Atlanta Braves History: Greatest Players of the 1960s

The Atlanta Braves have a rich history.

After moving from Milwaukee in 1966, the Braves continued a rich history within the organization, seeing many highs and lows.

One thing the Braves also saw was countless players come through that helped shape baseball in Atlanta.

Many of these players have become icons not only in baseball, but in the city of Atlanta and the Southeast as a whole.

Here is a look at the top 10 Braves' players of the 1960s. Keep in mind, this list will only be from the four years the Braves were in Atlanta at the end of the decade. All stats will be from those years only.

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

Honorable Mention

The 1958 Rookie of the Year came to the Braves in a 1969 trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for catcher Joe Torre.

Although he was only in a Braves uniform for one year during the 1960s, Cepeda still was a large part of the success that year, garnering 147 hits, 22 home runs, 88 RBI and 74 runs scored.

That year, the Braves went 93-69, finishing first in the N.L. West, before losing to the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.

Cepeda would go on to spend three-and-a-half seasons with the Braves during the tail end of his prime.

10. Mack Jones

"The Knife," a native of Atlanta, began his pro career with the Braves when they were in Milwaukee.

Despite a nagging shoulder injury in 1966-67, Jones still put up solid numbers, hitting 40 home runs and knocking in 116 runs during the two years. He also got 225 hits, scored 132 runs, knocked 37 doubles and stole 26 bases during that time frame.

In 1968, Jones was traded to the Cincinnati Reds along with Jim Beauchamp and Jay Ritchie for Deron Johnson, who stayed in Atlanta only one year.

Jones was only in Cincinnati one year as he was the second pick in the expansion draft by the Montreal Expos in 1969.

9. Ken Johnson

Johnson spent a half season with the Braves in 1965 after being traded from Houston. After the 1965 season, he again moved, this time with the Braves to Atlanta.

His four years in Atlanta were all during the 1960s, as he went 32-25 over four seasons, including 14-8 in 1966 and 13-9 in 1967, with 256 strikeouts during that span. In 1967, he also had a 2.74 ERA.

In 1969, he was purchased from the Braves by the New York Yankees.

8. Ron Reed

Although sparingly used in 1966-67, Reed came on toward the end of the decade.

He had a 31-22 record during the last four years of the decade, garnering 271 total strikeouts in 1968 and '69. He also pitched 13 complete games during that time.

Reed is one of five pitchers to record 100 wins and 100 saves in a career, joining the likes of Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz.

7. Clete Boyer

After spending a majority of his career with the Yankees, Boyer was traded to the Braves for then-minor league Player of the Year Bill Robinson.

During the final three years of the decade, Boyer had 453 hits, including 44 home runs and 41 doubles. He also knocked in 170 runs, while scoring 139 himself.

In 1969, Boyer also won a Gold Glove, the only time he won the award.

6. Rico Carty

Carty played three of the four years in the 1960s for the Braves once they moved to Atlanta, after signing with the team in Milwaukee in 1963.

In 1968, he was sidelined for the entire season while he battled tuberculosis. After his return in 1969, he batted .342 with 16 home runs and 58 RBI.

Throughout the end of the decade, he accumulated 387 hits, 56 doubles, 46 home runs and 198 RBI.

5. Joe Torre

Yes, the former Yankees and Dodgers manager was a member of the Braves. After the Yankees defeated the Braves in the World Series in 1996 and 1999, I'm sure not many Braves' fans cared and still hated him.

But, Joe Torre's time in Atlanta was good.

In his first year in Atlanta, he blasted 36 home runs and drove in 101 runs, both career highs. Torre also threw out 48.6 percent of base stealers that year.

He also accumulated 419 hits over three years.

In 1969, after a dispute with Braves general manager Paul Richards over his salary, Torre was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Orlando Cepeda.

4. Pat Jarvis

Jarvis spent all but one of his eight big-league seasons in Atlanta, starting in 1966.

By the end of the decade, Jarvis had a 50-35 record with 439 strikeouts.

In 1966, he had a 2.31 ERA and 2.60 ERA in '68. That year also saw the right-hander pitch 14 complete games and throw a total of 256 innings.

3. Felipe Alou

Alou acquired 709 hits during the 1960s for the Braves, including 108 doubles, 15 triples and 62 home runs. He also had 206 RBI.

He was also named an All-Star in 1966 and 1968, finishing fifth in MVP voting in 1966.

After 1969, Alou was traded to the Oakland A's for Jim Nash.

Here's a quick bit of trivia for those who never knew: The Alou family has a special historical significance within Atlanta.

Once the Braves moved to Atlanta, the first regular-season batter was Felipe's brother, Matty. The first Braves batter of the game was Felipe. Years later, when the Braves were set to move to Turner Field, the last regular-season batter was Felipe's son, Moises, who was a member of the Montreal Expos. Oddly enough, Felipe was in the dugout as the Expos manager.

2. Phil Niekro

"Knucksie" didn't become a full-time starter for Atlanta until 1968 but still made the best of his appearances early on.

In 1967, the knuckleballer started 20 of the 46 games he appeared in, going 11-9 with a league-best 1.87 ERA.

Once he began starting full time, Niekro's Hall-of-Fame career began to take shape as he went 52-37 in the '60s. During that time frame he also threw 46 complete games, had 479 strikeouts and threw 10 shutouts.

In 1969, he finished second in the Cy Young voting to Tom Seaver of the New York Mets, although he did get selected to the All-Star Game.

1. Hank Aaron

Is there really any question who the best Braves player of the 1960s would be? In fact, is there really any question as to who is the best Brave of all time?

Hammerin' Hank is the most-beloved player in Atlanta sports history.

During the 1960s, Aaron was quite remarkable. He had 690 hits, scored 414 runs, hit 156 home runs and knocked in 419 runs. His stat line for average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage was staggering all four years, which is why he was named an All-Star each year. His lines included 279/.356/.539 in 1966; .307/.369/.573 in 1967; .287/.354/.498 in 1968; and .300/.396/.607 in 1969.

The true all-time home run king (sorry, Barry Bonds) was a staple in the Braves lineup while they were in Milwaukee and once they moved to Atlanta. Hank Aaron was Atlanta baseball.