5. 1996 Marquis Grissom
Overall: 158 G, 723 PA, .308/.349/.489, 32 doubles, 10 triples, 23 HR, 28 SB, 41/73 BB/K
Leadoff: 157 G, 722 PA, .308/.350/.489, 32 doubles, 10 triples, 23 HR, 28 SB, 41/73 BB/K
After torturing the Atlanta Braves for six seasons in Montreal, Marquis Grissom came to the Braves in a deal that mimicked how he left, acquired on April 6th, not typically when a front-line leadoff hitter would be acquired in the offseason, but the Braves traded three solid pieces to bring him in before the 1995 season.
Throughout the 1995 season, Marquis struggled to live up to his lofty expectations heaped on him by the Atlanta press, hitting .258/.317/.376 on the season, but all that was forgotten when Grissom went on an absolute tear through the postseason, hitting .385/.412/.600 through the 1995 playoffs and being the guy who made the final catch to end the 1995 World Series for the Atlanta Braves.
He would carry over that solid play into the 1996 season, hitting well, playing exceptional defense, and powering the Braves back to the World Series. He set marks that Ronald Acuna is now chasing, including his 7 leadoff home runs in 1996 that Acuna has surpassed.
On the 1996 season, Marquis would finish 3rd in the National League in hits, 2nd in triples, and second in at-bats as he was durable and consistent throughout the season. As the season wore on, he tutored a young teenager by the name of Andruw Jones, though he was unaware that Jones’ presence was going to make his stay in Atlanta more tenuous.
The following spring, again right as the season was about to get underway, Marquis was traded along with power-hitting outfielder David Justice to the Cleveland Indians, receiving just impending free agent Kenny Lofton and unproven lefty reliever Alan Embree as the return. Needless to say, it was a deal that did not go over well with Atlanta Braves fans, and it’s shown to be one of the worst deals John Schuerholz ever made in his Braves tenure.
Grissom would play another decade in the major leagues, still productive into his late 30s.