1. The 1998 Braves, (106-56)
Arguably the most complete Atlanta Braves team since 1990 comes in at number one in my rankings. A team that boasted a franchise record 106 wins displayed one of the most prolific offenses and profound pitching staffs of the century.
The Braves captured their fourth consecutive NL East title, this year by 18 games over the New York Mets. ESPN writer David Schoenfield listed this Braves team as one of the best teams in MLB history to not win a title.
The Braves sent six players to the All-Star Game, including two who were voted starters (SS Walt Weiss and 3B Chipper Jones).
Andres Galarraga’s team-leading 44 home runs ranked fifth in the NL, and he was one of four Braves players with 30+ homers. Three Braves players eclipsed the 100+ RBI mark, and four possessed an OPS over .850.
Aside from the prolific offense the Braves displayed, their rotation was nothing short of spectacular.
Tom Glavine was awarded his second-career Cy Young Award, and the staff ranked first in almost every major pitching category. They are the only team in MLB history to have all five starters eclipse 150 strikeouts.
Despite Glavine capturing the MLB’s most prestigious pitching award of the year, Greg Maddux produced an MLB-best 2.22 ERA that was the third-lowest of his extraordinary career. John Smoltz rounded out the “Big 3” that all delivered ERAs under 3.00.
Despite having what seemed like everything the Braves needed to capture another World Series title, the club swept the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS (3-0), then ultimately fell to the San Diego Padres in the NLCS (4-2).