MLB Power Rankings: Chipper Jones and the 10 Greatest Braves of All Time
For all of the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s, the Atlanta Braves were the team to beat in the National League. For 14 straight seasons, they won the National League Eastern Division. During that stretch, they went to the World Series five times, winning in 1995.
Long story short, the Braves are a storied franchise with a history that goes back well over 100 years. Beginning in Boston, the team has also made stops in Milwaukee and Atlanta while producing some of the finest players to ever play the game. Past members of this squad are Hall-of Famers Hank Aaron and Eddie Matthews.
Today, the Braves aren't as dominant a team as they were 20 years ago. They are constantly in battle with both the Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins for top divisional position, but have a good young core. In terms of veteran leadership, they have third baseman and future Hall-of-Famer Chipper Jones.
To honor Jones and the Braves before him, here are the 10 best Braves in team history.
No. 10: Lew Burdette
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On numbers alone, Lew Burdette is an average pitcher. In 18 seasons, he posted a 203-144 record with a 3.66 ERA. However, during the Braves' success in the 1950s and on the 1957 World Series winning team, Burdette was the No. 2 pitcher behind staff ace Warren Spahn. That year, he went 17-9 with a 3.72 ERA as the Braves defeated the heavily favored New York Yankees in the Fall Classic.
In his 12 seasons with the Braves, starting in Boston and accompanying them in the move to Milwaukee, Burdette went 173-115 with an ERA of 3.79. He led the National League with 21 wins in 1959.
He isn't a Hall of Fame pitcher by any means, but Burdette's tenure with the Braves and his valuable contributions over the years make him the perfect one to kick off this tribute.
No. 9: Andruw Jones
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Initially a late-season call up in 1996, Andruw Jones soon became one of the best outfielders not just in Braves history, but in baseball history. In the 1996 World Series against the New York Yankees, the 19-year-old Jones batted .400 with two home runs and six RBI. The following season, he became a full-time starter and hit 18 home runs with 71 RBI despite a meager .231 batting average, finishing fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year race.
In 1998, Jones won the first of 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards, and in his 12 seasons with the team, he batted .258 with 368 home runs and 1,117 RBI. Keep in mind, he was just 30 years old when he last played for Atlanta in 2007.
Jones may not be the same player he once was after stops in Los Angeles, Texas, Chicago and now New York, but there's no denying that for a long time, he was one of the premiere outfielders of his generation.
No. 8: Dale Murphy
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Some experts consider Dale Murphy to be the greatest player not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Looking at his career numbers, I understand why. In 18 seasons, he hit .265 with 398 career home runs and 1,266 RBI. His lack of a World Series ring can be chalked up to playing on bad teams.
Yet, in his 14 and a half seasons with Atlanta, Murphy was a stud outfielder who made seven All-Star teams, won five Gold Gloves and won back-to-back MVP awards in 1982 (.281 average, 36 homers, 109 RBI) and 1983 (.302 average, 36 homers, 121 RBI). During his tenure there, he batted .294 with 371 home runs and 1,143 RBI.
He might not have a plaque in Cooperstown yet, but Murphy's greatness will always be remembered in the hearts of Braves fans.
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No. 7: Tom Glavine
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Overall, Tom Glavine has an impressive resume. He won the NL Cy Young Award in 1991 (20-11, 2.55 ERA, 192 strikeouts, 1.09 WHIP, nine complete games) and 1998 (20-6, 2.47 ERA, 157 strikeouts, 1.20 WHIP), made 10 All-Star teams, and was just a phenomenal athlete in a 22-year career spent with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.
Glavine was the ace of Atlanta's staff for years, posting a 244-147 record and 3.62 ERA with 2,091 strikeouts. He was instrumental in leading the team to five World Series appearances and helping Atlanta win it all in 1995.
His career slowly went downhill when he signed a contract with the New York Mets in 2003, but he still came back to Atlanta in 2008 so he could finish his career where it all began. Both the fans and front office loved him, so Glavine gets his due respect here before his inevitable trip to Cooperstown.
No. 6: Warren Spahn
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14 All-Star teams, the 1957 NL Cy Young Award (21-11, 2.69 ERA, 111 strikeouts, 1.17 WHIP) and a World Series championship accumulated in a 21-year career. Honestly, where does one begin with Warren Spahn?
He was the ace of the Boston/Milwaukee Braves staff for years, posting a 356-229 record and 3.21 ERA in 20 seasons with the team. My grandfather used to go on and on about how watching Spahn pitch was an experience in itself. You didn't know how he did it, but he was just that good.
Spahn was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 with 83 percent of the total vote. Given his stellar play and the Braves' fans love for him, it's only right that he gets his recognition here.
No. 5: Chipper Jones
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Chipper Jones is the only Brave on this list who is still playing. In all honesty, he's probably the best third baseman to play for the Braves since Eddie Matthews. He has been with Atlanta for the entirety of his 18-year career and five years after he retires, he will enter Cooperstown representing the team with pride.
Thus far, the switch-hitting Jones has posted a .305 lifetime batting average with 439 home runs and 1,516 RBI. He won the NL MVP award in 1999 when he batted .319 with 45 homers, 110 RBI and 25 stolen bases. To this day, he has made six All-Star teams.
Jones turned 39 this season and if the last few years are any indication, age is starting to catch up with him. Still, he's a valuable presence in Atlanta's clubhouse and can still keep up with the young guns.
No. 4: John Smoltz
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On wins and losses alone, John Smoltz seems like an average pitcher. For his 21-season career, he went 213-155 (210-147 with the Braves) with a 3.33 ERA (3.23 with the Braves). However, he also struck out 3,084 batters, won the NL Cy Young Award in 1996 (24-8, 2.94 ERA, 276 strikeouts, 1.00 WHIP) and made eight All-Star teams.
That being said, why the low win total? Well, there are a two reasons behind that. First, Smoltz missed all of the 2000 season due to undergoing Tommy John surgery. Second, in the four seasons following his injury, Smoltz was used primarily out of the bullpen and was Atlanta's closer from 2002-2004. He and Dennis Eckersley are the only two pitchers to notch at least 200 wins and 150 saves in a career.
Smoltz split the last season of his career between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals and is currently a color commentator for certain MLB games. However, fans will best remember him as a once-unstoppable pitcher for the Braves. In time, he will receive a plaque in Cooperstown.
No. 3: Eddie Mathews
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One debate that I would love to have with a Braves fan is who was the better third baseman: Chipper Jones or Eddie Mathews. Thus far, I have to pick Mathews. This man was Hank Aaron's protection in the lineup for years and based on the numbers, I can see why.
In 15 years with the franchise, he hit 493 home runs and batted .272. He also made nine All-Star teams.
Mathews finished his career with 512 home runs and 1,453 RBI, spending his final two seasons with the Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers. Still, there is no denying that this man will always be remembered for his time as a Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Brave.
No. 2: Greg Maddux
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I'm just going to say this and risk getting a lot of hate mail. Greg Maddux is the greatest pitcher in Braves history. He only spent 11 of his 23 seasons with Atlanta but trust me, he was that good!
Over that stretch, Maddux went 194-88 with a 2.62 ERA, winning three consecutive NL Cy Young Awards and making six All-Star teams. He was also a great fielder and won 10 Gold Gloves. In the 1995 World Series, he went 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA as the Braves beat the Cleveland Indians in six games.
Maddux was never quite the same after he left Atlanta, but it cannot be denied that during his time there, he was easily the best pitcher in all of baseball.
No. 1: Hank Aaron
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Well, where do I begin with Hank Aaron's tenure with the Braves? He's the franchise's all-time leader in home runs with 733, and he's second on the all-time list (though some would dispute that) with 755. He made an astounding 20 All-Star teams as a Brave and continues to be involved with the team today.
Simply put, Hank Aaron was a great player. In his lone MVP season, 1957, he batted .322 with 44 homers and 132 RBI. His career batting average with the Braves was a respectable .310 and his 2,297 career RBI are still the most all-time.
He may have played the last two seasons of his 23-year career with the Milwaukee Brewers, but make no mistake, Hank Aaron has and always will be associated with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. He wears their hat on his Hall of Fame plaque at Cooperstown, where he was elected in 1982 with an incredible 98 percent of the vote.
The Braves are a very historic franchise but if they were to have a face, it would be that of Hank Aaron.
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