Atlanta Braves Mount Rushmore: Too Many Legends
Fresh off of their fourth World Series title, the Atlanta Braves are on top of baseball, and have a very bright future ahead if they can retain the right pieces. This article isn’t about that though, but rather the generational talents that have come through the organization over their long history. The Braves have been incredibly successful over time, forcing me to leave off all-time greats such as Kid Nichols, Eddie Mathews, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine from this list. Tough decisions had to be made in order to formulate the Braves Mount Rushmore, and below I explain my picks.
Warren Spahn
We start with who many consider to be one of the greatest pitchers of all-time, and he must be when you look back at which pitchers were left off of this list. During his time with the Braves, Spahn amassed 356 wins, while keeping his ERA to a fantastic 3.05. Spahn lead the league in wins 8 times and strikeouts 4 times, simply dominating the game. He was a member of the Braves 1957 championship roster and today is a part of the Baseball Hall of Fame. While the Braves have had many incredible pitchers throughout their history, none dominated the sport as well and for as long as Spahn was able to.
Hank Aaron
I continue to list all-time greats with Aaron filling the next spot on the list. To put it simply, Aaron’s career was so incredible, he would make many fans’ all-time baseball Mount Rushmore list. Aaron is second all-time in home runs, first all time in RBI, and third all-time in hits. His ability to be at the top of the sport for literally decades has been unmatched, given his 21 consecutive years with an All-Star appearance. Not to mention, Aaron played at a transitional period in which African-American players were subject to harsh prejudice, and he helped pave the way for many more to come after him.
Phil Niekro
It was tough to choose who should occupy the second pitcher spot behind Spahn, but I ultimately settled on Niekro for his longevity with the club. During his time with the Braves, Niekro won 268 games, with a total ERA of 3.20. He also owns 5 gold glove awards, showing how dynamic and valuable he was during his time. Ranking third all-time in Braves’ pitching WAR, wins, and shutouts helps his case as well. Although he was never able to capture a World Series ring, he will always be remembered for allowing over a decade of Braves teams to stay competitive.
Chipper Jones
The final hitting spot was between Eddie Mathews and Jones, but ultimately Jones was the more dominant player of his time. Chipper was a Brave for life, winning an MVP, a batting title, amassing 468 home runs, and 8 All-Star appearances. Among Braves all-time ranks, Chipper ranks third in WAR, third in home runs, second in hits, second in RBI, and first in walks. He was the Braves’ shinging star in their lineup for two decades, and through ups and downs he was able to help lead them to their third World Series title back in 1995. In my mind, no Braves list is complete without him.
