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Atlanta Braves opening day countdown: the 80s

By Benjamin Chase

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 29: A general view of third base prior to Opening Day between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Suntrust Park on March 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 29: A general view of third base prior to Opening Day between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Suntrust Park on March 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK – AUGUST 19: Matt Diaz #23 of the Atlanta Braves connects for a second inning two run single against the New York Mets on August 19, 2009 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

82. Torg’s Braves HR

As the Braves were in their final seasons in Boston, they had a young hitting star emerge at first base. Originally from Washington state, Earl Torgeson had originally been signed by the Braves in 1941 out of high school, but he left in 1942 for military service and didn’t return until just before the 1946 season.

Torgeson quickly made his way to the major leagues, and immediately he hit well, hitting .281/.403/.481 with 16 home runs. Just before they left Boston, the Braves traded Torgeson after the 1952 season as part of a four-team trade that landed Joe Adcock and Jim Pendleton in Milwaukee while Torgeson ended up in Philadelphia.

Over his Braves career, Torgeson was a sabermetric dream, hitting .265/.385/.427 in spacious Braves Field in Boston, with 82 home runs in 3,001 plate appearances. He had 478 walks and 294 strikeouts in his Braves career.

81. Holmes 1945 extra bases

When one looks at the Braves franchise history top single-season performances in extra base hits, familiar names show up until you notice Tommy Holmes and his 1945 season.

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Holmes is one of the least recognized “stars” in the history of the Atlanta Braves organization. He came up in 1942 with the team and played through 1952 with Boston, hitting .303/.367/.434 over 1,289 games.

A guy who didn’t have a ton of counting stats, the 1945 season was a rarity for Holmes, as he hit .352/.420/.577, leading the major leagues in hits (224), doubles (47), home runs (28), total bases (367), slugging (.577), OPS (.997), and OPS+ (175). He also scored 125 runs and drove in 117 runs while stealing 15 bases. He finished 2nd in MVP voting while playing on a team that finished far down in the standings.

80. Matty D doubles

A tremendously popular player during his time with the Atlanta Braves, Matt Diaz played for 5 organizations in his major league career, but by far, the most time in the major leagues was spent with the Atlanta Braves.

Overall, Diaz played 578 games over his 7 full and partial seasons with the Braves, hitting .299/.347/.449 with 80 doubles and 43 home runs.

Next. Looking around Braves blogs this past week. dark

That gets us through our countdown in the 80s as we prepare for Atlanta Braves Opening Day. We’ll have more coming soon!

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