Atlanta Braves all-time starting rotation by WAR
This was not exactly the expected list for the Braves, but the numbers are the numbers
When fans of the Atlanta Braves think about the history of the team, the sheer number of all-time greats is pretty staggering on both sides of the ball. Guys like Hank, Murph, Chipper, and Mathews all are among the best to ever play the game and that is just on the offensive side of the ball. Then there is the pitching. Wow, was there a ton of great pitching.
No one has to think all that hard about Braves pitching legends because they need only start with the rotation that the Braves ran out during the 1990's with Maddux, Smoltz, and Glavine leading the way. However, a closer look at the actual numbers reveals some pretty fascinating stuff.
Here is the Atlanta Braves all-time starting rotation by WAR
To be clear, this is not a subjective list. This rotation is based purely on the top 5 starting pitchers by WAR in a Braves uniform. Players do not get credit for their work for other teams here. Also, pitchers had to start at least 60% of the games they played and Baseball-Reference's WAR calculation is the metric used mainly because their database is really easy to search for this sort of thing.
Before anyone writes any angry emails, you will not find Tom Glavine on this list as he came in sixth with 58.6 rWAR. This is not a commentary on Glavine as an all-time great and frankly, most fans' personal lists would have him on their list. However, 15.3 rWAR of his career was accumulated with the Mets and it doesn't count towards his total. If you want to be mad, blame the Braves' front office for those ill-fated contract negotiations before the 2003 season.
Anyways, enough of the rules and explanation. Here is the Braves' all-time starting rotation by WAR
5. Greg Maddux - 66.2 WAR
Greg Maddux being on the list is hardly surprising. What is more surprising is that he is only #5. In 11 seasons with the Braves, Maddux posted a 2.63 ERA and 2.95 FIP while walking just 1.4 batters per nine innings pitched which is absurd. He won three straight Cy Young Awards (four if you include his hardware from the Cubs), finished in the top 5 an additional four times, and was a perennial All-Star and Gold Glover.
For many, Maddux would be on all of baseball's Mount Rushmore of pitching and he has a strong argument for it. However, he "only" accumulated 66.2 of his 106.6 RWAR with Atlanta as he spent nine-plus seasons with the Cubs along with a handful of seasons with the Dodgers and Padres as well. Fortunately, he was so awesome with the Braves that he was still able to put up enough production to make it on the list comfortably in fifth place.
4. John Smoltz - 66.9 WAR
Coming in at #4 on the Braves' all-time starting rotation is John Smoltz. Part of the Braves' Big Three throughout the Braves' epic run in the 90's and early 2000's. In 3395 innings with the Braves from 1988 to 2008, he struck out 3011 batters and posted a 3.26 ERA which is crazy when you consider how long he played. His finest season came in 1996 where he won his only Cy Young with a 2.94 ERA and 2.64 FIP with 24 wins on his ledger.
Smoltz probably couldn't have gotten higher up on this list simply because of the gap between third and fourth, but he absolutely could have added significantly to his WAR total if arm trouble didn't push Smoltz to the bullpen from 2001-2004. However, Smoltzy was still fantastic as a reliever with 7.4 rWAR and 154 saves in 246 appearances during that span. He would eventually return to the Braves' rotation, but Smoltz would leave before the 2009 season to sign with the Red Sox.
3. Phil Niekro - 89.6 WAR
The battle for spots 2 and 3 was close, but Phil Niekro takes home the bronze with 89.6 rWAR with the Braves. Niekro's name is mentioned often as one of the greats to be sure and he is fondly remembered as the best knuckleballer of all time, but folks don't appreciate just how good Knucksie really was. From 1964 to 1983, Niekro threw 4619.1 innings with the Braves and posted a 3.20 ERA and 3.45 FIP with a staggering 226 complete games along the way. Niekro wasn't ever able to win a Cy Young, but he did finish in the top six a total of five times.
Funnily enough, Niekro would have come in second on this list if he had played his entire career with the Braves, but his 7.6 rWAR from 1984-1986 came with Cleveland and New York. However, if that was how this list worked, then Maddux would have been much higher and Spahn (spoilers) would have added some production as well, so it sort of all worked out in the end.
2. Warren Spahn - 91.8 WAR
In the number 2 spot in the Braves' all-time starting rotation is Warren Spahn who put up 91.8 rWAR from 1942 to 1964. Spahn's 356 wins with the Braves is the most in franchise history. In over 5,000 innings, Spahn posted a 3.05 ERA and 3.43 FIP. Spahn wasn't known for his ability to strike out batters, but the longevity of his career still allowed him to strike out 2493 batters with the Braves to put him third all-time on the Braves' rankings there.
There is no way to know for sure, but it does seem likely that Spahn would have added to his totals significantly and even challenged some league-wide all-time records had World War II not broken out during the early portion of his career. Spahn would enlist like many players and missed three full seasons while serving with distinction in the US Army. Before returning to the Braves, Spahn would be awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his time in the war and credited his time in the military for preparing him to be a successful player afterward.
1. Kid Nichols - 107.4 WAR
A lot of Braves fans are probably not familiar with the top player on this list, but that is largely due to how long ago he played. Kid Nichols pitched for the Braves from 1890 to 1901 and put up some video game end boss numbers during that time. In his 502 starts for the Braves, he threw 476 complete games with a 3.00 ERA and 3.59 FIP. Nichols was an absolute workhorse for the Braves during his career with seven seasons with 30+ wins and 11 seasons with north of 300 innings pitched.
Nichols was great and is a worthy addition to the Braves' all-time starting rotation, but his case does highlight a fundamental problem with comparing WAR across eras. The game has baseball has changed so much over time and the era Nichols played in allowed him to pitch entire games on the regular against hitters who were largely not remotely comparable to who the other guys on this list had to go against. In the end, context does matter, but Nichols does deserve some more love for his Hall of Fame career nonetheless.
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