5 Greatest Atlanta Braves Hitters of All Time

Jones would have made this list even without his 2026 election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, an election that came in his ninth year of eligibility.

The Curacaoan centerfielder played 17 Major League seasons, 12 with the Braves, and earned five All-Star nods, 10 Gold Gloves, and a Silver Slugger award. His 26.6 defensive WAR leads the franchise by more than 7 points, and he ranks fourth in Braves history in overall WAR with 61.0.

4. Dale Murphy (1976-1990)

Murphy’s election to the Hall has yet to come and, in fact, he’s considered one of the best players in the history of the game who has yet to be enshrined. Murphy played 18 years in the Bigs, almost exclusively in Atlanta (he played 254 games in Philadelphia and Colorado but 1,926 with the Braves). 

He led the league in walks and runs once, home runs, slugging and RBIs twice, and won National League Most Valuable Player in both 1982 and 1983 in the midst of seven All-Star seasons.

3. Chipper Jones (1993-2012)

To the younger cohort of Braves fans, the franchise’s most iconic player of their lifetime is one Larry Wayne Jones. They might not know that person. It’s Chipper - just Chipper, like Prince or Madonna. 

He played all 19 seasons with the Braves, winning MVP in 1999, finishing in the top 10 in such voting six times, and capturing eight All-Star nods. He was so good for so long that even in his final season at age 40, Jones slashed .287/.377/.455 with more walks than strikeouts. A legend who lived up to his No. 1 overall pick status out of the 1990 draft.

2. Eddie Mathews (1952-1966)

More home runs than Lou Gehrig and Stan Musial, and, really, every other Major League Baseball player in history except for just 23 other souls, Mathews deserves his spot at No. 2 on this list.

He never quite received the flowers he should have because the man who ranks No. 1 on this list was his teammate at the same time and for every season but one Mathews played for the Braves. 

All Mathews did was play 15 years for the Braves while racking up 12 All-Star appearances and helping the club win the 1957 World Series. Oh, and those 512 career homers (493 with the Braves) aren’t too shabby, either.

1. Hank Aaron (1954-1974)

To many, Aaron remains MLB ’s true home run king. His 712 are second on the all-time list only to Barry Bonds. But the jacks aren’t even the most astounding part of his career. Just consider how great Aaron was for so long. 

In 23 big-league seasons, Aaron had an OPS over .800 20 times, a WAR above 4.0 19 times, 21 All-Star appearances, three Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, a World Series, and a batting average over .300.

Find a player nowadays who hits an average of 35 or 40 home runs a year and bats .300 every season. The game may have changed - for better and worse - but "Hammerin' Hank" will be an icon forever.