My All-Random Braves Team: What's yours?

Whether you are on a long road trip or just hanging out talking sports with your buddies, the likelihood of going down the rabbit hole of shouting out random players is high. Doing this recently, I have decided to make a list and wonder if Braves fans out there agree or if they have better answers I am missing. For each position I have an honorable mention, then my pick.

There are many ways to interpret "random" in this context but my context is simple, these players either spent a short amount of time with the Braves, were not relevant in their time with Atlanta, or if some forget they ever donned a Braves jersey because of their success elsewhere. Without further ado, let's get started.

Note: A lot on this list will be from the 2015-2017 time frame as it seemed every position for the Braves was a revolving door.

Starting Pitcher:

Honorable Mention: Kenshin Kawakami. Kawakami only spent two seasons in the bigs, both with the Atlanta Braves in 2009 and 2010. In his short career, he went 6-16 with an ERA of 4.32. 2010 was an absolute nightmare where he was 1-10 with a 5.15 ERA.

My Pick: Jaime Garcia. Garcia only pitched in 18 games for the Braves during the 2017 season. He went 4-7 with a 4.30 ERA. Jaime's most memorable moment as a Brave was when he blasted a grand slam off of former Brave Alex wood on a 0-2 count with 2 outs at Dodger Stadium.

Catcher:

Honorable Mention: Gerald Laird. Laird played exactly 100 games for the Braves in the seasons of 2013 and 2014. He hit .238 with 1 HR and 23 RBIs.

My Pick: Jarrod Saltalamacchia. A switch-hitting catcher that looked promising to many in the year of 2007 only spent 47 games in a Braves uniform hitting .284 with 4 HR and 12 RBIs.

First Base:

Honorable Mention: Troy Glaus. Glaus is most known for his time with the Angels from 1998-2004 where he was a 3X all-star and led the MLB in home runs in the 2000 season (47). He played 128 games for Atlanta in 2010, hitting .240 with 16 HR and 71 RBIs.

My Pick: Derek Lee. Lee also came over to the Braves in 2010, but much later in the season when he was dealt from the Cubs at the trade deadline in exchange for three minor-league pitchers. He only appeared in 39 games for the Braves that year hitting .287 with 3 HR and 24 RBIs in that stretch.

Second Base:

Honorable Mention: Robison Cano. Robinson Cano joined the Braves in the 2022 season and hit .154 with 0 HR and 0 RBIs in only 9 games.

My Pick: Gordon Beckham. Beckham spent 85 games of the 2016 season with the Atlanta Braves and hit .217 with 5 HR and 30 RBIs.

Third Base:

Honorable Mention: Juan Uribe. Uribe in 2015 played 46 games at the hot corner for Atlanta posting a .285 batting average to go along with 7 HR and 17 RBIs.

My Pick: Hector Olivera. At the ages of 30 and 31, Olivera played 30 games for the Braves across two seasons before being arrested on a misdemeanor domestic assault charge in 2016. During that 30-game stretch, he hit .245 with 2 HR and 13 RBIs.

Shortstop:

Honorable Mention: Erik Aybar. Like many on this list, Aybar came to Atlanta in the 2016 season in the midst of a rebuild. In 97 games, he hit .242 with 2 HR and 26 RBIs. Aybar was acquired in the trade that sent Andrelton Simmons to the Angels. Sean Newcomb was also acquired by Atlanta in that trade.

My Pick: Tyler Pastornicky. Pastornicky was only in the MLB for 3 seasons and spent all of them with the Braves. From 2012-2014, he hit .243 with 3 HR and 20 RBIs appearing in 124 games.

Left Field:

Honorable Mention: Ryan Langerhans. Langerhans spent more time with the Braves than most on this list, but this is just a name I never hear. He spent 5 seasons with Atlanta and hit .243 with 15 HR and 71 RBIs in 296 games.

My Pick: Matt Kemp. "Beast mode" as he was known with the Dodgers, Kemp played 171 games with Atlanta in 2016-2017. While the team was not having much success at the time, Kemp actually played very well for the Braves, hitting .278 with 31 HR and 103 RBIs.

Center Field:

Honorable Mention: Michael Bourn. Bourn actually had two stints with the Braves. One in 2011-2012 where he was an all-star during the 2012 campaign and 2015. Across these three seasons with Atlanta, he hit .267 with 10 HR with 86 RBIs in 254 games while also swiping 68 bags.

My Pick: Cameron Maybin. The Braves are one of seven teams that Maybin only spent one season with. During the 2015 season with Atlanta, he hit .267 with 10 HR and 59 RBIs in 141 games.

Right Field:

Honorable Mention: Raul Mondesi. Mondesi ended his 13-year MLB career in 2005 with the Braves where he hit .211 with 4 HR and 17 RBIs in 41 games.

My Pick: J.D. Drew. Drew was traded to the Braves prior to the 2004 season for Jason Marquis, Ray King, and Adam Wainwright. Although Drew put on a great offensive performance hitting .305 with 31 HR and 93 RBIs in 145 games, that was his only season with Atlanta. Seeing how Adam Wainwright's career turned out, many Braves fans still don't like to talk about this one.

Closing Pitcher:

Honorable Mention: Billy Wagner. Many people forget that the left-handed closer with 422 career saves spent the 2010 season with the Atlanta Braves and was an all-star while posting a 7-2 record to go along with a 1.43 ERA and racking up 37 saves.

My Pick: Jason Grilli. Grilli spent 2 seasons with the Braves as he took on the closer role in the years 2015 and 2016. During his time with Atlanta, he went 4-6 with a 3.73 ERA and collected 26 saves.

For some, these names will unlock memories some fans may have forgotten they have. For others, they will have what they feel is a better list. What's your All-Random Braves team?