Here are the All-Time Atlanta/Milwaukee/Boston Braves:
The Starting Lineup:C - Javy Lopez - Watch out, Javy! McCann is gunning for your spot.
1B - Joe Adcock
2B - Glenn Hubbard - Really?
SS - Jeff Blauser - Blauser was a good hitting shortstop even before ARod/Jeter/Nomar
3B - Chipper Jones - Mets killer.
LF - Rico Carty
CF - Dale Murphy - not worthy of the Hall, but close. Classy player.
RF - Hank Aaron - so good for so long
Chipper and Javy made a lot of playoff runs together. Anybody have a quantifiable reason they failed to win at least 1 more World Series?Starting Pitcher: Greg Maddux - one of the best ever.
The Maddux card above is from 2000 and is numbered 53/67. The foil might be electric blue!
The Bench:
Bob Horner - 4 HRs in a game
Andruw Jones - he was so good when he was so young. Interested to see if he can make it all the way back as an older player
David Justice - didn't he date Halle Berry?
Eddie Mathews - nice back up 3rd baseman
Terry Pendleton - did not deserve his MVP
Bob Elliot (HELP - I NEED HIS CARD!)
Wally Berger (HELP - I NEED HIS CARD!)
Joe Torre (HELP - I NEED HIS CARD!) - i have a few but none in a Braves uni
Help me fill this page! I really like the 2007 Bowman Heritage relics and 2008 Goudey is my favorite set of this decade.The Pitching Staff:
Tom Glavine - Great #2 to Maddux
Kevin Millwood
Phil Niekro
John Smoltz - great starter, great reliver, still pitching!
Warren Spahn
Gene Garber - RP
Mark Wohlers - RP
Kid Nichols - Bill James' Win Shares love him (HELP - I NEED HIS CARD!)
John Clarkson (HELP - I NEED HIS CARD!)
Vic Willis (HELP - I NEED HIS CARD!)
I could definitely use a Warren Spahn upgrade!Best Batter: Hank Aaron - not even close!
Worst in the Starting Lineup: Glenn Hubbard - 85 OPS+ = Best Ever!
I'm surprised he made the cut: Mark Wohlers - 9 years as a Brave with solid numbers.
Favorite Card: My 1974 Topps Hank Aaron Home Run King card is my favorite Braves card (in my HOF binder) but the 1984 Fleer Hubbard with the snake and the Phanatic in the background is awesome. The beard and the crayola box seats don't hurt either.
Hey Junkie and Aholic! Who did I miss? Who is here that shouldn't be? Convince me I am wrong and you get free cards!Who's next? Don't make me show Beardy the Sox and the Yanks.
10 comments:
I'm not a Braves fan, so...
I was also partial to the Roadrunner Ralph Garr as a reserve outfielder, maybe Otis Nixon too...
Darrel Evens was a great third baseman with power and a good eye at the plate...I cant believe you have Eddie Mathews on the bench!
I'm working right now so I'll need to come back to this when I have more time but the first glaring omission I see here is Lew Burdette.
Was Blauser better than Johnny "Yatcha" Logan?
Del Crandall was a good catcher -- no arguments with the two guys you chose though.
Nice pitching staff (but I think I'd put Burdette on before Milwood)
Left Field? You coulda had Wally Berger or even Ron Gant. His 125 steals is far superior, with his SLG and OBP similar. Wow. We have had some bad left fielders.
Shortstop- I love Blauser... you could go Rabbit Maranville or Johnny Logan there too.
Millwood over Big Lew? No. Actually, I'd go Kid Nichols or Al Spalding, but in the interest of keeping it since the 50's, Lew Burdette HAS to be on this team. Millwood has no place.
btw, Al Spalding once went 54-5 in one season. Not too shabby, eh?
Ok, I've had time to think about it.
2nd base: Hubbard is definitely the best 2nd baseman we've had that played for any length of time with the team. My heart says Lemke, but Hubbard was a better hitter and was a double play machine. If you're willing to add players with short tenures, Rogers Hornsby had an absolutely fantastic 1928 season with the Braves and Johnny Evers and Red Schoendienst were catalysts for the 1914 and 1957 champion teams as well.
Del Crandall vs. Javy is tough. I'd put both of 'em on the team, you always need a backup catcher. Torre is the bigger name, but Crandall is the better catcher.
Blauser doesn't belong on this list. Maranville or Johnny Logan is the way to go.
Pitching, Millwood off, Burdette on.
I'd make one other bench move - Pendleton off, King Kelly on. King Kelly is one of the greatest ever. Plus his Goodwin Champion card is gorgeous.
Although Burdette played longer, Millwood's 6 years with Atlanta are superior on average to Burdette's 13 for Boston/Milwaukee when looking at era adjusted stats.
However, it is tough to compare short term performance versus longevity. Given that Millwood's advantage over Burdette in ERA+ is only 15%, I think I would go with Burdette as well. If Millwood was still pitching for Atlanta, I would go with Millwood over Burdette, no question. I don't think Braves fans give Millwood enough credit since he pitched alongside 3 future HOFers during his days with the Braves.
I am also curious why Al Spalding and Kid Nichols got no love.
Strike Kid Nichols from my previous post since he made the team.
Also strike Al Spalding since the organization that is now the Atlanta Braves didn't begin until 1876, when Spalding was playing with the Chicago White Stockings.
Great job Mark. If you need someone to back your Millwood choice, I could be persuaded back the other way.
I'm a Duke grad. I feel your pain. Sing along
Go to hell Carolina, go to hell.
Millwood was a good pitcher, and I wish he was a Brave longer, but he never single handedly won a World Series. Burdette beat the Damn Yankees, that by itself should get him in.
my favorite part of the hubbard card is that barney rubble is featured. barney rubble!
Post a Comment