The offseason is as slow as molasses on a cold winter morning. Thankfully, the winter meetings take place next week, so hopefully, we’ll get some inkling of an idea of what the Braves are going to do this offseason. Until then, I’ll continue to take trips down memory lane. In this series, I’ll be ranking my ten greatest Braves of all-time, starting with a decision that may ruffle some feathers.
Honorable Mention — Dale Murphy
Murphy is a borderline Hall-of-Famer, which just goes to show how much talent has come through the organization over the years. From 1980-1987 he was arguably the best player in the National League, making six All-Star Games and winning two MVP awards, along with five Gold Gloves. It was really tough deciding between Murphy and my pick for the 10th greatest Braves player of all-time, but in the end, I went with the man who is the best defensive player to ever walk the planet.
#10 Andruw Jones
I believe Andruw Jones should be a Hall-of-Famer, even more so than Murphy. Jones was the best defensive centerfielder to ever play the game. That alone should garner Hall-of-Fame consideration, but he was no slouch with the bat either, smacking 434 home runs. The only reason Jones might not get in is because of the end of his career. Once he left the Braves, his career fell off a cliff, and he was out of the league entirely by the time he was 36. Still, those down years had nothing to do with his time in Atlanta, when he was one of the best players in baseball, winning ten straight Gold Gloves and blasting 368 home runs. Jones accrued 62.7 WAR over his entire career; there’s no reason he should not be voted into the Hall-of-Fame one day.
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