The World Series is still ongoing, and the Brewers are in the driver's seat thanks to contributions from a few former Atlanta Braves players, plus a bit of good luck. Unfortunately, the Braves came up well short of the Fall Classic this year, but the franchise has still played in a total of 10 World Series since 1900, and those Braves teams were loaded with all-time great players.
But what would the ideal Braves' World Series roster look like? Some would take a list of the best Braves players ever at each position and call it a day, while others would just want to pick the best Braves team ever. However, there is another approach which encompasses several different eras and perspectives.
Here is what the all-time Braves World Series roster would look like
The requirements for this particular list are simple. A player must have played for the Braves and have participated in at least one World Series in their career. That's it. Our apologies to the Dale Murphy, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Phil Niekro fans in Braves Country. While most of the players here played in World Series for the Braves, we included a couple of guys who were with other championship teams to add variety.
All-time Braves World Series lineup
- C - Javy Lopez
- 1B - Freddie Freeman
- 2B - Ozzie Albies
- SS - Dansby Swanson
- 3B - Chipper Jones
- RF - Hank Aaron
- CF - Andruw Jones
- LF - Ryan Klesko
- DH - Eddie Mathews
Most of the spots here are pretty straightforward. Javy Lopez, Freddie Freeman, Dansby Swanson, Hank Aaron, and Andruw Jones are pretty easy choices, especially with Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson ineligible at catcher and first base, respectively. Shortstop and left field didn't have many ideal choices, but Dansby Swanson is a perfectly reasonable choice, and Ryan Klesko was fun to watch hit bombs with his Captain Caveman swing.
That said, there were some tough decisions to make. Ozzie Albies may seem like a clear choice, but Hall of Famer Johnny Evers played for the 1914 Boston Braves, who won the World Series that year. That said, we still give the edge to Albies due to the eras they played in and Albies’ long tenure with Atlanta. No, that is not scientific whatsoever. The other tough choice was the 3B/DH situation. Both Chipper Jones and Eddie Mathews are all-time great Braves players, but they both played third base. Rather than include Jorge Soler at DH, we felt like putting Mathews made more sense. Do with that what you will.
All-time Braves World Series pitching staff
- SP - Greg Maddux
- SP - Tom Glavine
- SP - Warren Spahn
- SP - Chris Sale
- RP - Craig Kimbrel
- RP - Tyler Matzek
- RP - John Smoltz
- RP - Mark Wohlers
We limited our search for pitchers to four starters and four relievers to not dilute the roster too much. Yes, there would be bench players and middle relievers in real life, but we are focused on the core groups for the Braves here. Yes, there was also a little bit of "cheating" to put together this staff as well.
Neither Chris Sale nor Craig Kimbrel played for the Braves in a World Series (yet), but both were a part of the Red Sox's 2018 title run, so they get the nod. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine give the Braves a pair of Hall of Fame starters that cover both sides of the platoon, but it didn't feel right not to include John Smoltz. Thankfully, his stint as a reliever gave us an out, and Smoltz would be perfect as a guy to come in and give a bunch of innings if any of the starters struggled. It was a tough choice between Mark Wohlers and World Series-winning closer Will Smith, but Wohlers was around for longer while also being just a better postseason pitcher other than one deeply upsetting moment.
Including Warren Spahn pretty much speaks for itself, as he put up some of the best seasons in franchise history. As for Tyler Matzek as the last reliever, his inclusion gives the Braves a strong lefty option here while also acknowledging a player who put together the greatest relief performance in franchise history. We are not sorry.
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