If you had told my 10-year-old self that one day he would be rooting for the Braves in the World Series, he would probably have punched you in the knee. Growing up the son of a Mets fan, that rivalry in the 90s was about as nasty as could be.  The Braves back then were boring, racist, and basically filled with guys who look like they film anti-government videos in their cars.  However, in this 2021 series, I’m excited about this team and I’m ready to throw my support behind the Atlanta Braves.

When it comes to sports affiliations, I try to look at the current team and not the history of the franchise.  Obviously, there are certainly some teams I will never ever root for regardless of who plays for them – St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Philadelphia Flyers.  Everything else is fair game! That’s why this Braves team is so exciting.  They’re taking down every team in their path without their MVP.  Not many other teams would be able to pull off such a feat.  This team is filled with fun young guns and proven veterans which makes it the perfect World Series team in my mind.  Here are just a few of the reasons why I like this team in 2021:

Joc Pederson

Pederson has spent most of his career with the Dodgers basically as a platoon player. However, after Ronald Acuna Jr. went down on July 10th, the Braves knew they needed to pick up someone with some pop. The right guy came around and Joctober began. In 10 games this postseason, Pederson has 3 home runs and 9 RBIs to go along with a .276 average. Also, he wears pearls now for some reason but I’m here for it. Joctober forever!

Eddie Rosario

After six seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Rosario signed a quick 1-year deal with Cleveland this offseason. However, on July 30th, Rosario was shipped to the Braves for some additional reinforcement in the Braves depleted outfield. Rosario came in and launched 7 home runs in 96 ABs to help propel Atlanta to the postseason. The NLCS is when he truly came alive. He hit 3 home runs and had 9 RBIs in 25 ABs that secured the NLCS MVP award for him. The Braves moves at the trade deadline have paid some major dividends so far!

Freddie Freeman

Making his Major League debut at the age of 20, Freeman has been as consistent as they come for the Atlanta Braves. Old reliable has been to the All-Star game 5 times since his first full season in 2011 and is closing in on 300 career home runs. I think the best part about Freddie is he seems like such a genuinely good guy. During the All-Star game, he set his pride aside for the good of his family. His son Charlie, seen in the video below, is a huge Fernando Tatis Jr. fan, so Freeman took it upon himself to set up a beautiful meeting between the two. Stats aside, I’m rooting for Freeman to finally get his hands on the World Series trophy.

This Braves team is just, for lack of a better term, fun. If these guys can keep raking, it will be hard for Houston to take them down. Suffice it to say, we should be in for plenty of home runs given the talent on both teams. But I can’t believe I’m saying this, go Braves!