​The Atlanta Braves reached the All-Star break at 55-40, good for first place in the NL East and a two game lead over the Phillies.The ride has not been smooth, since the club dropped 19 of its final 29 games before the break after opening the year 45-21.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAtlanta still sent five players to Philadelphia, and much of the first half success came from guys few people were counting on back in March.Here are the three Braves who have been the most pleasant surprises so far.Nobody would have blamed Braves fans for bracing for another rough year from Albies.The 29-year-old was coming off the worst full season of his career, hitting .240 with a career-low .671 OPS in 2025 before a fractured hamate bone ended his year in the final week.Instead, he bounced back to hit .267 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI in the first half, and fans voted him in as the National League’s starting second baseman.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe nod was his fourth All-Star selection and his first since 2023.He even scored the winning run on a wild throw in Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Cardinals that closed out the first half.Atlanta picked up his $7 million option in November, and that decision now looks like one of the best bargains in baseball.If Albies was a question mark entering the season, Harris was a full mystery.The center fielder went into last year’s break with a .551 OPS that ranked dead last among qualified hitters, and only a late swing change saved his season.That adjustment has carried over in a big way, because Harris is hitting .296 with 16 home runs at the break and leads the team in batting average.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementA stacked National League outfield group squeezed him off the All-Star roster, but his first half was strong enough that he was widely called one of the biggest snubs in the sport.Few players have raised their level this much in one calendar year.The quietest surprise has been Lee, a 31-year-old lefty the Marlins released back in 2021.He has grown into the most dependable arm in one of the deepest bullpens in baseball, carrying a 1.47 ERA with 53 strikeouts against just seven walks into the break.FanGraphs rates him as Atlanta’s top reliever by WAR, ahead of All-Star closer Raisel Iglesias, and near the top of the league overall.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe does not pile up saves, which probably cost him a roster spot, but the Braves keep handing him the hardest outs in a game, and he keeps getting them.Not everything went right, and this look at the most disappointing Braves covers the other side of the story.The rotation still needs help, which is why the front office has been checking in on Boston’s Sonny Gray ahead of the deadline.If these three keep it up and Ronald Acuna Jr. gets healthy, Atlanta should have enough to hold off the Phillies down the stretch.