House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves Opening Day countdown: 48, Managers and more

By Benjamin Chase

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 31: Tommy Hanson #48 of the Atlanta Braves against the Florida Marlins at Turner Field on July 31, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 31: Tommy Hanson #48 of the Atlanta Braves against the Florida Marlins at Turner Field on July 31, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
TAMPA, FL – MARCH 05: Former outfielder Ralph Garr of the Atlanta Braves smiles during batting practice just before the start of the Grapefruit League Spring Training Game against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 5, 2013 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images) /

Former star

In the 1940s, Andy Pafko was a star with the Chicago Cubs. He made All-Star teams in four seasons. He played both outfield and third base for the Cubs in that time, peaking in 1950, when he hit .304/.397/.591 with 36 home runs.

Pafko enjoyed his second 30 home run season in 1951 as he was traded from the Cubs to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Pafko spent another year in 1952 with the Dodgers before being traded to the Milwaukee Braves before the 1953 season.

With the Braves, Pafko spent just two seasons as a full-time starter in 1953 and 1954, but then he settled into a role as an important backup for 5 more seasons. Pafko made 10 appearances over 14 games in the 1957 and 1958 World Series between the Braves and Yankees.

Over his 7 seasons with the Braves, Pafko hit .275/.324/.411 with 50 home runs over 658 games.

Speedy

In the 3rd round of the 1967 June draft, the Atlanta Braves drafted Ralph Garr from Grambling State. The incredibly speedy outfielder showed very well in the minor leagues, but it didn’t translate right away in the major leagues. When he finally got that to click, he hit the ground running in 1971, hitting .343/.372/.441 with 9 home runs and 30 stolen bases.

That led to a tremendous run for Garr over the next 5 seasons. From 1971-1975, Garr averaged a .319/.352/.434 line with 26 doubles, 8 triples, 10 home runs, and 26 stolen bases.

In his Atlanta Braves career, Garr won a batting title and made an All-Star team. In December of 1975, the Braves traded him to the Chicago White Sox as part of a 5-player trade.

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