Run, .460 WPA
This was a big one that turned the game directly on its head. In the bottom of the sixth inning with the Angels up by two runs, Sean Murphy came up with two on and two out while already swinging a hot bat at that particular moment. Sure enough, he came through with another big hit that also ended up setting the tone for the inning. Matt Olson hit a grand slam shortly after this and what was a small lead for the Angels heading into this frame turned into an eventual comfortable win for the Braves.
No. 5 – Michael Harris II, April 26 at Diamondbacks, T8, 2-run Double, .466 WPA
This game will be remembered as the one where Eugenio Suárez hit four home runs — which, calamitously, was not the last time the Braves would give up four homers in one game to a single player during the 2025 season. However, the Braves managed to make sure that Suárez’s historic night came in a losing effort. This big knock from Michael Harris II that got over the head of Alek Thomas in center pushed the Braves from being down 6-5 to being up 7-6. They ended up needing that run as they eventually ended up winning the historic game in extras.
No. 4 – Michael Harris II, May 6 vs. Reds, B9, RBI Double, .489 WPA
Can you tell that Money Mike enjoyed the big moments this season? That’s now three appearances for him on this list and (spoiler alert), he’s not done yet! This one was a massive double that burned a hole through the right side of the infield. Thanks to Stuart Fairchild being speedy and blazing across the basepaths, the Braves were able to get on the board and make sure that Marcell Ozuna eventually had the opportunity to win the game in extras with a walk-off single.
No. 3 – Ha-Seong Kim, September 3 at Cubs, T7, 3-run Home Run, .504 WPA
Talk about making one helluva first impression! Ha-Seong Kim’s first homer with the Braves came in a big-time situation, as he cracked one out into the bleachers in left at Wrigley Field for a three-run bomb that suddenly turned the game on its head. This one went from a potential no-hitter for the Cubs to an eventual comfortable Braves win and this was the biggest hit of them all.
Also, I thought that this was funny since for most of the season, Braves TV color commentator CJ Nitkowski had been predicting that Nick Allen’s first home run would come at Wrigley Field. He was right about a Braves starting shortstop hitting a homer at Wrigley — it was just a completely different shortstop. Poor Nick Allen.
No. 2 – Sean Murphy, July 12 at Cardinals, T8 3-run Home Run, .517 WPA
As usual with a lot of happy moments concerning the Braves, this one somehow didn’t result in the winning run as Daysbel Hernández went right out there in the bottom of the ninth and gave up a run on a wild pitch to eventually send this one to extras. Still, you can’t deny that turning a two-run deficit into a one-run lead in the eigth inning is a massive swing (in more ways than one) and the Braves wouldn’t have even been in position to have multiple chances to eventually win the game without Sean Murphy coming up big with two runners on in the eighth inning.
No. 1 – Michael Harris II, May 8 vs. Reds, B9, RBI single (Advanced to Third on E7), .545 WPA
Money Mike’s fourth and final appearance on this list also ends up earning him the Gold Medal for the biggest hit of the 2025 season. It wasn’t just that he put the ball into the outfield for a game-tying RBI. It was also the fact that he showed some heads-up baserunning and relentless hustle in order to make sure that he finished the play on third base following the throwing error. Drake Baldwin’s hit (which was No. 10 on this list) to walk it off was massive but he doesn’t get that chance without Michael Harris II making one of the biggest plays of the season.
BONUS: The “Luigi Wins By Doing Nothing” Biggest Walk Award: Jurickson Profar, August 31, T8, .153 WPA
This is now the third time that Jurickson Profar has popped up in the Bonus section. I don’t know, I guess he just had the knack for being involved in weird moments. Anyways, the was the most impactful walk of the 2025 Braves season according to Win Probability Added and it did end up being pretty important. Orion Kerkering was chased from the game after allowing each of the first three batters he faced to reach base safely and then Matt Olson greeted Tanner Banks to the game with a productive out that tied the pitchers’ duel up at one run apiece. We don’t get to Olson’s productive out (or the No. 8 entry in this list, for that matter) without Jurickson Profar showing some patience in order to load up the bases in a big situation right here.
That’ll do it for the 10 biggest hits of the 2025 season. Did these bring back any positive memories for y’all? Can you think of any off the top of your head that you just knew were going to end up on this list? Let us know!
