Are the 2023 Atlanta Braves the best Braves team of all time? It's a question worth pondering. The Braves finished with the best record in baseball at 104-58 and with a lineup that was deemed the best lineup in baseball. That record is tied for the second-best record in Atlanta history. The 1998 Braves finished first with a 106-56 record and the '23 Braves tied with the 1993 Braves for second.
Hopefully, history does not repeat itself as both of those teams lost 4-2 in the NLCS. As we saw last night, this Braves team has dug themselves into a hole after getting shut out by the Phillies in Game One of the NLDS. Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine were asked by MLB.com if they believe that this is the greatest Braves team of all time, here is what they had to say.
Andruw Jones: “To be honest, they might be the best Braves team I’ve seen since I started playing here [in 1996].”
Smoltz: “People are going to say it’s a no-brainer, and I fall into that category. This is the deepest roster I’ve ever seen.”
Chipper Jones: “I would have liked to have seen maybe some of my teams have the DH in the lineup. But the fact of the matter is what this year’s team has done is historic. It’s not just good. It’s not just great. It’s historic. You’re talking about a team slugging .500 for an entire year. A team? That’s crazy.”
Tom Glavine: “It's hard to say which one is the best, right? You know, We used to get those questions, and to me, unless you win a World Series then you don't have much to talk about. So, that puts the '95 team in the conversation and that puts their most recent (2021) World Series championship team in the conversation. But if you’re talking purely statistically, it’s hard to say they’re not, at least offensively. When you are doing historic things offensively, then that speaks for itself.”
Chipper makes a good point, how great would their teams have been if they had the opportunity to play with a designated hitter? That might have changed everything. Glavine has a good point as well. They can be the best team on paper, but if they don't win the World Series, none of it matters.
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