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The definitive list: Atlanta Braves hitting records for pitchers

John Smoltz bunts the ball during action between the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs on May 28, 2006. The Braves won 13-12 in 11 innings. (Photo by G. N. Lowrance/Getty Images)
John Smoltz bunts the ball during action between the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs on May 28, 2006. The Braves won 13-12 in 11 innings. (Photo by G. N. Lowrance/Getty Images)

As the designated hitter rule moves into the National League for good, it appears that these hitting records for Atlanta Braves pitchers will now last forever.

Have you ever wanted to be on a list of record-holders whose accomplishments would never be challenged?  That’s now almost certainly the case when it comes to these Atlanta Braves franchise hitting records for their pitchers.

Career marks (franchise, all-time).  Minimum plate appearances set at 100 for all of these sets until otherwise noted.

  • Plate appearances:  2061 (Kid Nichols).  Warren Spahn 1986; Phil Niekro 1707.
  • Runs scored: 334 (Al Spalding).  Kid Nichols 263; Jack Stivetts 246.
  • Home runs:  35 (Warren Spahn).  Jack Stivetts 21; Kid Nichols 16
  • RBI:  271 (Nichols).  Stivetts 251; Spalding 248.
  • Steals:  25 (Stivetts).  Nichols 19; Charley (“Old Hoss”) Radbourn 18; John Clarkson 18.
  • Avg:  .339 (Charlie Hickman).  Spalding .323; Stivetts .304.
  • Hits:  455 (Spalding).  Nichols 439; Stivetts 409.
  • fWAR:  7.7 (Jim Whitney).  Spahn 6.8; Spalding (6.4).

Career marks, baseball’s modern era (since 1900):

  • Plate appearances:  1986 (Spahn).  Niekro 1707; Bob Smith 1627.
  • Runs scored:  140 (Spahn and Smith).  Lew Burdette 92; Niekro 80.
  • Home runs:  35 (Spahn).  Jim Tobin 13; Burdette 10; Niekro 7.
  • RBI:  186 (Spahn).  B. Smith 157; Niekro 109; Johnny Sain 74.
  • Steals:  14 (Bill Dineen and B. Smith).  Dick Rudolph 9; Patsy Flaherty 5.
  • Avg:  .271 (Otto Hess).  Nichols (.253); Jack Scott (.247)
  • Hits:  375 (B. Smith).  Spahn 356; Niekro 260; Tom Glavine 193.
  • fWAR:  6.8 (Spahn).  Glavine 4.6; Tobin 3.9; John Smoltz 3.4.

>> Of note:  Bob Smith was also a shortstop

Single season records since 1900:

  • Plate appearances:  181 (B. Smith 1925).  Nichols 175 (1901).  Big Jeff Pfeffer 172 (1906).
  • Runs scored:  17 (Johnny Cooney in 1925 and 1926; B. Smith 1925).  Nichols 16 (1901).
  • Home runs:  6 (Tobin 1942).  Tony Cloninger 5 (1966)*; Nichols 4 (1901); Spahn 4 (1961).
  • RBI:  28 (Nichols, 1901).  B. Smith 23 (1925); Cloninger 23 (1966).
  • Steals:  8 (Dineen, 1901).  Cooney 6 (1926);  Dineen 6 (1900); Pfeffer 4 (1906).
  • Avg:  .346 (Sain, 1947).  Spahn .333 (1958); Cooney .320 (1925).
  • Hits:  49 (B. Smith, 1925).  Nichols 46 (1901); Cooney 38 (1926); Sain 37 (1947).
  • fWAR:  1.8 (Spahn, 1958).  Tobin 1.7 (1942); Sain 1.3 (1947); Cloninger 1.1 (1966)

* – On July 3rd, 1966, Tony Cloninger hit two grand slams against the San Francisco Giants.  The homers came in the 1st and 4th innings of a 17-3 rout.  Cloninger also pitched a complete game, walking 2, striking out 5, and yielding the 3 runs on 7 hits.  He went 3 for 5 at the plate with 9 RBI.

Clonginer holds the modern era NL record for RBI in a season by a pitcher (23, in 1966), and is tied for the most ever in a single game (9) with another Brave, Boston’s Henry Staley (June 1, 1893).  Less than 3 weeks prior, he had tied the old/modern-era NL record for a single game with 5 RBI.  See note above about Bob Smith.

Career marks since 1966 (Arrival in Atlanta). Minimum PA reduced to 50.

  • Plate appearances:  1697 (Niekro).  Glavine 1290; Smoltz 1151; Maddux 897.
  • Runs scored:  80 (Niekro); Smoltz 76; Glavine 73; Maddux 51.
  • Home runs:  7 (Niekro).  Cloninger, Mike Hampton, Roric Harrison, Smoltz all with 5.
  • RBI:  109 (Niekro).  Glavine 70; Smoltz 61; Tim Hudson 39.
  • Steals:  3 (Smoltz); Maddux 2; Craig McMurtry 2.
  • Avg:  .250 (Gaylord Perry).  Ken Dayley .250; Max Leon .250.
  • Hits:  259 (Niekro).  Glavine 193; Smoltz 150; Maddux 134.
  • fWAR:  4.6 (Glavine).  Smoltz 3.4; Hampton 1.6; Hudson 1.6.

Single season records since 1966 (Arrival in Atlanta). Minimum PA still at 50.

  • Plate appearances:  134 (1979), 129 (1978), 123 (1977), 118 (1974).  All Phil Niekro.
  • Runs scored:  12 (Cloninger, 1966).  Niekro 11 (1969); Smoltz 11 (1999); Glavine 11 (1992); Max Fried 11 (2019).
  • Home runs:  5 (Cloninger, 1966).  Morton 3 (1973); Russ Ortiz 2 (2003).
  • RBI:  Cloninger 23 (1966).  Morton 15 (1973); 12 each: Smoltz (1996) and Niekro (1976, 1979)
  • Steals:  13 pitchers with 1 apiece.
  • Avg:  .296 (Rick Mahler, 1984).  Glavine .289 (1996); Smotz .274 (1999); Fried .273 (2021).
  • Hits:  27 (Niekro, 1978).  Cloninger 26 (1966); Niekro 24 (1979); Glavine 22 (1996).
  • fWAR:  1.1 (Cloninger, 1966).  Glavine 1.0 (1996); Ortiz 0.9 (2003); Smoltz 0.9 (1999); Fried 0.8 (2021).

Hitting Awards

The Silver Slugger award for best hitter at each position was inaugurated with the 1980 season.  Here are the Atlanta Braves pitchers who have won the award:

  • Tom Glavine, 4 times (1991, 1995, 1996, 1998)
  • Mike Hampton (once as a Braves:  2003)
  • John Smoltz (1997)
  • Max Fried (2021)

It thus appears that Max Fried will have the bragging rights as the last-ever pitching Silver Slugger winner.  A bittersweet distinction, but hopefully he’ll still get a few more plate appearances… DH rule notwithstanding.
 

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