6 Braves players that most helped shape the history of baseball

Founded in 1871, the Braves stand as the oldest sports organization in North America still in operation. In that time, several notable players have passed through their hands. The Braves were home to great pitchers like Gaylord Perry, Warren Spahn, Phil Niekro, and Tom Glavine as well as powerful sluggers like Eddie Matthews and Gary Sheffield.

Rabbit Maranville saw the Braves through the Dead Ball Era in one of two stints with them, leading the franchise to their first World Series victory in 1914. In 2023, Ronald Acuna Jr won the NL MVP with flying colors after having a historic season (and still has the opportunity to further build his legend). Andruw Jones brought Gold Glove defense to centerfield for many years while mashing home runs. John Smoltz started games and closed for Atlanta while playing a pivotal role in several postseason runs.

For brief stints, Joe Torre both managed and played for the Braves. Andy Messersmith, while a superb pitcher, left a large impact on baseball by helping end the MLB’s reserve clause (and a large impact on the Braves in the advertising department). But let’s stick to accomplishments on the field rather than anything done in an executive’s office or from the dugout.

While not every one of these players wore a Braves jersey for a long time or even performed well in it, they did leave a rather big impact on the game. When talking about feats of baseball, it’s hard to think of any names that could surmount these six Hall of Famers when it comes to their importance in MLB history. These are Major League Baseball's top six iconic players to have at one point played for the Braves.

6 Braves players that most helped shape the history of baseball

1. Henry ‘Hank’ Aaron

To start any discussion involving important players from a Braves’ perspective, it must include Hammerin’ Hank Aaron. Aaron was not only the greatest Brave but one of the best players in baseball history. In 1974, he hit home run number 715 to break the record set by Babe Ruth in 1935. His career total of 755 home runs led the MLB for 33 years until Barry Bonds hit his 756th in 2007. Today, he still holds the record for RBI and total bases.

Henry Aaron began his career with the Milwaukee Braves in 1954 and spent 21 years with the Braves until leaving Atlanta to return to Milwaukee, this time with the American League (at the time) Brewers for the last two years of his 23-year career.

His brief Brewers’ tenure wasn’t very eventful, but as a Brave, Aaron led the league and the majors in several categories several times. Hammerin’ Hank smashed 40+ home runs 8 different times (hit 30+ home runs 15 times) hitting as many as 47 in a single-season and hitting for a .300+ batting average a whopping 14 times topping out at .355.

Aaron retired with 755 home runs, a .305 batting average, and a 143.1 WAR value. He won three Gold Gloves, one MVP award, two batting titles, and was selected to an MLB record of 25 All-Star games (from 1959 through 1962, the MLB featured two All-Star games a season). Among his most important accomplishments besides the home run record was leading the Milwaukee Braves to consecutive World Series matchups in 1957 and 1958 winning the one in 1957.