Aside from their four-game losing streak to open the season and their current eight-game skid, the Atlanta Braves have been one of the best offensive teams in the league. Their young pitchers have played well this season, but it has been their offense that has been the most important part of their failures and successes. The 2011 team struggled for most of the season offensively and for the most part this season, has bounced back. Who have been the biggest offensive weapons in Atlanta this season through the first 50 games?
1. Martin Prado
Prado struggled for most of 2011 but is performing this season like it was 2010 again. During their struggles in the past several weeks, Prado has been the one bright spot in the lineup, hitting .333 (12-for-36). Overall this season, he is hitting .326 with three home runs, 22 RBIs and an OPS of .895.
2. Dan Uggla
Uggla is hitting just .207 (6-for-29) in his past 10 games, but his season average (.260) is still far ahead of where it was a year ago. He has seven home runs with 27 RBIs and 32 walks, but he still strikes out too often (56 strikeouts) for him to be relied upon.
In between stints on the disabled list, Jones has been the anchor for the Braves this season. In 29 games, he is hitting .307 with five home runs and 24 RBIs. Without Jones in the lineup, the team has faltered and makes some wonder how the team will do next season when he is retired.
During the month of April, Freeman was one of the best players in the league. He won the player of the week award twice during the month but a disastrous May has dropped his average to .247. In his last 10 games, his average has dropped 30 points with a 5-for-40 streak.
5. Jason Heyward
The right fielder has a terrible sophomore season, and while he hasn't been great, he has shown moments of brilliance. He is hitting just .236 this season, including .188 in his last 10 games. He has struggled throughout most of May, much like the rest of the team.
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More from this contributor:
Braves 2012 Interleague Schedule
Top Braves on the Rebound in 2012
Top Athletes to Return from Retirement and have an Impact
Hobson Lopes has been a life-long Atlanta Braves fan, thanks to TBS, and can be followed on Twitter @HobsonLopes.
