Atlanta Braves History: Greatest Players of the 1970s

The Atlanta Braves entered the 1970s coming off a 93-69 record in 1969.

With Hank Aaron in the midst of becoming the all-time home run king, the Braves looked to continue the success they saw in their first four years in Atlanta, and get into the World Series for the first time since 1958 as a franchise.

However, the 70s weren't as kind to the Braves, as they totaled 725 wins and 883 losses, with only two seasons during the decade with a winning record. Worse yet, in the last five seasons of the decade, the Braves never had less than 92 losses.

Even with the horrible records for the decade, there were still many individuals who stood out for the Braves during the decade. Most notably, Aaron broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record on April 8, 1974.

Here's a look at the top 10 Braves of the 1970s.

Note: This is the second in a five-part series on the best Braves of each decade.

Just Missed the Cut

Although these guys didn't make the list, they still had numbers that are worth mentioning.

Carl Morton pitched from 1973-76 and compiled a record of 52-47 and a 3.47 ERA for the Braves. He started 138 games, completed 29 of them, recorded eight shutouts and 345 strikeouts. During the four years, he pitched 949 total innings and compiled a 1.377 WHIP.

Davey Johnson played first and second base from 1973-74 for the Braves. He scored 140 runs, had 265 hits, 43 doubles, 58 HR and 161 RBI. He also had a .262 average, .365 on-base percentage, .476 slugging percentage and was named to the 1973 All-Star Game.

Dale Murphy got his start for the Braves in the late 1970s. During his abbreviated seasons of 1976 and 77, and his full-time status after that, Murphy hit 46 home runs, drove in 159 runs, scored 127 runs, had 267 hits, 35 doubles and a .428 slugging percentage.

Orlando Cepeda played with the Braves through 1972 until he was traded to Oakland. While he was in a Braves' uniform, he hit 52 home runs, knocked in 164 runs and had .295 average.

10. Jerry Royster

Royster spent the last four years of the decade in a Braves' uniform as the leadoff or No. 2 hitter.

During those four years, he had 529 hits, scored 299 runs and stole 114 bases. He also hit 16 home runs, 65 doubles, 17 triples and had 159 RBI.

Originally signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Royster was shipped to Atlanta in 1976 in a deal that also netted the Braves Dusty Baker.

9. Bob Horner

Horner was drafted No. 1 overall by the Braves in the 1978 and went directly into the starting lineup.

That year, in only playing 89 games, Horner hit .266 with 23 home runs and 63 RBI, garnering the Rookie of the Year over Ozzie Smith as well. In his first game, he hit a home run off Pittsburgh Pirates' pitcher Bert Blyleven.

Overall, in the last two years of the decade, Horner hit 56 home runs, had 161 RBI and scored 116 runs. He compiled a .295 average and a .547 slugging percentage.

8. Earl Williams

Williams had two stints with the Braves in the 1970s. He spent the first part from 1970-72 where he hit 81 home runs and had 250 RBI. He also had a .259 average, 458 hits, 196 runs scored and a .473 slugging percentage.

Ironically, it was in the big leagues where Williams got his first experience at catcher. He started off 1971 as the starting third baseman, but Darrell Evans soon took over that position. On May 23, he entered the game as a pinch-hitter and stayed in the game as the catcher.

Although he was a subpar defensive catcher, his 33 home runs and 87 RBI were good enough to earn him the Rookie of the Year award.

At the end of the 1972 season, Williams was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Pat Dobson, Roric Harrison, Davey Johnson and Johnny Oates.

In 1974, he was traded back to the Braves for pitcher Jimmy Freeman, but didn't see the same kind of offensive success as he saw in his first stint with the Braves.

During the 1976 season, his contract was sold to the Montreal Expos.

7. Mike Lum

Mike Lum was mainly a utility outfielder for the Braves between 1970-74, playing any position the Braves slotted him in.

During that time, he had 515 hits, 245 runs scored, 82 doubles, 56 home runs and 253 RBI. He also compiled a .259 average, a .331 on-base percentage and .398 slugging percentage.

Lum was the first American player with Japanese ancestry to play in the major leagues.

6. Jeff Burroughs

Traded from the Texas Rangers before the 1977 season, Burroughs spent the rest of the decade with the Braves.

During that time, he hit 75 home runs, knocked in 238 runs and scored 212 runs. He also had 393 hits, including 63 doubles, and had a .268 average.

In 1977 and 78, he was named to the National League All-Star team, hitting 41 home runs and 114 RBI in 1977.

5. Dusty Baker

Prior to being a Major League manager, Baker did some damage as a player.

Playing for the Braves from 1970-75, Baker hit .279 with 77 home runs and 324 RBI. He had 614 hits during that time frame, scored 311 runs and had 111 doubles. He also stole 58 bases and had a .352 on-base percentage.

After the 1975 season, Baker was traded with Ed Goodson to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Lee Lacy, Tom Paciorek, Jerry Royster and Jim Wynn.

4. Ralph Garr

The Road Runner, as he was affectionately known, was a premier leadoff hitter for the Braves.

During his time with the Braves from 1970-75, he had 1,014 hits, 131 doubles, 49 home runs and 245 RBI. He also scored 461 runs and stole 135 bases.

In 1974, he led the league with 214 hits, 17 triples and a .353 batting average.

After the 1975 season, Garr was traded with Larvell Blanks to the Chicago White Sox for Ken Henderson, Ozzie Osborn and Dick Ruthven.

3. Darrell Evans

Evans played for the Braves from 1970-76.

During that time, he hit .255 and had 119 home runs and 374 RBI. He also had 625 hits and scored 408 runs. During the 1973 season, he was named an All-Star.

During the 1976 season Evans was traded with Marty Perez to the San Francisco Giants for Jake Brown, Mike Eden, Willie Montanez and Craig Robinson.

2. Hank Aaron

Having Hammerin' Hank at No. 2 in this list is undoubtedly going to boil the bloods of some die-hard Braves' fans.

However, he spent the first four years of the decade with the Braves, before requesting a trade back to Milwaukee, this time with the Brewers' organization. His numbers were slightly less impressive than No. 1.

During his four years during the decade in Atlanta, Aaron hit 179 home runs, including No. 714 to break Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. He also had 644 hits, 478 RBI, 86 doubles and 404 runs scored. He made the All-Star team all four years as well.

1. Phil Niekro

Phil Niekro is one of the greatest pitchers in Atlanta Braves' history, and some of his best years were during the 1970s.

During the decade, where he spent all 10 years with the Braves, Knucksies went 164-151 with a 3.26 ERA. His knuckleball kept most hitters off-balance.

He started 376 games during that time, pitched in 2,881 innings and 160 complete games. He also struck out 1,866 batters during that time frame.