If the Braves had to engage mostly in one or the other, which would you prefer?
2024 was not what anyone expected, and part of that played out in how the games actually proceeded. The Braves finished 14th in runs and tied for first in fewest runs allowed, meaning that games were often low-scoring affairs. That was kind of weird, not just because of 2023 (first and 14th, respectively), but also because of 2022 (third and fifth!). Basically, you have to go back to 2018 to find a season where the Braves’ run prevention was helping out their non-awesome hitting.
Fast forward to Spring Training, and, well — while it means nothing at all — the Braves have the Grapefruit League’s best record (and second-best Spring Training record), on the back of by far the lowest amount of runs allowed, while being outscored by over half the league (though in some ways this is unfair because the run environment in the Cactus League is notably higher; still, the Braves are just middle-of-the-pack in Grapefruit League runs).
Which brings me to my question: if you assume no change in the team’s overall fortunes, down to the single win, do you aesthetically prefer a team that prevents runs and slinks by the opposition, or a team that scores in bunches but can only prevent the other team from doing the same by a narrow margin?