2017 Was A Wild Year For A Rebuilding Atlanta Braves. However, It Was Still A Fun Ride With Plenty Of Memorable Moments On The Field.
The Atlanta Braves ended the long season with a 72-90 W-L record and a distant 3rd place in the NL East standings. Even though it was a bad season for them – and MLB still isn’t done with them afterwards, they had some bright moments throughout the season.
So despite all of that, I took some time to look back and listed 10 of the Braves best moment of the 2017 season.
There were a couple other ones during my “scouting” that were honorable mentions, but this is a Top 10 list and again they’re subjective.
As we turn the page on 2017 and begin to look ahead to the 2018 Spring Training and beyond, it’s great to look back at what we did well. We’ll forget the bad times, but hopefully these are 10 good things to remember from the year of 2017.
Really looking froward to watch 2018 will bring us from the Atlanta Braves! It’s going to be a solid year both at the MLB level and in the minors. Whether you’re the optimistic fan or the debbie downer, we’ve got a lot to look forward to as an Atlanta Braves fan!
I tried to keep these strictly about things ON the field or with the players.
Let’s talk about it…
10. Aces-In-The-Making?
This season we saw the debuts of numerous pitchers, especially starters: Luiz Gohara, Max Fried, Sean Newcomb, Lucas Sims, etc.
Each had their fails but also had their successes. Some can become front-of-the-line starters and others headed for the bullpen.
With more on knocking on the door for 2018, they have to continue to improve to keep their roster spots. Julio Teheran and Mike Foltynewicz are predicted to be back with Atlanta next season, and let’s not forget the possibility of other pitchers the Braves might add this off-season.
We also got to see other some potential future pieces for the bullpen in AJ Minter, Akeel Morris, Luke Jackson, Dan Winkler, and of course breakout arm Sam Freeman.
9. The 2000 Hit Club
Atlanta got to join in some history this year when both Nick Markakis and Brandon Phillips joined the 2000 hit club. Phillips may not be with the team now but he was donning a Braves uniform when he achieved that milestone.
Only 285 players in history have reached that mark and the Braves had 2 get there in just 1 month!
Markakis hit #2000 on August 3rd during a home game against Alex Wood and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had his family out there waiting to see him make history.
Phillips reached 2000 back later that month on August 30th during a double-header against the Philadelphia Phillies. His mom was there to celebrate too, flying out to surprise him.
A rare feat that Braves fans got to witness twice.
8. Braves Walk-Off Walk Win Against Marlins
SEPTEMBER 9, 2017: In the bottom of the 9th, with the game tied at 5 apiece, Inciarte was up against Miami Marlins’ Kyle Barraclough.
Barraclough was clearly not on his game as he had walked 2 others earlier in the inning.
With bases loaded and 2 outs, Inciarte showed his patience to wait it out. Barraclough threw 4 straight balls to move the line and walked in Dansby Swanson for the Braves win.
The Braves had two more walk-offs in that same series:
- September 7th: another 6-5 victory as they scored twice in the 9th via an Albies double and Suzuki single.
- September 10th: 10-8 in 11 innings after scoring thrice in the 9th just to tie it up. Rio Ruiz got the tying RBIs in the 9th; Lane Adams homered for the winner in the 11th.
7. Braves Offer Free Games To Hurricane Refugees
2017 was a crazy year for hurricanes. From Hurricane Harvey in Houston to Hurricane Irma across the south-east, especially Florida. It seemed like one after the another, and for the most part, it was!
The Atlanta Braves stepped up during this same (Sept. 7-10) series against the Marlins, stating that any refugees from Florida – and later Savannah, Ga – would be given free entry in the games. This was a class act for the franchise and overall amazing thing.
Braves distributed 8,500 free tickets to Florida evacuees to today's game and a total of 18,562 during the four-game series with the Marlins
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) September 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/Marlins/status/906975637948297216
6. Inciarte’s 200 Hit Milestone
SEPTEMBER 26: The build-up was real for this one because there were many doubters that Inciarte would be able to reach it when the 2nd half of the season started getting shorter and shorter.
Leading off, Inciarte knocked a double for the big 2-0-0, the 1st Braves to do so since 1997.
The last time #Braves had a player with 200 hits 'Macarena' was the No. 1 song in the land. What was wrong with us?
— Cory McCartney (@coryjmccartney) September 26, 2017
As one of the cornerstones for the rebuilding Braves, Inciarte was alone one of the brightest spots for the team. Off the field, he’s one of the guys to follow on Twitter.
Can't. The tarp is dry. https://t.co/Nomy7ROZ7x
— Ender Inciarte (@enderinciartem) July 7, 2017
On the field, offensively he’s one of the more consistent hitters on the roster; defensively, he’s set-up for potentially another gold-glove, nuff said.
5. Ozzie’s Emergence As Star Player?
Atlanta Braves
Early this season, when the Braves were near – and at – .500 (more on that in a bit), there were rumors that then-GM John Coppolella was looking for a top pitcher and that Ozzie Albies was available for discussion.
However, the talks died down and Albies was still with the team in August. On August 1st, news broke that Albies was getting called up and will start that very game.
He had a slow start until around late-August and early-September when something must’ve clicked around August 25th, for he didn’t have a BA lower than .227 through the rest of the year, finishing at .286.
With great hitting and good defense, Albies soon became an easy favorite among fans. With Albies, Inciarte, and hopefully a revived Dansby Swanson, the Braves middle is a lock in both defense and offense.
4. Braves Become A .500 Club
JULY 16: Though this moment was short-lived, it was definitely an important point in the Braves rebuild, especially for this season.
Heading into the all-star break, the Braves were on a winning record and had hope of baseball in October. They were at 42-45 in win-loss record and in 2nd place for the division.
They started off the 2nd half against the Arizona Diamondbacks and were on fire. They swept the D-backs for a 45-45 record, sitting on .500.
This showed how far the team has come and a taste of what the future could be. Sadly, the Braves began to break down not long after.
3. Folty’s Near No-Hitter
JUNE 30. Arguably his best performance, Mike Foltynewicz was 3 outs away from making history in his start against the Oakland A’s. Topping out at 97 mph, Foltynewicz had the A’s stunned, allowing no hits until the 9th inning.
Leading off, Matt Olson knocked a homer to end the bid for Folty. Prior to that fateful pitch, there was one borderline call that he thought would be strike 3 but brought the count to full.
His final line was 8 innings, 1 run, 4 walks and 8 strikeouts. This start was one of the many flashes of potential throughout the season for the 26-year-old.
2. Jaime Garcia Hits A Grand One
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JULY 21: This was a wild night. All day, there was talks that the Braves were about to ship Jaime Garcia away in a trade. However, it was never settled and Garcia laced up his shoes and got ready to pitch against the Dodgers.
It was against Alex Wood, coming in undefeated (11-0!), but somehow the Braves threw him off his game. Wood lasted only 4 2/3 innings. The final straw was when a Matt Kemp single and 2 walks loaded the bases for one Jaime Garcia…oh boy.
With the count at 0-2, Garcia smacked a fastball for a no-doubter. GRAND SLAM! Just in case you want to relive that:
Gar-seeya. #ChopOn pic.twitter.com/d3t3ZeFwEO
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 22, 2017
This would give the Braves a 9-0 lead and soon they would go on to win 12-3.
Honorable Mentions
Before we go to #1, here are some honorable mentions. These were some good moments as well that I just felt didn’t beat the ones listed but shouldn’t go un-noticed.
- FREEEEZE: The Freeze was an overnight sensation that took the nation by storm. He became an instant celebrity and even got to got to represent the Braves at the All-Stars!
- New Blood: Braves got some new blood…and new hope when Matt Adams came over and immediately produced in place of injured Freddie Freeman.
- Night of the Flashlight Tomahawk: During one of the night games, the fans somehow started a tomahawk chop with the flashlights on their phone and it was one of the coolest things.
NUMBER 1: Starting A New Chapter At SunTrust
The Braves played their first game at SunTrust Park on April 15th against the San Diego Padres. And they won! They started their new home on a positive with a 5-2 win over the Padres.
Hank Aaron threw out the ceremonial 1st pitch while starter Julio Teheran threw out the official 1st pitch. Inciarte then recorded the 1st hit and 1st home run at the park.
What better way to cap this post than to put the game that started it all for #1!
There you have it. Some of the more happy and great moments of a wild Atlanta Braves season. From nice performances to wonderful debuts to classy gestures, the Braves were fun to watch.
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Hopefully we get more great ones in 2018 and beyond!