Atlanta Braves franchise history: Top 10 outfielders part 1

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Atlanta Braves predecessors the Boston Braves called Braves’ home. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images) /

Number ten: A solid player

I’d wager most fans today have never heard of Sid Gordon; his SABR biography describes him as:

"a man who came to play every day no matter whether the manager played him in the outfield or third base or where he inserted him in the lineup. An amiable and well-liked ballplayer. . ."

I guess being a star in those days meant something different than it does today. In 1948 Gordon finished fifth in the NL with 30 homers, behind Johnny Mize, Ralph Kiner, Stan Musial, and Hank Sauer, and third in OPS (.927) and OPS+ (142) behind Musial and Mize.

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In 1949 Bobby Thompson took fourth place in homers pushing Gordon to number five, while Enos Slaughter, and some kid named Jackie Robinson, meant Gordon landed in fourth-spot with a .909 OPS and a 142 OPS+.

Gordon joined the Boston Braves after the 1949 season in the trade that sent Al Dark and Eddie Stanky to the Giants.

in 1951, Gordon finished third in MLB with a 156 OPS+,
fourth in MLB with 154 wRC+,
fifth in MLB with 6.4 rWAR,
tenth in MLB with 5.5 fWAR,
#17 in MLB with a 409 wOBA, and
finished #22 in NL MVP voting.

He enjoyed three more seasons as a top 20 batter with the Braves, finishing #22, #16, and #30 in MVP voting.

Year	Age	G	PA	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1950	32	134	561	146	27	103	78	31	.304	.403	.557	.960	156
1951	33	150	641	158	29	109	80	32	.287	.383	.500	.883	143
1952	34	144	607	151	25	75	77	49	.289	.384	.483	.866	142
1953	35	140	542	127	19	75	71	40	.274	.372	.461	.834	121
Totals		568	2351	582	100	362	306	152	.289	.385	.500	.886	141

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Gordon’s Baseball-Reference similarity score compares him to former Atlanta Braves outfielder Brian Jordan at the same age.

Rk	Name	G	H	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1	Sid Gordon	568	582	100	306	152	.289	.385	.500	.886	141
2	Brian Jordan	562	591	83	154	335	.282	.335	.464	.799	104

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table