A50: Atlanta Braves Throwback Thursday Special – The Right Fielders

#44 – Henry Aaron

Jul 25, 2015; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Famer Hank Aaron waves after arriving at National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

I could probably talk about Hammerin’ Hank and call it a day. We all know that Hank Aaron means a lot to not only the Braves franchise, but all of baseball.

755 home runs, 2,297 RBIs, 6,856 TBs, 3,771 hits … the list goes on, and on, and on. 21 time All-Star, 3 time Gold Glover, and MVP of the 1957 season.

Career lines of .305/.374/.555/.928 are phenomenal numbers for a season, let a lone a career. Aaron owns a career 142.6 WAR and .526 162WL%. He also leads all Braves with games played in right field with 2,174 games.

Hank Aaron stands for everything that is pure in this wonderful game. Then, to have the first major award in 30 years, when was introduced, to be named after him just goes to show how much he means to the game. The Hank Aaron Award is given to the best overall hitter in each league.

“The Hank Aaron Award was introduced in 1999 to honor the 25th Anniversary of Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth‘s all-time home run record. It was the first major award to be introduced in more than thirty years and it recognizes the best overall hitter in each league”. – baseball-almanac.com

The only Brave to ever win the Hank Aaron Award was Andruw Jones way back in 2005; his 51 HR season.

Heck, even the address for the current home of the Braves, Turner Field, is 755 Hank Aaron Drive. The AA team known as the Mobile Bay Bears named their stadium after The Hammer as Mobile is Aaron’s hometown.

His autobiography – I Had A Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story was a New York Times Best-Seller, published in 1990, and I highly recommend it!

Next: ... And Justice For All

#23 – David Justice

Jun 9, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former Atlanta Braves outfielder David Justice throws the ceremonial first pitch before the Atlanta Braves game against the San Diego Padres at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The 1990 National League Rookie of the Year, David Justice secured his spot in Braves lore in 1995.

As most of us know, and some of us remember, Justice became a hero in game 6 of the 1995 World Series, with his solo home run off Jim Poole to bring Atlanta its first major sports championship, ever.

He was a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger recipient. He finished no higher than 3rd in the MVP voting once, in 1993.

Justice’s career marks sit at .279/.378/.500/.878, with 305 career home runs. None bigger than the one in 1995, his only home run in the 1995 post season.

Justice took a lot of backlash during that 1995 World Series run. When Justice called out fans for their perceived lack of support, the fans in return, served up some boo-birds of their own. It didn’t take long for all to be forgiven.

Justice was traded the following season to the Indians, along with Marquis Grissom, for Alan Embree and Kenny Lofton. Justice spent only 6 seasons in Atlanta.

Justice ranks third for games payed in right with 747 games.

Next: The Sheff Is In

 #11 – Gary Sheffield

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Gary Sheffield only lasted 2 seasons with Atlanta. His second season (2003) was his best and somewhat of a career year. Sheff hit at .330/.419/.604/1.023 clip, with an OPS+ of 162, 39 HRs, and 132 RBIs. He set career bests in RBI, hits (190), and doubles (37), and his .330 BA  tied a career high.

He hit .330 one other time with the Padres in 1992. His 1.023 OPS in 2003 was the second highest in his career. He finished 3rd in MVP voting that season, was selected as an All-Star, and took home the Silver Slugger. It was 1 of 5 Silver Sluggers in his career. He racked up 9 trips to the All-Star Game.

Sheffield never had a season with more than 100 K’s. In fact, the highest strikeout total he reached was 83 in 2004. His 2003 season in Atlanta, he struck out only 55 times in 576 ABs. He was 34 years old in 2003.

In terms of value, his 2003 season ranks tops in his career. With a RAR of 70 and a WAR of 6.8, suffice it to say that the Braves had him at his peak.

Next: Couldn't Have Drew It Up Better

#7 – J.D. Drew

Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

J.D. Drew played only one year with the Braves. However, one could argue that this one year was just what the Braves were looking for. In 14 years, 2004 was probably his best, overall, and maybe one of the best single season efforts for a right fielder in a Braves uniform.

Drew amassed a .305/.436/.569/.1.006 line. He had career highs in HRs (31), triples (8), BBs (118), hits (158), and runs scored (118). He was never a perennial All-Star, but this season in particular, earned him his only votes ever in the MVP race, finishing 6th.

At the time, the trade was the right move, I believe. It filled a need and although a slight downgrade after Sheffield, he was still very productive, and did just what the Braves needed him to.

Drew did make one All-Star team, but it was after Atlanta when he was with the Red Sox in 2008. J.D. Drew retired in 2011 at 35 years of age.

Next: The Others

The Rest of the Crew

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Others who have roamed the right field territory in Atlanta …

• Jeff Burroughs
• Dusty Baker
• Mike Lum
• Claudell Washington
• Tommy Gregg
• Jermaine Dye
• Michael Tucker
• Brian Jordan
• Jeff Francoeur
• Jason Heyward

There always seems to be more turnover with outfielders than any other place on the field. Probably because there are so many of them and there is always a need to seek upgrades. Either way, the Braves have hit on some, and missed on some. Overall, I think the general feel is that the Braves have always done what they felt was right.

Some players have helped and did what was asked, others just either had down years or just never amounted to what they were projected to be.

As fans, we all think we could probably some times do it better … especially during Frank Wren’s tenure. The franchise has been fortunate to have the leadership they have had in the front office the last 25+ years (Wren years not withstanding). The culture in Atlanta is back on track to year in and year out contention. The future looks bright, and the only thing we can do as fans, is support the team we love and roll with the punches.

#ChopOnDamnIt

Next: Swisher's Subconscious Salute