10 Atlanta Braves Players You Wish Never Put on a Braves Uniform in the 2000s

During the 2000s, there have been hundreds of baseball players that have put on an Atlanta Braves uniform.

While some have been good or great at times, like Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur and Tim Hudson, others have not been ideal.

Some of those are players a lot of Braves fans are probably wishing had never been in an Atlanta uniform. Whether it was because those players didn't produce or we gave up too much for them for only a short time for their service, all Braves fans have their reasons.

Here's a look at the top 10 players you wish never would have been a part of the Braves.

10. Brooks Conrad

Many might wonder why Brooks Conrad is on this list.

After all, he was one of the best pinch-hitters on the Braves bench. With multiple walk-offs to his credit, Conrad did what he needed to do in pressure situations.

However, as most might recall, this is more about one playoff game than anything else.

Remember the divisional series in 2010 against the San Francisco Giants? I know, it hurts to even talk about it.

Braves fans remember it. Conrad had three errors in Game 3. The first didn't affect the scoring, while the second came in the top of the second on a pop fly that allowed the first run of the game to score.

The third, and the most heartbreaking, came with the score tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth and two outs. If Conrad gets the grounder, the Braves move on to the bottom half of the inning with a chance to win the game.

Instead, he booted it and the Giants took the lead and control of the series.

Conrad was good during most of the times he was called upon by the Braves. But, this one game was his demise and has many Braves fans wishing he was never here.

9. Vinny Castilla

During his two-year stay in Atlanta, Castilla hit 34 home runs and 137 RBI with a .257 batting average. Not bad.

Coors Field definitely gave Castilla an advantage, but all good hitters adjust no matter what ballpark they're in, and that's what the Braves were hoping would happen.

Instead, Castilla spent 2002-03 at third base, moving Chipper Jones to the outfield.

Although there is no direct correlation, I still believe that the two years Chipper spent in the outfield are what set the course for the injury-plagued rest of his career.

Most might not agree with it, but I feel that there were other free agents on the market, at third base or in the outfield (Ellis Burks, Quinton McCraken, Todd Hollandsworth or even Ichiro), that would have better suited the Braves as they didn't play a mile above sea level.

8. Ryan Church

Traded straight up for Jeff Francoeur, Church was a major disappointment in Atlanta.

Only getting three home runs and 18 RBI, Church never should have been traded for in 2009.

Now, I know what the Braves were thinking. They just needed to get rid of Frenchy because he was going south as well. But, a trade with your division rival? Makes no sense to me.

Granted, I don't know what teams the Braves talked to about a trade for Francoeur, but I think a deal for impending free agents would have suited Braves fans just fine.

Guys that were getting ready to become free agents after the season who might have been better suited in Atlanta were Rocco Baldelli, Reed Johnson, Jermaine Dye, Scott Podsednik, Coco Crisp and Marlon Byrd, among others.

Again, I'm not sure that their teams would have even made the trade, but I think some combination of Francoeur and a prospect would have been better for the Braves, getting someone other than Church.

7. Greg Norton

Norton was worthless as a pinch-hitter in Atlanta.

During his two years here, he hit .215 with seven home runs and 38 RBI.

Although he was called on many times in pinch-hit situations, Norton failed to come through a lot.

Even while he was on the roster, manager Bobby Cox called on him more than he should have. Although he did provide a veteran presence in the locker room, the Braves already had that and really didn't need it.

So, what was the real reason why he was on the Braves?

6. Kyle Davies

Although you really can't help the fact that Davies wore a Braves uniform because he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2001 draft by the Braves, but it probably wasn't ideal for him to be in the big leagues.

In his two-and-a-half seasons in the big leagues, Davies went 14-21 with a 6.15 ERA, which is not exactly what you want to see out of one of your young guns.

So, that's why I had no problem when they traded him to Kansas City for reliever Octavio Dotel.

I think Davies hit the same wall Jeff Francoeur did in that he was full of expectations being a homegrown kid, but never fully met those expectations.

5. Mike Hampton

During his four years in Atlanta, Hampton went 35-24 with a 4.10 ERA, which are okay numbers, but the most wins he had in any season in Atlanta was 14.

However, for the amount of money he was getting paid, Hampton wasn't worth it, especially considering how much Braves management hasn't liked to spend a lot of money on big-name players.

So, taking the back end of Hampton's eight-year $123.8 million contract is something very surprising for the Braves.

From the numbers he produced and the dollars he received, Hampton was one of the biggest wastes of money ever for the Braves.

4. Corky Miller

What was Corky Miller's purpose in Atlanta?

Miller had two home runs, nine RBI and a .137 batting average in his two seasons as a backup catcher in Atlanta. Miller is the reason why the Braves went out and got a capable backup for Brian McCann.

He's never been much of a big league player as could barely throw out runners when they tried stealing when he was in the lineup.

For that, Miller was a huge waste of space in the dugout and on the bench. Thankfully, the Braves got some sense, letting him go to sign David Ross.

3. Dan Kolb

Originally thought to be a great closer, Kolb was all but that in Atlanta.

After getting 34 saves in Milwaukee in 2004, the Braves signed him thinking he would be the closer so that John Smoltz could move into the rotation.

Unfortunately, Kolb went 3-8 with 11 saves, blowing seven saves in the process.

Although the Braves traded for Kolb, they had better options on the free-agent market. Instead, they could have opted for Armando Benitez, but who can blame them after Kolb came off a great 2004 season?

It just turned out to be a bad move for the Braves.

2. Kenshin Kawakami

Ah, Kenshin Kawakami: the most expensive Double-A player in history.

Kawakami came to the Braves from Japan with all the hype, but that's all it was.

The right-hander went 8-22 with a 4.32 ERA during his time in Atlanta. Not great for a guy that made more than $6 million every year.

We all know why the Braves did it. They desperately needed pitching, so they got in a rush to sign pitchers before the 2009 season when they also signed Derek Lowe and traded for Javier Vazquez.

The move was bad in many ways, including that no pitcher from Japan has had long-term success in the majors. Really, the only players that have sustained success are Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui.

So, in the future, I wouldn't be surprised if the Braves don't even get involved in posting for a Japanese player.

1. Mark Teixeira

Mark Teixeira was great during his time in Atlanta, hitting 37 home runs and 134 RBI.

However, getting him from the Texas Rangers set the Braves back big time in their farm system.

Known for not spending a lot of money on free agents, Braves brass had to know that their chances of signing Teixeira to a long-term contract had to be slim once he hit free agency.

To get him, the Braves gave up Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. To review, Andrus is the starting shortstop for the Rangers and steals 30-plus bases every year, including getting on base more than one-third of the time.

Feliz has closed for Texas the last two years, winning the American League Rookie of the Year in 2010. Imagine having Eric O'Flaherty, Jonny Venters, Craig Kimbrel and Feliz in your bullpen. Dominant, wouldn't you think?

Harrison wasn't as much of a loss since the Braves are still in decent shape in the pitching department, although he did go 14-9 in 2011 with a 3.39 ERA.

With Brian McCann in place behind the plate, Saltalamacchia was an expendable piece in any trade, so his loss never really hurt.

Overall, two pieces weren't bad to lose, but losing Andrus and Feliz really hurt the Braves and it became the worst trade Frank Wren has ever pulled off in his time as general manager.

Again, Teixeira was great. The price just wasn't right for him, knowing that we would likely lose him to free agency.