Yesterday, we took a look at some of the hard-luck moments that the Atlanta Braves had at the plate during the 2026 regular season. Turnabout is fair play, so now it’s time to look at some of the top moments where the Braves stole some outs out there in the field when the play probably should’ve resulted in a hit.
If you were brave enough to venture through the minefield that was the unlucky plays highlighted in yesterday’s article, then you can consider today a walk through Gold-Glove paradise. Let’s
get into it.
T-No. 10 – July 27 at Mets, P: Martín Pérez, H: Luis Torrens, Result: Line Out, .900 xBA
I could’ve just left this at 10 plays overall but there was a tie for 10th place and it involved the Braves robbing the Mets, so I’m including it because schadenfreude is fun, sometimes. This was just a very hard-hit ball from Luis Torrens that ended up finding Jim Jarvis’s leather. Jarvis has proven himself to be a plus-defender so far and this was a lovely example of how he could get up in the air in order to rob a hit from an opposing batter.
T-No. 10 – August 7 at Yankees, P: Tyler Mahle, H: Spencer Jones, Result: Fly Out, .900 xBA
Mauricio Dubón proved himself to be a nearly indispensable member of Atlanta’s defense in any given game, mostly due to the fact that he could play nearly any position on the field — and play it well, in fact. Dubón had his fair share of fantastic moments in the field during the 2026 season and this was truly one of his best moments, as he managed to make a spectacular catch at the wall in order to rob Spencer Jones of what surely would’ve been extra bases.
No. 9 – May 28 at Red Sox, P: Reynaldo López, H: Carlos Narváez, Result: Line Out, .903 xBA
There’s that man again. This may not look super spectacular at first glance but when you consider just how cramped of a space that left field is at Fenway Park, it’s really impressive that Dubón was able to be Johnny-on-the-spot and make the catch without having to play it on a hop or let it get past him. Good stuff!
No. 8 – June 4 vs. Blue Jays, P: Chris Sale, H: Ernie Clement, Result: Line Out, .906 xBA
You knew that Money Mike was going to pop up on this list eventually. Michael Harris II has continued to be one of the defensive stalwarts of the Braves right now and he’s only getting better and better — as evidenced by the fact that he received a Gold Glove finalist nomination for 2026. He probably won’t win it because Pete Crow-Armstrong is going to be busy racking up hardware this offseason but it does feel like some trophies might be heading Harris’s way in the future if he keeps this up.
No. 7 – August 22 at Brewers, P: Brent Suter, H: Brice Turang, Result: Line Out, .917 xBA
Yeah, this was just a matter of being at the right place at the right time. Jim Jarvis made another leaping catch but to be honest, it’s better to describe this as a “hop” rather than a “leap.” Either way, shout-out to Jim Jarvis being in the right position here.
No. 6 – June 27 at Giants, P: Bryce Elder, H: Drew Gilbert, Result: Line Out, .920 xBA
Another one that looks a lot easier than it actually was. I’d imagine that this one was probably pretty tough to track considering the transition from shadow-to-sun but fortunately, Money Mike did a good job of staying with it (the eyewear probably helped out a ton here) and he was able to make the play look easy in the end.
T-No. 4 – July 29 at Mets, P: AJ Smith-Shawver, H: Bo Bichette, Result: Line Out, .940 xBA
Eli White is a very fast runner and he had to cover a ton of ground in order to get to this one before it finally reached the ground. The bloop from Bo Bichette hung just long enough for White to get under it and scoop it for the out. As evidenced by the xBA, there are plenty of scenarios where that ball hits the grass. This wasn’t one of them.
T-No. 4 – June 10 at White Sox, P: Chris Sale, H: Derek Hill, Result: Line Out, .940 xBA
Playing the role of Jim Jarvis for this entry in the list is Jorge Mateo. This time, it was Mateo’s turn to make a jumping catch at short in order to keep the ball from heading into the outfield for a base hit. Again, it’s good to be in the right position and it’s even better to have the hops in order to make a play like this on a ball that usually gets up and over for a hit.
T-No. 2 – June 17 vs. Giants, P: JR Ritchie, H: Drew Gilbert, Result: Fly Out, .957 xBA
Yaz didn’t have a particularly great season as an outfielder during his first season in a Braves uniform but he certainly had his moments. This was one of them, as he made a very nifty sliding catch and showed plenty of effort in a game where the Braves were inexplicably getting bopped by a team that Yaz spent a lot of time playing for. Either way, it’s a great effort and it led to a spectacular catch. Well done!
T-No. 2 – June 5 vs. Pirates, P: Dylan Lee, H: Jared Triolo, Result: Line Out, .957 xBA
Spoiler alert: Michael Harris II is going to top this list, as he ended up making the two biggest plays on here. The next one is a bit more spectacular and fitting of being the top play on this list but that shouldn’t take away from the effort on display here. Harris had to cover a lot of ground to get to a ball that was quickly making its way towards the grass. Money Mike got there just in time in order to make the robbery and keep a good night going for the Braves.
No. 1 – September 8 vs. Rays, P: AJ Smith-Shawver, H: Chandler Simpson, Result: Line Out, .960 xBA
If the previous banger of a catch from Money Mike wasn’t enough for you, then here’s another one. It’s more spectacular at that, as Harris made a sliding catch to rob his childhood pal of a hit. The Rays were robbing the Braves left-and-right during this series so it’s only fitting that the Braves came away from this with something. In fact, the catch that Money Mike made here ended up being the biggest robbery of the season for Atlanta according to xBA of a batted ball. Again, it’s not particularly shocking that two of these came from Michael Harris II, right?
BONUS: The “Ah, Dangit” Award: September 20 at Astros, P: Martín Pérez, H: Jose Altuve, Result: Home Run, .051 xBA
Alright, here’s an unlucky moment to round things off. There were actually 10 other plays this season that resulted in hits against the Braves that had a lower xBA than this one but this was easily the cheapest dinger the Braves gave up all season. Altuve golfed a low pitch from Pérez and the ball ended up flying into the exact perfect spot for it to end up being a homer. This was a classic Crawford Boxes homer and I mean that quite literally — Daikin Park was the only ballpark in baseball where this would’ve been a homer. Awesome.
