All-Time Atlanta Braves Team

*All stats are only from when the players were in Atlanta.

1st Base came down to four candidates: Chris Chambliss, Gerald Perry, Fred McGriff, and Andres Galarraga. Chambliss and Perry were mainstays during the 80’s but they had lackluster numbers. Chambliss has played the most games at the position and consequently he has the second most total bases and RBI. However, Chris was never an All Star and had average numbers. He had a high of 20 homers in a season. Perry has the 2nd most games played and one All Star appearance, but again his numbers were just average. He hit .300 one full year and had a high of 12 home runs. Fred “Crime Dog” McGriff put up the highest offensive totals, won a ring, and went to 3 All Star games in 5 years but was not the best defensive 1st Baseman. Andres Galarraga had the best averages of the 4, played top-notch “D,” and had two All Star app., but he only played 2 years for Atlanta.

The Pick: Fred McGriff

1B Chris Chambliss 1980-1986
886 Games (G); 80 HR; 366 RBI; 1125 Total Bases (TB);
.345 OBP; .422 SLG; .272 AVG

1B Gerald Perry 1983-1989; 1 All*Star
643 G; 37 HR; 246 RBI; 768 TB
.337 OBP; .376 SLG; .270 AVG

*1B Fred McGriff 1993-97; 3 All*s;
636 G; 130 HR; 446 RBI; 1232 TB;
.369 OBP; .517 SLG; .293 AVG

1B Andres Galarraga 1998,2000; 2 All*s
294 G; 72 HR; 221 RBI; 590 TB;
.384 OBP; .562 SLG; .303 AVG


2nd Base also came down to four Braves: Felix Milan, Glen Hubbard, Mark Lemke, and Marcus Giles. Glenn Hubbard and Mark Lemke each played 10+ years with Atlanta. Glenn is the leader in many categories including total bases, but his .245 AVG hurts his chances. Mark Lemke is considered for two reasons: longevity and clutch performance in the playoffs. A .248 AVG and 0 All Star app. In 10 years leaves the “Lemmer” out of the mix though. Felix “The Cat” Milan on the other hand went to All Star games 3 out of 7 years and had 2 Gold Gloves. Add to that his .281 AVG with Atlanta and his resume is solid. On the downside, he had only a .319 OBP. The final candidate is current 2nd baseman Marcus Giles. His OBP, SLG, and AVG lead all four candidates and has been to one All Star game. He is also a sparkplug who keeps the team energized. He has the shortest tenure of the 4.

The Pick: Marcus Giles

2nd Felix Milan 1966-1972; 2 Gold Gloves (GG); 3 All*s
799 G; 14 HR; 221 RBI; 1086 TB;
.319 OBP; .349 SLG; .281 AVG

2nd Glenn Hubbard 1978-1987; 1 All*
1196 G; 64 HR; 403 RBI; 1411 TB;
.328 OBP; .351 SLG; .245 AVG

2nd Mark Lemke 1988-1997
1038 G; 32 HR; 263 RBI; 1025 TB;
.319 OBP, .327 SLG, .248 AVG

*2nd Marcus Giles 2001-current; 1 All*
589 G; 64 HR; 253 RBI; 992 TB;
.363 OBP; .455 SLG; .287 AVG


3rd Base has three candidates but only one stands out like A.C. Green at a brothel: Chipper Jones. Bob Horner and Terry Pendleton both have good credentials but they aren’t in Larry’s league. Horner played for Atlanta for nine years with a .278 AVG and an All Star appearance. TP was instrumental in the turnaround of the franchise starting in 1991, when he won MVP and he won a GG as a Brave. Chipper Jones also has an MVP (‘99) and he has five All Stars appearances. He played some in the outfield but most of his 12 year career has been on the hot corner. He has superior averages and totals at the position in almost every category.

The pick: Chipper Jones

3rd Chipper Jones 1993, 1995-current; ’99 MVP; 5 All*s
1695 G; 336 HR; 1140 RBI; 3288 TB
.401 OBP; .535 SLG; .303 AVG

3rd Terry Pendleton 1991-1994 1996; 91 MVP; 1 GG; 1 All*
593 G; 71 HR; 322 RBI; 1038 TB;
.327 OBP; .445 SLG; .287 AVG

3rd Bob Horner 1978-1986; 1 All*
960 G; 215 HR; 652 RBI; 1813 TB;
.339 OBP; .508 SLG; .278 AVG


Shortstop comes down to three guys: Rafael Ramirez, Jeff Blauser, and Rafael Furcal. Ramirez was an average player. He went to 1 All Star in his 8 Atlanta years and had over 1200 total bases as a Brave but his average was just that, average (.263). He also lacked power (37 HR). Blauser was another average shortstop. His had more power than Ramirez and while their averages were similar, at least Jeff took some walks (.355 OBP). Then there is Furcal, who offered similar averages to Blauser but he had the added dimension of speed (189 SB). Neither Furcal nor Blauser was an excellent defender, although Furcal has a first class arm.

The Pick: Rafael Furcal


SS Rafael Ramirez 1980-1987; 1 All*
927 G; 37 HR; 301 RBI; 1221 TB; 93 SB
.298 OBP; .345 SLG; .263 AVG


SS Jeff Blauser 1987-1997; 2 All*s
1184 G; 109 HR; 461 RBI; 1644 TB; 37 SB
.355 OBP; .415 SLG; .268 AVG

SS *Rafael Furcal 2000-2005; 1 All*
817 G; 57 HR; 292 RBI; 1331 TB; 189 SB;
.348 OBP; .409 SLG; .284 AVG


The catcher spot has a clear cut choice: Javy Lopez. Javy put up good offensive numbers for a catcher in his 12 seasons with Atlanta and went to three All Star games. The other candidates are Bruce Benedict and Joe Torre. BB also put in 12 years work and he tallied 2 All Star selections. Torre was very productive in his three years with Atlanta, but only playing 3 years counts against him.

The Pick: Javy Lopez

C Joe Torre 1966-1968; 2 All*s
393 G; 66 HR; 678 TB;
C Bruce Benedict 1978-1989; 2 All*s
982 G; 18 HR; 260 RBI; 860 TB;
.320 OBP; .299 SLG; .242 AVG;

C *Javy Lopez 1992-2003; 3 All*s
1156 G; 214 HR; 694 RBI; 2008 TB;
.337 OBP; .502 SLG; .287 AVG


Outfield is the easiest position to fill. Hank Aaron spent 9 of his 23 years in Atlanta. In those 9 years he went to 9 All Star games, making the all-time HR king the easy choice at RF. CF is manned by the 7 time Gold Glove winner, Andruw Jones. Oh yeah, he also can provide plenty of power. He led the league with 51 HRs last year and has been to 4 All Star games. And the 11th year vet is only 29, at least that is the listed age. Left field goes to Dale Murphy, another no-brainer. He brings 2 MVPs, 5 Gold Gloves, and 7 All Star games to the table. Other OFs of note include Ralph Garr, Felipe Alou, Rico Carty, Dave Justce, and Ron Gant.

The Picks: Murphy, Andruw Jones, Aaron


LF *Dale Murphy 1976-1990; 2 MVPs; 5 GGs; 7 All*s
1926 G; 371 HR; 1143 RBI; 3394 TB
.351 OBP; .478 SLG; .268 AVG

CF *Andruw Jones 1996-current 7 GGs; 4 All*s;
1508 G; 315 HR; 947 RBI; 2763 TB
.343 OBP; .504 SLG; .268 AVG

RF *Hank Aaron 1966-1974 9 All*s


With starting pitching there are four guys who are more prominent than everyone else.: Phil Niekro, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Greg “Mad Dog” Maddux. Niekro is in the Hall of Fame and Maddux and Glavine will join him for sure, with Smoltzie having a good chance also. After those four the numbers drop of significantly. John Smoltz gets the Closer spot as well as a starting spot. He holds the club record for saves (154) and was dominant during his 3 year stint in the bullpen. He had a 1.12 ERA in 2003.

The Picks: Starters: Niekro, Glavine, Smoltz, Maddux, Millwood

Closer: John Smoltz


*Phil Niekro RHP 1966-1983 5 GG; no hitter; 4 All*s
316 W – 274 L; 3.20 ERA

*John Smoltz RHP 1988-current 1 Cy 96; 7 All*s
181 W – 131 L; 3.27 ERA

*Greg Maddux RHP 1993-2003; 3 Cy’s; 10 GGs; 7 All*s;
194 W – 88 L; 2.63 ERA

*Tom Glavine LHP 1987-2002; 2 Cy’s 91,98; World Series MVP; 8 All*s
242 W – 143 L; 3.37 ERA

*Kevin Millwood RHP 1997-2002; 1 All*
75 W – 46 L; 3.73 ERA


25 Man Roster

Linup:
1. SS Raffy Furcal
2. 2B Marcus Giles
3. 3B Chipper Jones
4. RF Hank Aaron
5. LF Dale Murphy
6. CF Andruw Jones
7. 1B Fred McGriff
8. C Javy Lopez
9. P Greg Maddux

Bench
C Bruce Benedict
SS Jeff Blauser
2B Felix Milan
OF Dave Justice
OF Ralph Garr

Rotation:
1. RHP Greg Maddux
2. RHP Phil Niekro
3. LHP Tom Glavine
4. RHP John Smoltz
5. RHP Kevin Millwood

Closer: RHP John Smoltz

Bullpen:
RHP Gene Garber
RHP Mark Wholers
LHP Mike Remlinger
RHP Steve Bedrosian
RHP Kerry Ligtenburg
LHP Mike Stanton

Manager: Bobby Cox 1978-1981; 1990-current