www.allbraves.com

Who Are the Five Greatest Atlanta Braves Sluggers of All-Time?

admin — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Any discussion of the greatest sluggers in Atlanta Braves history has to begin with Hank Aaron. Hammerin’ Hank played from 1954-1965 with the Milwaukee Braves, and from 1966-1974 in Atlanta after the team relocated. In his 9 seasons in Atlanta, Aaron hit 335 of his 755 career HRs, twice leading the National League in HRs while an Atlanta Brave. Aaron was named NL MVP in 1957.

However, Aaron isn’t the all-time Atlanta Braves home run hitter. That title belongs to current Brave Chipper Jones, who has connected for 453 round-trippers as of this writing. Jones, who was named the NL MVP in 1999, also led the NL in batting average in 2008 with a .364 average.

Dale Murphy, who played LF/CF/1B in Atlanta for 15 seasons, ranks third with 371 homers. Murphy also won back-to-back National League MVP awards in 1982-83.

Andruw Jones, Braves CF from 1996-2007, slammed 368 homers, including a team record 51 in 2005. Jones also is the first (and so far, only) major leaguer to hit home runs in his first two career World Series at-bats.

Bob Horner, who once tied a major league record with 4 HRs in a single game, drilled 215 homers during his time in Atlanta.

Who Are the Five Greatest Catchers in Atlanta Braves History?

admin — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

With marquee names such as Yogi Berra and Johnny Bench floating around, one might think catchers traditionally carry big bats. Historically, however, the catcher’s position has been one of the most difficult from which to consistently garner offensive statistics. The Atlanta Braves franchise has had about as much luck out of the signal caller’s spot as most other teams in Major League Baseball, but a few stars have made stops at the Braves’ parks through the years. Five Braves backstops can be identified as the best Atlanta has seen.

5. Eddie Perez – Serving most of his Major League time as a backup to Javy Lopez might make it difficult for some to understand why he is the fifth-best catcher in Atlanta’s history. But consider this: For his career, Perez carries a 29 percent CS. Perez was one of the better defensive catchers in the game during his career.

4. Johnny Estrada – Though his time in Atlanta was limited, he served as a capable bridge between two of Atlanta’s best ever: Javy Lopez and Brian McCann. Estrada put up a .291 BA during his three years with the Braves.

3. Joe Torre – Until Javy Lopez happened along, Torre was almost universally considered the best catcher Atlanta had seen. Torre was a driving force on the Braves offense throughout the 60′s.

2. Brian McCann – The current leader of the Braves is undoubtedly the young star, Brian McCann. Having made it to the All-Star game in every full season he has played, McCann is considered by most to be the best offensive catcher in the MLB.

1. Javy Lopez – Lopez played at a time when Atlanta was the dominant force in the NL East. The talented catcher had multiple huge campaigns for the Atlanta fans, and was a hero for the Braves in the postseason. In 2003, the best season of his career, Javy Lopez blasted 43 homeruns. Of his 43 bombs, 42 came out of the catcher’s position – a current major league record for backstops.

Is Jason Heyward the Next Ken Griffey, Jr?

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Ken Griffey Jr was a player that does not come around very often. When Jason Heyward burst onto the scene last season many people were comparing these two players. Is Jason Heyward the next Ken Griffey, Jr? The truth is probably not and here is why. Jason Heyward is a talented young man, but the talent level is not the same as it is for Ken Griffey Jr. Junior also had the advantage of having a father that played the game and showed him many of the tricks of the trade.

Jason Heyward is a talented baseball player, but asking him to be as good as Ken Griffey Jr is a big burden to carry. If people just let Jasyon Heyward grow as a player he will be fine. One day he may surpass Griffey’s numbers, but comparing this early stage in his career is tough. Let him prove what he can do, then down the road the comparisions will come. Jayson Heyward is a little different than Griffey Jr, and people will realize that in the future. If Jason Heyward gets to grow as a player he will be fine, but making comparisions this early makes it real tough on him.

Turner Field: More than meets the eye

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are a lot of good reasons to take in a Braves game but if you’ve seen enough through your Direct TV packages and are itching to go to one in person you’ve got to head to Turner Field! It’s one of the coolest spots in Atlanta and we’ll tell you why
The stadium was initially built prior to the 1996 Olympics to draw the games to the city and has been used for baseball ever since.
It’s called Turner Stadium because the then owner was magnate Ted Turner who is a proud and native Atlantan.
Lexus is a major sponsor of the Atlanta Braves and in fact an entire level of the stadium is named after the luxury car brand.
When a home run is hit in the stadium fireworks shoot out of a 100-foot tall Coca Cola bottle which is located on the south side of the stadium.
Though the Braves have one of the best performing teams in baseball they struggle to fill Turner field each year which is an issue the city is working on.

Is Chipper Jones a First Ballot Hall of Famer?

www.allbraves.com — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

As the Atlanta Braves’ Chipper Jones works his way up the all-time leaderboards of many offensive categories, one has to wonder if the lifetime Brave and former 1 overall draft pick will be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Today’s baseball writers pay attention to more advanced stats when voting on the Hall of Fame. Statistics like home runs and RBI will always be used to gauge a player’s value, but things like on base plus slugging percentage (OPS) and wins above replacement (WAR) have made their way onto voters’ radars as well.

So where does Chipper Jones rank among the all-time leaders in some of these newer statistics? As of July 2011, Jones’ career WAR was 80.9, putting him ahead of Pete Rose and Reggie Jackson. His career OPS was .9356, putting him ahead of Hank Aaron and Duke Snider.

Election to the Hall of Fame in the first year of eligibility is reserved for the game’s all-time greats. Players like Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, and Cal Ripken Jr. have taken this honor. Chipper Jones has had a great playing career, and if the baseball writers note where he ranks among the greats, he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer.The information doesn’t stop now. Keep looking: Has Chipper Jones Become Too Controversial?

Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz. Best three-man rotation ever?

admin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Over the course of baseball history there have been many dominating pitching staffs which have baffled hitters across the league. Of all the great pitching staffs, the best top of the rotation starting pitchers may have been Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, who played together for the Atlanta Braves for 10 consecutive years from 1993 through 2002.

During that time period all three of the pitchers were individually dominant. Over the 10 year period Maddux won 3 Cy Young awards and went to 7 all-star game, Glavine went to 7 all-star games and won one Cy Young award, and Smoltz went to 4 all-star games. Each of the pitchers was frequently among the league leaders in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average.

While all three of the pitchers experienced great personal success during their stints with the Braves, the team success that they had together playing for the Braves was far more impressive. During their 10 years playing together the Braves won 9 division titles, including 8 in a row between 1995 and 2002. The Braves also went to the World Series twice and won it in 1995, which was the franchise’s first World Series title in nearly 40 years.

What Are the Five Greatest Moments in Atlanta Braves History?

admin — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Since moving to Atlanta from Milwaukee in 1966, the Braves have had a lot of exciting moments. Here are the five greatest moments in Atlanta Braves history.

1. October 28, 1995: The Braves defeat the Cleveland Indians 1-0 to win the World Series in six games, their first and only championship in Atlanta to date.

2. In one of the most exciting endings in the history of baseball, the Braves score three runs in the bottom of the 9th inning in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series to defeat the Pittburgh Pirates. A sliding Sid Bream narrowly beat Barry Bonds’ throw to score the winning run.

3. July 25, 1992: Center fielder Otis Nixon made one of the best defensive plays in baseball history by climbing the wall to rob a home run off the bat of Andy Van Slyke and preserve a 1-0 Braves victory.

4. April 8, 1974: Hank Aaron clubs home run number 715 to become the all-time home run king, passing Babe Ruth.

5. October 5, 1991: The Braves beat the Houston Astros behind a John Smoltz complete game to clinch the division title, their first since 1982 and only one season after finishing in last pace. It would be the first in a run that would become 14 consecutive division titles.

Who Are the Five Greatest Pitchers in Atlanta Braves History?

admin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Atlanta Braves have a rich history of putting forth top notch pitchers. Many of the top pitchers within this franchise are members of the 300 win and 3,000 strikeout clubs. Below is a list of the top five pitchers in Braves history (not the overall body of work). All five could arguably be listed on the list of top 100 pitchers of all-time.

1.Warren Spahn (1942, 1946-1964) is number one in a number of categories:
Innings Pitched: 5,046
Wins: 356
Shutouts: 63
Games Started: 635
Cy Young Awards: 1
Warren Spahn Award: Named after Spahn for the major leagues best left handed pitcher

2.Phil Niekro (1964-1983, 1987) “Knucksie”
Wins: 268
Strikeouts: 2,912
Shutouts: 44

3.John Smoltz (1988-2008)
Wins: 210
Saves: 154
Strikeouts: 3,011

4.Tom Glavine (1987-2002, 2008)
Innings Pitched: 3,408
Wins: 244
Shutouts: 25
Complete Games: 56

5.Greg Maddux (1993-2003) “The Professor”
Wins: 194
Strikeouts: 1,828
ERA: 2.63

Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux were the top three starters on the incredible rotation of the 1990′s that won numerous division championships, league championships, and one World Series.