3B Bob Horner burst on the scene for the Atlanta Braves in 1978 when he was the National League Rookie of the Year. He played in 89 games for the Braves in 1978 and he was 86 of 323 (.266 avg, .852 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 23 homers and 63 RBIs. Horner’s only all-star appearance came in 1982. In 1982, Horner played in 140 games in which he was 130 of 499 (.261 avg, .851 OPS) with 85 runs scored, 32 homers and 97 RBIs. The Braves were so bad when Horner played with them that they usually only got one player into the All-Star game and that was usually Dale Murphy. Horner played in 960 games in his 9 years for the Braves and he was 994 of 3,571 (.278 avg, .847 OPS) with 545 runs scored, 215 homers, 652 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Horner almost always was the second best player on the Braves.

Righty knuckleballer Phil Niekro baffled hitters for 21 years for the Atlanta Braves. He was a All-Star 4 times with the Braves, he won 5 Gold Gloves and he won at least 20 games twice. Niekro pitched in 740 games (595 starts) in 21 years with the Braves and he was 268-230 with 29 saves, a 3.20 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Niekro is #1 in games pitched (740) in Braves’ history. He is also #2 in games started (595), #3 in wins (268), #2 in innings pitched (4,622 1/3), #2 in strikeouts (2,912), tied for 5th in complete games (226) and he is #3 in shut outs (43) in Braves’ history. Niekro was elected into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1997.

Righty swinging Dale Murphy was a great player for the Braves but he just missed playing on the good teams that they had. Murphy played 15 years for the Braves appearing in 1,926 games in which he was 1,901 for 7,098 (.268 avg, .829 OPS) with 1,103 runs scored, 371 homers, 1,143 RBIs and 160 stolen bases. Murphy was at his best during the 1982 and 1983 seasons when he won back to back MVP Awards in the N.L. Murphy played in 162 games for the Braves in 1982 and he was 168 for 598 (.281 avg, .885 OPS) with 113 runs scored, 36 homers, 109 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. He followed that up by playing in 162 games in 1983 in which he was 178 for 589 (.302 avg, .933 OPS) with 131 runs scored, 36 homers, 121 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. Murphy is all over the record books for the Braves. He is #4 all-time in Braves’ history in games played (1,926), #5 in hits (1,901), #6 in runs scored (1,103), #4 in homers (371) and #4 in RBIs (1,143). Despite being one of the best players in Braves’ history I just don’t think his overall numbers justify getting him to the Hall of Fame.

The Braves really stunk almost the whole time righty starting pitcher Rick Mahler was there but it wasn’t his fault as he was a workhorse for the team. He pitched in 307 games (218 starts) in his 11 years with the Braves and he was 79-89 with 2 saves, a 4.00 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. But, he was especially good during the 1984 and 1985 seasons for the Braves despite the fact that the team was 146-178 those two years. Mahler pitched in 77 games (68 starts) in 1984 and 1985 and he was 30-25 with a 3.32 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Mahler was just at the wrong place at the wrong time or he would have finished with a lot more wins than he did in his career.

The real beginning of the Braves’ amazing run of division championships started before they ever won one. In 1987 the Braves traded 36-year old right starting pitcher Doyle Alexander to the Tigers for a young prospect named John Smoltz. Alexander went on to finish 9-0 during the regular season for the Tigers with a 1.53 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. But in the American League Championship Series, Alexander started 2 games and he was 0-2 with a 10.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. He pitched three years for the Tigers starting 78 games in which he was 29-29 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.

John Smoltz is one of the best pitchers in the history of the Atlanta Braves. He pitched in 708 games (466 starts) for the Braves and he was 210-147 with 154 saves, a 3.26 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He finished with 3,011 strikeouts with the Braves which is the most in team history. He is fifth all-time in Braves’ history in wins and he is also first in Braves’ history in saves. Smoltz pitched on 8 All-Star teams in his career with the Braves. He won the Cy Young Award in 1996 with the Braves starting 35 games in which he was 24-8 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He whiffed 276 batters while only allowing 199 hits in 253 2/3 innings in 1996 for the Braves. But, Smoltz really made his mark in the post-season with the Braves. He has pitched in 40 games (27 starts) in his post season career with the Braves and he is 15-4 with 4 saves, a 2.65 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. The Braves should have wore a ski mask when making this trade as they stole Smoltz from the Tigers.