Maybe I’m a bit of a baseball sadist and/or maybe I’m a weirdo who figures that the best way to reflect on failure is to go back and re-experience said failures. However, I’d like to do that while also getting to enjoy some eye-candy, so these particular moments are going to be filled with bullets and lasers that came off of the bats of Braves players but somehow ended up finding leather instead of grass or seats.
If this isn’t your cup of tea, so be it but if you’re rocking with me here, then let’s
go through this process together. I’m here for you if you’re here for me. Let’s get into it, shall we? Also, please stick around until the end — trust me on this one, it is totally worth it.
No. 10 – Michael Harris II, May 16 vs. Reds, Line Out, .857 xBA
This one’s pretty straightforward to start this list off with. Michael Harris II got ahold of one and blooped it into center field for what could’ve very easily been a bloop single on any other given day. Instead, on this day it ended up being a fine play in center for Ceddanne Rafaela and Money Mike had to head back to the dugout with hat in hand. For what it’s worth, if anybody would’ve appreciated a play like this from a center fielder, it’s Mike.
No. 9 – Ronald Acuña Jr., March 29 vs. Royals, Fly Out, .871 xBA
What makes this one a bit funny from a morbid point of view is that if you look closely at the background as this ball appears destined to land beyond the center field fence, Blooper and his crew appear to be getting ready to celebrate the seemingly-incoming dinger. Instead, they all had to put everything down as this somehow landed in a glove instead of onto concrete beyond the wall. Blah.
No. 8 – Ronald Acuña Jr., April 18 at Phillies, Fly Out, .886 xBA
This time, it happened in Philadelphia (blah) so the robbery got a standing ovation instead of a groan from the crowd. Once again, Acuña seemingly got all of one and sent it flying to dead center. Once again, a center fielder was waiting to grab it instead of seeing it clear the fence. This is another one where Michael Harris II probably would’ve been tipping his cap from the dugout — especially considering how he’d seemingly made a habit of robbing homers at Citizens Bank Park, himself.
No. 7 – Ronald Acuña Jr., April 6 at Angels, Fly Out, .894 xBA
What did Ronald Acuña Jr. do to upset the baseball gods early on this season? This was the third time in less than a month where xBA figured that Acuña should’ve at least come away with (what would’ve likely been) at least an extra base hit. Instead, it ended up turning into a visually-routine out as it hung in the air long enough for old friend Jorge Soler to get under it and make the catch. Fortunately, this was as bad as it got for Acuña in terms of getting robbed but he won’t be the only Braves hitter making multiple appearances on this list.
No. 6 – Drake Baldwin, September 24 vs. Reds, Fly Out, .897 xBA
Maybe if you’re a doomer, you could make a case about this being a bad omen for what was to come in the future as this team met its eventual end at the hands of the Dodgers in a series where they just couldn’t find a way to break through with any sort of regularity. This was certainly a frustrating moment, as Baldwin seemingly got all of this one only for it to wind up finding a glove. Oof, man.
No. 5 – Mike Yastrzemski, August 1 vs. Nationals, Line Out, .931 xBA
Yeah, you’ve got to just give Nasim Nuñez his props here. Mike Yastrzemski hit it hard and he got a decent amount of air on it but Nuñez jumped all the way out of the gym in order to get to this one and snag it out of the sky. It’s hard to complain about this one.
No. 4 – Mauricio Dubón, September 8 vs. Rays, Line Out, .940 xBA
If you want to know how the series against the eventual American League Pennant winners wound up going for the Braves, just watch this clip over and over again. It seemed like the entire series was nothing but Braves hitters crushing the ball and the batted ball seemingly being magnetized to Tampa Bay’s gloves. This wasn’t even the moment
No. 3 – Michael Harris II, April 2 at Diamondbacks, Line Out, .954 xBA
Considering the situation, I don’t think Michael Harris II or the Braves lost any sleep over this one. Instead, it was a missed opportunity only when it came to being able to pad some stats as Atlanta was absolutely taking Arizona out behind the woodshed and had forced the Diamondbacks to go to James McCann to cover the ninth inning.
Fun fact: McCann ended up pitching four times during the month of April, which wound up being the most mound appearances for a dedicated position player before the month of May. Congratulations to him, I guess.
No. 2. – Michael Harris II, March 29 vs. Royals, Fly Out, .966 xBA
It’s kind of wild that two of these happened in the same game. This is Michael Harris II’s third appearance on this list (tying him with Ronald Acuña Jr.) and it’s also the second appearance from this game alone. In case you’re wondering: Yes ,the Braves lost this game (4-1) and yes, the Braves out-xBA’d the Royals by a significant margin despite the result (.314 xBA for Atlanta compared to .196 for Kansas City). That’s baseball for you!
No. 1 – Jim Jarvis, July 5 vs. Mets, Line Out, .971 xBA
In almost fitting fashion, the No. 1 robbery for Braves hitters according to xBA ended up looking very similar to what No. 10 looked like. Jim Jarvis blooped it out to center and if it didn’t stay in the air longer, it likely lands in the grass for a base hit that brings up the potential go-ahead run for the Braves. Instead, it lingered long enough to turn into an out and Jarvis goes down as having had the most unlucky moment for a Braves hitter in 2026.
BONUS – Lucky Dog Award: Mauricio Dubón, September 6 vs. Phillies, Double, .011 xBA
Ha ha! That’s all.
