Every sport evolves with each passing generation -- from the
size and athleticism of players to game strategy.
Baseball’s evolution, however, is both historic and unique given
the pre-integration and dead ball eras. For the former, full
segregation took place from 1887-1947. Full integration, which
was a gradual process, came in 1959. The Deadball Era was a
period in the early 20th century when baseball was characterized
by low scoring and emphasis on pitching.
There was the Steroid Era, which has no definite start time though
it is generally assumed that the era ran from the late 1980s until
the late 2000s. This era was defined by shattered home run
records leading to exorbitant salaries.
The Atlanta Braves have been a Major League Baseball franchise
since 1871 with their original roots being in Boston, which was their
home until 1952. From 1953-1965, the franchise moved to
Milwaukee. Since 1966, Atlanta has been the franchise’s home.
The Braves are often referred to as “the Bravos” or “America’s
Team.” The latter nickname was because games were available
nationally on TBS from the 1970s until 2007. The Braves have
three World Series titles (1914, 1957, 1995), 17 pennants, 18
division titles and two more playoff appearances as a wild card
team.
The modern day Braves have a star-crossed legacy in that they
had some terrible seasons in the 1980s and a couple in the 2010s.
From 1991-2005, the Braves won 15 consecutive division titles
and appeared in five World Series, with just one title (1995).
Today, I formed a Braves Dream Team that encompasses all eras.
For openers, to make this roster, four years as a Brave are required.
No exceptions. With the free agency era, I’m not going to cheapen
this roster with 1-3 year rentals.
I’m forming a 12 man pitching staff, five starters and seven relievers.
For the latter, I want at least one lefthander in the bullpen. For
position players, I am taking what I believe is the best of the best
regardless of era. For the bench players, it’s the best of the rest
with versatility being heavily considered. Merit achievements such
as Hall of Fame, All Star appearances and Gold Gloves are
considered but not guaranteed. General impactfulness on the
franchise is also considered.
Generational reminders
If I believe you were the best at your position in the pre-integration
era, you are on the team. If you played on a World Series champion,
there is no guarantee of landing on this roster. If you played during
a bad season, that does not deter you from being on this roster.
Unlike the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, there are no
morality clauses. This is baseball, not the Boys Scouts.
Starting pitchers
Greg Maddux, Phil Niekro, Charles “Kid” Nichols, Tom Glavine,
Warren Spahn
On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Maddux was a pitcher’s
version of Rembrandt. Maddux won more games in the 1990s than
any other picture and his eighth all-time in career victories. Since
the start of the post 1920 Live Ball era, only Warren Spahn
recorded more career wins than Maddox; he is one of only 10
pitchers to achieve 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts and record fewer
than 1,000 walks. Nichols gets forgotten because of the era in
which he played, 1890-1901. On the way to a Hall of Fame career,
Nichols led the National League in victories on three occasions.
Niekro’s Hall of Fame career is defined by his longevity, pitching
25 seasons, 21 as a Brave. The knuckleball throwing Niekro
compiled 318 career victories. He was also a five-time All-Star
and five-time Gold Glove Award winner on the way to a Hall of
Fame career. He led the National League in victories on two
occasions and led the Major Leagues in ERA in 1967 and led
the National League in strikeouts in 1977.
Glavine was inducted into the Hall of Fame during his first year of
eligibility. Only Maddux recorded more victories in the 1990s than
Glavine. He was a five-time 20-game winner and two time Cy
Young Award winner and one of only 24 pitchers, just six left-
handers in Major League history to earn 300 career victories.
Glavine was the MVP of the 1995 World Series. On the way to a
Hall of Fame career, Spahn recorded 365 career wins and might
have recorded 400 if not for serving his country during World War
II for three years. Spahn was a 15-time All Star and helped the
Braves to their 1957 World Series title. That season he won the
Cy Young Award. He led the National League in wins eight times,
strikeouts four times and ERA three times.
Bullpen
Closer -- John Smoltz
Craig Kimbrel, Eric O’Flaherty, Mike Remlinger, Greg McMichael,
Mark Wohlers, Gene Garber.
Smoltz is mostly known for his role as a starter but successfully
converted into being a closer after recovering from Tommy John
surgery. In 2002, he set the National League record with 55 saves.
Smoltz became only the second pitcher in Major League history
to record 200 victories and 150 saves with Dennis Eckersley being
the other. Smoltz was an eight-time All-Star and helped the Braves
to their 1995 World Series title. He was the National League Cy
Young Award winner in 1996 and NLCS MVP in 1992. Kimbrel
recorded a franchise-record 186 saves despite only playing for
the Braves for five seasons. Kimbrel was the National League
Rookie of the Year in 2011 and was an All-Star in four of his five
seasons with the Braves. O'Flaherty pitched seven seasons with
the Braves covering two stints. His best season came in 2011
when he recorded a 0.98 ERA becoming the first pitcher in Major
League history to produce an era under 1.00 over at least 70
appearances.
Remlinger pitched a total of five seasons with the Braves and
stranded 82.6% of base runners throughout his career in a Braves
uniform. As a left-handed set up man, Remlinger was pivotal to the
1999 Braves National League pennant winning team. McMichael
only pitched for the Braves for four seasons but was an incredibly
reliable reliever who could pitch and either a setup man rule or
closer though. McMichael finished second in the National League
Rookie of the Year voting in 1993 behind Mike Piazza. Garber
pitched 10 seasons for the Braves and though he never earned
any All Star recognition, he is third in franchise history with 141
career saves. Garber's most famous moment was ending Pete
Rose's 44-game hitting streak. Wohlers pitched nine seasons
with the Braves, he was a mixture of being a setup man as well
as a closer. Wohlers helped deliver the Braves 1995 World Series
title and was an All-Star in 1996.
Infield
Catcher -- Brian McCann, First base -- Freddie Freeman, Second
base -- Ozzie Albies, Third base -- Chipper Jones, Shortstop --
Johnny Logan
At catcher you have a three-way logjam between McCann, Javier
Lopez and Joe Torre but McCann gets the nod ever-so-slightly as
the starter. In his nine seasons with the Braves, McCann was an
All-Star seven times and a Silver Slugger Award winner on five
occasions. Freeman's legacy is still in progress as he is entering
his 12th Major League season. Freeman is a four-time All-Star
and was the 2020 National League MVP. He is also a two-time
Silver Slugger Award winner and won the Gold Glove Award in
2018. Albies is just scratching the surface with his career as he
enters his fifth Major League season. He is already in elite
company in that he is only the third switch hitter in Major League
history to compile a .275 batting average with at least 50 home
runs, joining Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray. Albies was an
All-Star in 2018.
Close call at third base between Eddie Mathews and Chipper
Jones but hard not to give the nod to Jones, who was inducted
into the Hall of Fame in 2018. Jones is one of three players in
Major League history along with Barry Bonds and Carl
Yastrzemski to record 400 home runs, 2,700 hits, 1,600 RBIs,
1,500 walks in 150 stolen bases. Jones was an eight-time All-
Star, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, 2008 batting
champion and National League MVP in 1999. Jones was a
vital cog in delivering the Braves’ 1995 World Series title.
Logan spent 11 seasons with the Braves and during that time
he was a four-time All-Star. He was also a vital cog in the
franchise's 1957 World Series title team.
Outfield
Leftfield -- Dale Murphy, Centerfield -- Andruw Jones,
Rightfield -- Hank Aaron
It's a crying shame that Murphy has not been inducted into
the Hall of Fame. Centerfield was Murphy’s primary position
but he plate at least some leftfield. Having him, Andruw Jones
and Hank Aaron in the starting lineup. Three words -- oh my
goodness. Murphy was a bright spot on some bad Braves
teams in the 1980s, was a five tool player, seven-time All-Star,
five-time Gold Glove winner. He was also a four-time Silver
Slugger Award winner and two-time National League MVP.
Jones is in rarefied air being one of only four outfielders along
with Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays and Ichiro Suzuki and
winning 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards. Jones, however,
was also one of the best power hitters in franchise history as
he ranks fourth with 368 career home runs including 51 in the
2005 campaign. Jones is a five-time All-Star. After starring in
the Negro Leagues, Aaron became a Major League Baseball
icon. Despite enduring extreme bigotry, especially amid
breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record, Aaron became
Major League Baseball's all-time home run king with 755.
Even if you subtract his home runs, Aaron still surpasses the
3,000 hit plateau. On the way to a Hall of Fame career, Aaron
was a 20-time All-Star and helped the Braves to their 1957
World Series title. That season, he was the National League
MVP. Aaron led the National League in home runs and RBIs
four times each and was a three-time Gold Glove Award
winner. He was a two-time National League batting champion.
Bench
Javy Lopez, Joe Torre, Fred McGriff, Eddie Matthews, Walter
“Rabbit” Maranville, David Justice
Lopez spent his first four seasons in the Major Leagues sharing
the catching duties with Charlie O'Brien and Eddie Lopez before
becoming the Braves’ primary catcher in 1996. Lopez was a
three-time All-Star and helped the Braves win their 1995 World
Series championship and was the NLCS MVP in 1996. The
younger generation identifies Torre as the New York Yankees’
manager who led the franchise to four World Series
Championships. Torre, who also managed the Braves for three
seasons from 1982-1984, was considered by many the best
catcher in the 1960's. Four of Torre's nine All-Star appearances
came in a Braves uniform. Torre was also very versatile and that
he could play both first base and third base in addition to catcher.
McGriff was acquired in 1993 in a trade from the San Diego
Padres. McGriff's acquisition helped the Braves catch the San
Francisco Giants for the National League West division
championship. Though McGriff was a Brave for five seasons,
three of which were All Star appearances. McGriff was a key
member of the 1995 World Series championship team.
Until Jones arrived, Matthews was the best third baseman in
franchise history and even then you can still make a case for
him. Matthews was chosen for the cover of the first ever
Sports Illustrated magazine. In his 15 seasons as a Brave,
Matthews was an All-Star in nine seasons and helped the
Braves win two World Series titles. He was a two-time National
League home run leader. Justice spent his first eight Major
League seasons with the Braves and can eat for free forever
in Atlanta. Justice's solo homerun in Game 6 of the 1995 World
Series that clinched the Braves first and only championship in
the Atlanta era. Two of Justice's three All-Star appearances
came in a Braves uniform. He was the National League Rookie
of the Year in 1990. Maranville was inducted into the Hall of
Fame in 1954, his 14th year on the ballot. Maranville finished
in the Top 3 in MVP voting in his first two full seasons.
Marannville helped the Boston Braves to their 1914 World
Series championship.
Manager
Bobby Cox
Cox had two different stints as the Braves field manager and
also served as the general manager for five years. On the way
to a Hall of Fame career, Cox guided the Braves to 14
consecutive division titles, five World Series appearances and
one World Series victory in 1995. Cox's 2,504 career victories
puts him fourth in baseball history and is one of 11 managers
to have recorded at least 2,000 career wins. Cox holds the
Major League record for 161 career ejections.
Team
1995
The Braves have had teams that have won more games and
had more regular season accolades. This version of the Braves,
however, broke through and won the lone World Series in the
Atlanta era that prevented them from gaining the label as
baseball's version of the Buffalo Bills. The 1995 campaign was
a strike-shortened season in which the Braves compiled a
90-54 regular season record. Atlanta started the season 20-17
but won 20 of their last 25 games before the All-Star break.
The Braves won the National League East and defeated the
Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series and
then swept Cincinnati in the NLCS. In the World Series, the
Braves outlasted the Cleveland Indians 4-2. Cleveland won
100 games that season.
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