The Atlanta Braves have had the luxury of housing some of the best players in Major League Baseball history. Some of them are mainstays of the organization, while others are simply a blip on the radar. However, no matter how long or short their time with the Braves, it's always interesting to learn who played for the organization.
In fact, many Braves fans may not realize that Hall of Famer and legend Babe Ruth played for the Braves at the end of his career. The Yankees granted Ruth his release on February 25th, 1935, so he could play for the Braves. He signed with the Boston Braves the next day, on February 26th.
Babe Ruth's tenure with the Braves did not go the way anyone hoped
Ruth had hit 659 homers with a .349 average over 15 years with the Bronx bombers. At that point in his career, he had 708 homers, a 162.1 WAR, and a 207 OPS+ over 21 seasons with the Red Sox and Yankees. There was hope that the Braves adding Ruth would provide the National League with more profit. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
Ruth struggled at the plate, batting .181 with six homers and 12 RBI. Ruth also had issues with the front office. He was signed for $25,000, with the expectation that he would receive a percentage of the team's profits. That didn't happen, despite Ruth being named vice president and assistant manager of the Braves. Braves owner Emil Fuchs did everything he could to lure him to the other side of Boston, with no intention of having him take over as manager or anything.
Fortunately for Ruth, his final game went about as well as anyone could have hoped with a three-homer game against the Pirates on May 25th, 1935. His Braves career lasted just 28 games and was littered with disappointment. However, it's still cool to know a Hall of Famer with his pedigree donned a Braves uniform. He was elected to the MLB Hall of Fame just eight months after his retirement.
Ruth ended his career with 714 home runs and a .342 average. No one could have fathomed that a few decades later, Hank Aaron would unseat Ruth as the home run king.