The Atlanta Braves All-Decade Team (2009-2019)
The Atlanta Braves had a strong first and last part of the decade that featured three division titles and two wild card bids. Needless to say, there are several quality players worthy of the All-Decade team.
From 2010 to 2013, the Atlanta Braves won 89 games or more, won the NL East in 2013, won a wild card spot in 2010 and 2012 and if it weren’t for a historic collapse in 2012, they would have earned another wild card spot.
Additionally, the 2014 team, which was a preseason choice to be a playoff team, were 10 games over .500 on July 28th before floundering down the stretch.
From ’10-‘13, the Braves had 17 All-Star selections by seven different players.
Fast forward through the rebuilding years of 2015 to 2017, when the Braves never broke 75 wins and had just one all-star each year and more options emerge for the All-Decade team.
The Braves won back-to-back NL East crowns in 2018 and 2019 and had six all-star selections by four different players.
There were several positions where there were clear-cut players (catcher and first base), but for the most part, there were multiple candidates for position players.
The starting rotation also had eight or nine candidates that had a valid case to be made, with two really standing out.
In the bullpen, I chose three pitchers that were really obvious, with nobody else really having an argument.
There were two managerial candidates to consider and surprisingly it was a tougher decision than I thought.
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions on the Braves All-Decade team, as there are cases to be made for several players at most of the positions.
Let’s first look at the starting infield.
Catcher — Brian McCann
This was a no-brainer.
From 2010-2013, B-Mac hit 85 home runs and drove in 272 runs for the Braves and was selected to three All-Star games.
His best season was in 2011 when he hit 24 bombs and had an OPS+ of 122 en route to the Silver Slugger award.
Brian McCann came back to Atlanta in 2019 and was part of a platoon with Tyler Flowers. In 277 at-bats, McCann hit 12 home runs and drove in 45 runs.
First Base — Freddie Freeman
Perhaps one of the most underrated players in all of baseball throughout the decade, Freddie Freeman was an All-Star in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2019.
In 2013, Freeman hit .319 with 23 home runs and followed that up in 2014 with a .288/.386/.471 line.
Freeman’s best season was actually 2016 when he finished sixth in the MVP voting. He hit 34 home runs, while batting .301 and an OBP of .400.
In 2019, Freeman set career-highs in home runs (38) and RBI (121) while leading the Braves to the NL East crown.
Second Base — Ozzie Albies
There was a brief moment where I considered Dan Uggla, who hit 36 bombs in 2011 and led the league in walks (94) in 2012.
But Ozzie Albies is just too good to justify taking Uggla.
In his first full season in 2018, Albies hit 24 home runs and drove in 72 runs, while earning an All-Star selection. He did, however, struggle down the stretch of the season.
The follow-up season in 2019 for Albies was more impressive, as he led the National League in hits and is likely going to earn his first Gold Glove.
Shortstop — Andrelton Simmons
No trade was as scrutinized during the “rebuild” than the one that sent Andrelton Simmons to the Angels for Sean Newcomb and others.
Simmons wasn’t a great offensive player for the Braves in three-plus seasons in Atlanta. His best season was 2018 when he hit 17 bombs.
But from a defensive perspective, there was nobody better, as he won back-to-back Gold Gloves in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, his defensive WAR was 5.5 (!) and was 3.9 in 2014.
Third Base — Chipper Jones
Even as he approached his 40th birthday, Jones was still able to swing a decent bat in the third spot in the order.
While his batting average and power were not as impressive as the prime of his career, Chipper struck out 178 times in all three seasons (2010-2012) combined.
For context, Dan Uggla struck out 156 times in 2012 alone.
Jones was an average defender in those final three seasons and earned All-Star selections in 2011 and 2012.
I thought about Martin Prado, but how could I not give this to Chipper Jones?!
OF — Nick Markakis
*Note: all three of players I selected played multiple outfield spots for the Braves throughout their time in Atlanta. Therefore, I did not specify specific positions.
I’m guessing this will be a highly criticized selection, but all Nick Markakis has done since joining the Braves is hit.
In his five seasons with the Braves, Markakis has 808 hits, 355 runs, a .284 average, and a respectable OPS+ of 104.
His best season was undoubtedly 2018 when he made his first All-Star game, won his first Silver Slugger award, and earned his third Gold Glove in his career.
He hit .297, with 43 doubles and drove in 93 runs.
OF — Jason Heyward
Bursting on the scene in 2010 when he hit a homer in his first at-bat, Jason Heyward was a stellar defender and inconsistent offensive player for the Braves in his five years.
His lone All-Star appearance came in 2010 when he hit .277 with 18 home runs. The most home runs he hit were in 2012 with 27.
Heyward won two Gold Gloves with the Braves, the first in 2012 and the second in 2014.
While Heyward’s time in Atlanta may seem like a disappointment because of the lofty expectations, he was a really solid player.
OF — Ronald Acuna Jr.
Much like Ozzie Albies at second base, it was impossible to keep Ronald Acuna Jr. off this team because of the impact he made.
In his first full season in 2019, Acuna was three stolen bases away from a 40/40 season. He was selected to his first All-Star game.
He hit 41 homers with 101 RBI, while batting leadoff for the Braves.
In 111 games in 2018, Acuna hit 26 home runs and drove in 64 runs. He won the NL Rookie of the Year and finished 12th in the MVP voting.
1. Tim Hudson
From 2010-2013, Tim Hudson went 57-33 with a 3.33 ERA for the Braves and was selected to the 2010 All-Star game.
In 2010, Huddy went 17-9 with a 2.83 ERA, 1.154 WHIP in 228.2 innings. He finished fourth in the Cy Young voting.
2. Julio Teheran
Julio Teheran pitched in every year in the decade except for 2010 and was 77-73 in those eight seasons.
He was selected to two All-Star games (2014 and 2016) and finished fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year in 2013.
Durable is the best word to describe Teheran, as he has started 30 games or more since 2013.
His best season was 2014 when he went 14-13, with a 2.89 ERA.
3. Kris Medlen
Kris Medlen was tried as both a starting pitcher and reliever in his five years with the Braves, but his two best seasons were the ones where he started.
Starting off in the bullpen in 2012, Medlen was moved to the rotation and was perhaps the best pitcher in the NL in the season’s second half, where he went 9-0 with a 0.97 ERA in 12 starts.
He followed that season by going 15-12 with a 3.11 ERA in 2013.
4. Tommy Hanson
The late Tommy Hanson had the look of stardom when he made his debut in 2009, but injuries never let that come to fruition.
Still though, the big redhead went 34-28 from 2010-2012 with a 3.80 ERA and struck out more than 140 batters all three seasons.
His best season was 2010 when he went just 10-11, but had an ERA of 3.33, a WHIP of 1.174 and struck out 173 batters in 202.2 innings.
5. Mike Foltynewicz
After coming over from the Astros in the Evan Gattis trade, Folty has always shown he has the stuff to be a top of the rotation starting pitcher.
He made his debut in 2014 and slowly began to figure out his stuff and how to best effectively use it.
Folty’s best season was in 2018 when he 13-10 with a 2.85 ERA in 183 innings and made the All-Star team.
Injuries derailed the early part of his 2019 season, but in the season’s second half, Mike Foltynewicz went 6-1 with a 2.65 ERA. He also had a dominant start in Game 2 of the NLCS.
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RP — Eric O’Flaherty
From 2010-2013, there was no better setup man in baseball than Eric O’Flaherty, who compiled an ERA of 1.68 during that stretch.
His best season, where he should have been selected to the All-Star team, was 2011. In 73.2 innings that season, he had an ERA of 0.98 and a FIP of 2.54.
O’Flaherty was almost as good in 2012, where he had an ERA of 1.73 in 57.1 innings.
In 2016 and 2017, EOF came back to the Braves but injuries had derailed his career.
RP — Jonny Venters
The second part to the O-Vent-Brel trio that was the best trio of relievers in all of baseball, Jonny Venters filthy sinker led him to an All-Star game selection in 2011, where he struck out 96 batters in 88 innings.
From 2010-2012, Venters had an ERA of 2.23 with an ERA+ of 175.
After being out of baseball for the better part of five seasons, Venters made a comeback in 2018 with the Rays before being traded back to the Braves, where he had a 3.54 ERA in 20.1 innings.
Closer — Craig Kimbrel
Perhaps the best closer in franchise history, Craig Kimbrel was dominant for the Braves from 2011 to 2014, where he led the league in saves all four seasons.
While he saved no fewer than 42 games during that stretch, Kimbrel’s best season was 2012 where he saved 42 games with a 1.01 ERA. He struck out 116 batters in 62.1 innings.
He was selected to the All-Star game all four years, won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2011 and finished in the top 10 in the Cy Young voting all four years.
Manager — Brian Snitker
This was a very difficult decision to make.
Fredi Gonzalez went 434-413 in five-plus seasons with the Braves, which included two wild card bids and an NL East title in 2013.
He was also thrown into the rebuilding mess, so his overall record is a bit skewed.
But I went with Brian Snitker because of what has happened the past two seasons, where the Braves came out of nowhere to win the NL East in 2018 and then followed it up with a division title in 2019, when nobody picked the Braves.
In his three-plus seasons, Snitker has gone 318-292, with a Manager of the Year award in 2018 and might get another this year.
Next. FF an all-time Braves great?. dark
That’s my All-Decade team for the Atlanta Braves from 2009-2019. Let us know in the comments if you agree or who you would have picked.