6 Atlanta Braves All-Stars you forgot about
In the last twenty years, the Atlanta Braves have had 57 All-Stars. From perennial members like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Chipper Jones to guys like Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis, who played huge roles on the team, but only appeared in one Midsummer Classic. Braves fans likely remember many of them. However, with so many selections, it also means there are Braves All-Stars you've forgotten about.
From a bench player to a pitcher who led the NL in losses, these are six Braves All-Stars most fans may not remember.
Braves All-Stars who fans forget were All-Stars
Russ Ortiz (2003)
In 2003, seven Atlanta Braves were selected for the Midsummer Classic, including 2B Marcus Giles and C Javy Lopez, who started. Others included Gary Sheffield, Andruw Jones, Rafael Furcal, and John Smoltz. All of whom were having great 2003 campaigns.
However, Russ Ortiz's selection looks puzzling, at least in retrospect. At the break, the starter had a 3.55 ERA in 128.1 innings. Among NL pitchers with at least 50 innings, he was 26th in the league. He was behind starters like Miguel Batista and Zach Day. Neither were All-Stars.
Ortiz wasn't a particularly effective pitcher, either, as he was waking 4.14 batters per nine, while only striking out 5.54 batters per nine. Still, he kept the ball in the ballpark enough to not damage his FIP or his ERA.
Of course, in 2003, most teams, much less fans, were looking into peripherals. It didn't matter to the NL manager and the Commissioner's Office that the Braves righty had a high walk rate, or that Jae Weong Seo and Wade Miller had higher fWARs, it mattered that Ortiz was tied for the NL high in wins with Woody Williams.
In his only inning, Ortiz struck out two and walked one, allowing no runs or hits. The righty would go on to lead the National League in wins at season's end, becoming the last Brave to win 20 games in a season until Kyle Wright in 2022.
Jonny Estrada (2004)
In 2004, the Atlanta Braves won its 13th straight division title. Despite less-than-stellar pitching, the team rode the backs of position players like Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, and J.D. Drew.
However, when it came time to select All-Stars, the Braves only had one representative, and it wasn't these three stars, nor was it future Hall-of-Famer, John Smoltz.
Instead, it was a catcher the Braves had acquired the season before when they dealt Kevin Millwood to the Phillies to cut salary.
After Javy Lopez moved to Baltimore following the 2003 season, the Braves had to find a new starting catcher for the first time in a decade, and the team opted for Johnny Estrada, a 27-year-old with a career 63 OPS+ in 382 PAs.
Estrada was excellent. At the break, he had a .332/.382/.481 slash line, good for a 125 wRC+ (yes, I know I'm using wRC+ and OPS+ interchangeably). He had the second-highest fWAR among NL catchers at 1.8 and was well deserving of an All-Star nod.
Estrada finished the 2004 season with the third-best fWAR at 2.7 and had a 115 wRC+. It would be his only season in the bigs as an above-average hitter. A concussion derailed a decent start to his 2005 (and likely his career), and his struggles once he returned solidified Brian McCann as the full-time catcher.
Édgar Renteriá (2006)
After Rafael Furcal departed for Los Angeles, the Braves turned to Édgar Renteriá to fill the gap at SS in 2006. Renteriá had signed a four-year deal with the Red Sox the season prior, but a disappointing season and the Braves offering one of their top prospects, Andy Marte, was enough for the Sox to move him.
The change of scenery did wonders for Renteriá, as he jumped out to a great first half, hitting .318/.397/.464 (127 wRC+) and was the 3rd best SS at the break.
Renteriá ended up starting the 2006 All-Star Game with elected starter, Jose Reyes, out due to injury and would go 0-2.
Renteriá returned to the Braves in 2007 and was worth 7.6 fWAR with the team, but the rise of Yunel Escobar made the then 32-year-old expendable, and he was dealt to Detroit in exchange for Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez.
Omar Infante (2010)
If you didn't read my article last week, you should, but here's the quick rundown.
Infante had come to the Braves in a trade with the Cubs in November 2007. He quickly established himself as a dependable utility player, alongside Martin Prado, and was roughly a league-average hitter from 2008-2010.
Despite this, he was never a regular with the Braves. However, this was not an issue for Charlie Manuel, who decided to select the Braves' utility player for the All-Star Game. It was a controversial pick, and in the end, he didn't even enter the game.
2010 was Infante's final year with the Braves, as he was dealt to the Marlins along with Mike Dunn for Dan Uggla and finally found himself with regular playing time. He was also never involved in All-Star controversy again, not once.
Michael Bourn (2012)
Michael Bourn's first tenure with the Braves was only a year and a half, but he was one of the team's best players over that time span, accumulating 6.4 fWAR in 952 PAs.
At the All-Star break, the Braves CF had the 7th-highest fWAR in baseball at 3.9. He had a .311/.366/.451 slash line (123 wRC+) and was an elite base runner and defender.
Somehow, however, he wasn't selected by the fans (twice, thanks to him losing the Final Vote!) or by the manager or Commissioner's Office.
Thankfully, he was added after an injury to Nationals' SS, Ian Desmond, opened a spot on the NL roster.
Bourn entered the game as a pinch-hitter, replacing Chipper Jones, but would strike out in his only plate appearance.
Bourn would leave the Braves after the 2012 season and sign a four-year deal with the Cleveland Indians but would be traded back to the Braves in the third year of his contract, along with Nick Swisher, in exchange for Chris Johnson.
Mike Foltynewicz (2018)
I don't think Braves fans have forgotten about Mike Foltynewicz, but I do think many have forgotten about his 2018 season.
After being acquired from the Astros in 2015, Foltynewicz took a few years to figure it out. From 2015-2017, the righty put up 3.3 fWAR. In 2018 alone, he put up 3.8.
At the All-Star break, Folty had a 2.66 ERA in 101.2 innings. His 2.2 fWAR was 21st-best among MLB starters.
In the All-Star game, he followed Scherzer and deGrom, who allowed two runs in three innings, with the NL's first scoreless inning.
Unfortunately, 2018 was the only season where Folty put things together. After a mediocre 2019 and a very poor start in 2020, the righty's tenure in Atlanta was over.