Former Atlanta Braves Rank Among Top 50 Players of Modern Era

Last week, Bleacher Report revealed its top 50 players of the modern era of Major League Baseball, and six Atlanta Braves It’s difficult to compile a list of this caliber when there have been so many quality baseball players over the past 30 years, but here’s Atlanta’s ranking.

41. Andrew Jones – Flying

Andruw Jones was one of the best outfielders in MLB history, winning 10 Gold Gloves over his 17-year career. As one of the top international prospects in MLB history, Jones was the first Brave to make the list. Here’s what they had to say about his ranking:

“One of the most hyped prospects of all time, Jones raised already high expectations even higher when he hit two home runs in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series as a 19-year-old rookie.

“That less-than-stellar end to his career ultimately marred his overall legacy and prevented him from posting the undeniably Hall of Fame numbers he seemed on track to achieve in his 20s, but he remains one of the best center fielders to ever play the game.” – Joel Reuter wrote.

40. Freddie Freeman – First baseman (active)

Former Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman is next on the list. In 12 seasons with the club, Freeman saw down and best of all as the World Series champion in 2021.

Here’s how B/R established its ranking:

“Freddie Freeman made his MLB debut for the Atlanta Braves in the 2010 season when he was just 20 years old. He was a very good player for five and a half seasons, but since 2016, the 2007 second-round pick has emerged as a potential Hall of Fame candidate.

“Since the start of the 2016 season, Freeman has hit .311 with a .943 OPS. During that span, he has led all of baseball in doubles (335), including setting a new Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record with 59 doubles in 2023,” wrote Tim Kelly.

Next on the list is one of the infamous trio of pitchers from the 90s for the Braves.

T-28. Tom GlavineStarting pitcher

Here’s a quick look at where he ranks on the all-time left-handed list:

Glavine, a Hall of Famer who was selected by the team in 1984, comes in at No. 28 on the list, tied with former Cleveland Indians slugger (among others) Jim Thome. Glavine was the starting pitcher in Game 6 of the 1995 World Series, when he pitched eight no-hit innings to defeat Thome’s Indians.

One of the best left-handed pitchers in team history is the third-best Brave of the modern era. Here’s his B/R analysis:

“Unlike Maddux, who was signed as a free agent, and John Smoltz, who was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Tigers, Glavine was a homegrown player for the Braves, selected in the second round of the 1984 draft. With a 3.30 ERA in 218.1 postseason innings and the 1995 World Series MVP award, he was also arguably the best of Atlanta’s “Big Three” in terms of postseason performance.”
— wrote Joel Reuter.

Next on the list is one of the best “old dogs” in baseball history.

24. John Smoltz – SP/RP

Smoltz has seen it all with the Braves, from starting pitcher in the ’90s to a reliever after Tommy John surgery in his 30s in the 2000s. Another celebrated member of the team’s elite pitching trio, Smoltz’s resume speaks for itself, as he has played at a high level for a long time.

“Smoltzie was already pretty darn good for the first half of his career, including a 2.94 ERA in the 1996 Cy Young campaign and an MLB-best 24 wins and 276 strikeouts. But he nearly won another Cy Young in 2002, racking up 55 saves for the only top-10 finish in MVP voting (eighth place) of his career. And he was even better the following year, stopping 45 games with a 1.12 ERA.

“Smoltz is also the only player in MLB history to have at least 200 wins and 100 saves, though fellow broadcaster and Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley (197 wins, 390 saves) certainly comes close,” Kerry Miller wrote.

Next up is the best position player in Atlanta history, hands down.

14. Chipper Jones – Third goal

One of the greatest hitters of all time comes in at No. 14. As one of the most consistent hitters on both sides of the plate in baseball history, “Mr. Reliable” is a player who ranks second among all Braves on the list.

“The first overall pick in the 1990 draft and one of the top five prospects in baseball before his debut in 1995, Chipper Jones generated as much hype as any other prospect in the Prospect Era and lived up to those expectations during his Hall of Fame career. He continued to play at a high level into his late 30s, winning the National League batting title in 2008 at age 36 with a .364/.470/.574 average in 128 games and finishing his major league career with a .287/.377/.455 batting average and a 124 OPS+ in his age 40 season.” – Joel Reuter said.

Last but certainly not least, he is the best pitcher in team history.

9. Greg Maddux – Starting Pitcher

He threw 13 of those pitches in his career, and no other pitcher has since hit the “Maddux” and probably never will again given the way modern baseball is played.

One of the most dominant players of the 90s is the top Brave on B/R’s list, and rightfully so.

“Starting pitcher Greg Maddux is in the top 10, and his 109 career complete games have been named after him,” Reuters wrote. “A ‘Maddux’ describes a start in which a pitcher throws a complete game without a run on fewer than 100 pitches. Named after Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, the term was coined by baseball journalist Jason Lukehart.

“He ranks among the top 20 all-time in starts (740, fourth), wins (355, eighth), strikeouts (3,371, 11th), innings pitched (5,008.1, 13th) and pitcher’s WAR (116.7, third), behind only Roger Clemens (133.7) and Walter Johnson (131.5) in WAR.”

The “Mad Dog” rounds out Bleacher Reports’ ranking of the modern-era Braves. Are these players in the right rankings? It’s hard to say due to the subjective nature of these lists, but one thing is for sure: the Atlanta Braves have had their share of top-tier talent since the late ’90s, and ultimately, it just goes to show what a formidable and well-run organization they are in all of professional sports.