7 former Braves players that are about to have a chance to get a World Series ring
There are several Braves alumni on track to add a World Series title to their resumes.
The 2023 World Series matchup is now set and unfortunately for the Atlanta Braves, they are not participants this go-around. Braves fans looking for a silver lining should be heartened by the fact that the Phillies suffered a crushing series loss to the Diamondbacks last night in the NLCS. If the Braves aren't going to be happy, at least neither is Philly.
However, just because Atlanta couldn't quite get the job done in 2023 doesn't mean that they won't be well represented in the World Series this year. In fact, both the Rangers and the Diamondbacks have several former Braves players that would be in line to get World Series rings should they win the Fall Classic this year.
Here are 7 former Braves players that could get World Series rings this year
The way this works is fairly straightforward. To be eligible for the list, a player had to both be a member of the Braves organization at some point in their career (prospects are fine) and also had to have been on the big league rosters of either the Texas Rangers or the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023. Not all of these players will get rings obviously since there is just one winner or even play in the World Series at all several cases, but all of these guys have shots at being able to add "2023 World Series Champion" to their list of career accomplishments.
Let's take a look at the former Braves that could get World Series rings in 2023.
Jake Odorizzi
Jake Odorizzi's time with the Braves was pretty underwhelming as he posted a 5.24 ERA in 10 starts after the Braves acquired him in a trade for Will Smith (more on him in a bit). The Braves clearly weren't fans of what they saw out of him and quickly shipped him out of town to the Rangers after the season in the deal that brought Kolby Allard back to Atlanta. Shoulder surgery kept him off the field for the entire 2023 season for Texas, but he is still technically in line to get a ring.
Robbie Grossman
Another 2022 Braves alum on the list is outfield Robbie Grossman who slashed .217/306/.370 as a part-time player with Atlanta. While he did have some big hits for the Braves and his switch-hitting gave the team some options late in games, his overall production with Atlanta was decidedly lacking. Grossman would end up catching on with Rangers this year, posted a .734 OPS in 2023, and is very likely to be on Texas' World Series roster.
Taylor Hearn
This is a fun one because Hearn actually started his season with the Rangers in 2023 before the Braves traded for him in late July. His time in Atlanta, however, was exceedingly short as he made just a single terrible appearance out of the bullpen before getting traded away to Kansas City for Nicky Lopez just a few days later. Altogether, Hearn made a total of 13 appearances in the big leagues in 2023 for three different teams, but he would still be in line to call himself a World Series champ if Texas handles their business.
Will Smith
Ah, Will Smith....the human heart attack himself. While his time as the Braves' closer from 2020 to 2022 was often frought with a lot of anxious moments, he performed reasonably well overall especially when you factor in his performance during the Braves' 2021 World Series run. After the aforementioned Odorizzi trade that sent him to Houston, he signed a one year deal with the Rangers for this season and posted a very Will Smith-esque 4.40 ERA in 60 appearances for Texas in 2023. At least he isn't used in high leverage situations anymore.
Nick Ahmed
Turning our attention to the Diamondbacks, Nick Ahmed is a bit of a Braves throwback. The slick fielding and speedy infielder was the Braves' second round pick in the 2011 draft and was in the Braves' farm system until he was sent to Arizona in the Justin Upton deal. Ahmed stayed with the Diamondbacks since the trade and struggled to stay healthy and produce at the plate, although he did win back-to-back Gold Gloves in 2018 and 2019. While he did make over 200 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks this season, he was released by Arizona at the beginning of September to make way for Jordan Lawlar's promotion. At least he would still be in line for a ring if Arizona wins it all.
Jace Peterson
Another Braves throwback, Jace Peterson came to the Braves via the other Justin Upton trade with the Padres this time. Jace would go on to be a familiar face during the Braves' rebuild as he slashed .240/.326/.342 in 356 games with the Braves from 2015-2017. Somewhat surprisingly, Jace has gone on to long career as a bit of a journeyman in the league and he landed with the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline in 2023 to less than great results with them.
Mark Melancon
Finally, another former Braves closer makes the list in Mark Melancon. Melancon came to the Braves in 2019 at the trade deadline as his career was beginning to wind down. However, he performed admirably in those 1.5 seasons including a 2.78 ERA in 23 appearances during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Melancon would play for the Padres in 2021 before signing a two year deal with Arizona before the 2022 season. Sadly for Mark, he missed all of the 2023 season on the IL while dealing with shoulder issues and won't get the chance to play in the World Series this year.
More Braves News from House That Hank Built
manual