Throwback Thursday Special: the Atlanta Second Sackers

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/ootp-mods-rosters-photos-quick-starts/184046-gambo-t_wil1-photopack-653.html

Frank Bolling

The first second baseman in Atlanta, Bolling was beginning the final year of a lengthy, though unspectacular career that saw him start with Detroit in 1954 and move to the Milwaukee Braves in 1961.  His best season was in 1961, hitting .262 with 15 homers and 3.6 fWAR.  He was definitely an above-average defender in his day, though that was mostly during his Tiger years.

Bolling played 75 games in 1966 and got a single to lead off the 8th inning in that inaugural Atlanta game, a 3-2 loss to the Pirates.  His 1-for-5 showing on April 12, 1966 mirrored that last season as he hit .211 for the year, hitting his 106th and final homer along the way.

Photo Credit: Mike McCann. http://mikemccann.blogspot.com/2012/02/felix-millan.html

Felix Millan

Felix Millan was the first second baseman I can remember as a fan growing up in Braves’ Country.  He was a fixture there once getting the job during that first Atlanta season in 1966.

He remained there through 1972, then joining (*sigh*) the Mets and finishing with them from 1973-77, a twelve-year major league career.

Millan was a bit better than average as a fielder, but was definitely as offensive upgrade over Bolling.  Generally speaking, he hit in the upper 200’s as a singles hitter, though spiked to .310 in 1970.

How was Millan for contact? For his career, he walked an average of 5% of his plate appearances and struck out just 3.8% – never fanning more than 35 times in any season.  Remarkable.

Sep 12, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson looks on before the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Davey Johnson

He’s most associated with his original team – the Orioles – and as a major league manager, but for two full seasons, he was the Braves’ second baseman… until being unceremoniously released just after the 1975 season began.

Davey Johnson is noteworthy in particular for a spectacular 1973 season – one in which he was a member of the first triumvirate of teammates in baseball history to slug 40+ home runs in the same season.  Darrell Evans his 41, Hank Aaron got 40, and Johnson beat them all – tying Rogers Hornsby for the second base record (42) – with 43 homers (one of those was as a pinch hitter).

In the process, Johnson hit .270, drove in 99 runs, OPS’d .916 and generated 5.3 fWAR.

Strangely, this was the only season in which Johnson hit more than 20 dingers in his 13 year career in the majors (interrupted by a stint in Japan after leaving Atlanta).  He later went on to manage the Mets, Reds, Orioles, Dodgers, Team USA at the Olympics, and… the Nats.

Glenn Hubbard Glenn Hubbard. With a python. 1984. No photo credit.

There was a period between 1975 and 1978 in which the Braves couldn’t find a second baseman they liked.  Eight different players saw time there after Davey Johnson… until Hubbard came along.

Glenn Hubbard was a fixture at second from 1978 through 1987 – a full decade.  He finished his career with Oakland in 1988 and ’89, but he was a steady, consistent player for Atlanta, and still is called upon for special coaching assignments by the Braves.

Hubbard was named an All-Star in 1983 – his best season as a pro.  That year he hit 12 homers and hit .263 to go with his career-best 70 RBI (59 in 1982 was the closest he ever got to that otherwise).

Hubbard wasn’t an offensive standout (.244 for his career), but with his glove he managed to stick around longer than any other second baseman in the history of the Atlanta Braves… a mark that seems quite safe for at least the next ten seasons.

Mark Lemke. Photo credit: Jonathan Newton, Myajc.com.

The Lemmer

Mark Lemke.  If you’re replacing somebody who has been there for a decade, then it’s not a bad thing to bring in a kid who can handle the next decade.

Lemke started with Atlanta in 1988 and got to ride the wave that developed in the early 1990’s – staying with the team through the 1997 season before finishing up with the Red Sox for 31 games in 1998.

At 5’9″/167, he’s not going to appear as a physical specimen.  With a .246 career batting average and 32 homers, he’s not going to impress you with his offense.  His glove was pretty good – that what kept him around.

But Braves fans remember Lemke in October baseball.

For his career, Mark hit .272 in the playoffs and drove in 25 runs over 62 games.  Compare that to his best seasons of 1993 where he had 2.3 fWAR and drove in 49 – for the year.

During the 1991 World Series, he hit .417 with 10 hits and three triples.  In the 1996 NLCS, he hit .444… .333 in the 1993 NLCS.  Sure, there were some klunkers, too, but for a defense-first guy to come up big at playoff time at all, this was huge.

And that’s why we still love The Lemmer.

Marcus (L) and Brian Giles. Photo: Paul Spinelli. http://www.sikids.com/photos/2775/back-time-april-3/5

Marcus Giles

In terms of offense and defense, Giles was probably the best to play the position among Atlanta Braves.  He was with the team from 2001-2006 before being shipped to play a season with brother Brian in San Diego at the end of his all-to-short career (he’s still just 36).

Giles had a break-out season in 2003, posting 6.3 fWAR with 21 homers and a .316 batting average.  He came close to matching that season in 2004 and 2005, but then declined ’06, leading the Braves to cut him loose.

Martin Prado (14) fields a ground ball during the ninth inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees defeated the Royals 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Martin Prado

How is it that the Atlanta Braves have had so many likable second basemen?  Maybe it’s just because most of them just ran out onto the field and did exactly what you would expect:  play good ball without complaint.

Such was the case with Prado… or Nitram Odarp, as some might call him.  Odarp was a Brave from 2006 through the 2012 season, at which time he was included in the trade to acquire Chris Johnson and Justin Upton from the Diamondbacks… pretty much once the team opted not to meet his asking price for a contract extension.

While in Atlanta, Prado did everything asked of him:  played just about anywhere on the diamond and hit well – including 3.9 and 5.6 fWAR performances in 2010 and 2012, hitting over .300 both years.  He’s been in the mid 2’s since then, and will be a member of the Miami Marlins this season.

Dan Uggla against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Uggla

Speaking of the Marlins, while he was only with Atlanta for 3+ seasons… and he’s still being paid by the team… this roundup of second basemen would not be complete without mentioning Dan Uggla.

While the Marlins would not meet his asking price for an extension, the Braves did – trading Omar Infante and Mike Dunn to Florida (now Miami) in exchange for Uggla. a 4 year extension at $13 million per season.

Right away, there were problems.  Despite hitting 36 homers and having a crazy 33-game hitting streak, Uggla’ average for the season was .233.  In 2012, those numbers declined substantially, to .220 and 19 HR.  In 2013, it was even worse (22 HR, .179).

The Braves’ ultimately pulled the plug in June 2014, opting to release Dan.  He’s now in the Nationals spring camp, hoping that he can rebound.  He’ll be 35 in March.

Padres second baseman Brooks Conrad (11) tracks a pop fly during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Others of Note

• Hall of Famer Tony La Russa played 9 games for Atlanta at the position in 1971.  Apparently he held that against us in later years as Cardinals manager.  With Davey Johnson, he was the second future major league manager to play second for Atlanta.
• Jerry Royster played second and third for Atlanta between 1976 and 1984, maxing out at roughly half a season’s games at second during 1978 and ’79 as Hubbard was breaking in.
• Mike Mordecai, Keith Lockhart, Tony Graffanino. Lockhart was more of a role player,
• Jeff Treadway – Was kind of the “bridge” between Hubbard and Lemke.  Actually hit .320 during the 1991 Worst-to-first season.
• Kelly Johnson – He’s baaaack!
• Mark DeRosa – Played the position for parts of 7 seasons.  Still feels like ‘one that got away from us.’
• Tommy La Stella.  Ah, we hardly knew ya.
• Brooks Conrad – he tried… he really did.  He just couldn’t field a baseball.  But for certain, Brooks gave Braves’ fans one great memory on a crazy May afternoon in 2010.

That’s our survey for today – hope you’re enjoying this run down memory lane!

Next: Can We All Gather Up Together?