5. Kris Medlen
In 2012, Kris Medlen morphed into the second coming of Greg Maddux. "Med-Dog" opened the season in the bullpen and didn't make his first start that season until July 31, but once he got into the rotation, there wasn't a better starter in baseball.
From his first start until the end of the season, Medlen had a 0.97 ERA in 12 starts, had four straight starts without allowing an earned run, and had two complete games. The Braves won every single start, which helped push them into the first-ever Wild Card game. Medlen got the start, but we don't talk about what happened in that game.
Medlen carried over his success into the following season (albeit not nearly as dominant), finishing with a 3.11 ERA in 31 starts, but was somehow passed over for an All-Star selection.
Unfortunately, this would be the last full season Medlen would ever pitch. In 2014, he left a Spring Training start with a UCL injury that ended his season. He'd get non-tendered by the Braves after the season and signed with the Royals.
He returned to the mound in July 2015 to middling success. In 2016 he struggled in six starts before missing the rest of the year with injury.
Medlen returned to the Braves organization in 2017 but didn't make it back to the big leagues, struggling in the minors. He'd get one last stab in the bigs in 2018 with the Diamondbacks, getting one start, and allowing seven runs over four innings.
For a brief period, he was one of the best starters in the league, but he never stuck around long enough to make an All-Star roster.
6. Eric O'Flaherty
Chris Hammond set the Braves' franchise record for ERA (min. 50 innings) with a 0.95 ERA in 2002. Nine years later, Eric O'Flaherty just narrowly missed that record when he managed a 0.98 ERA in 2011.
O'Flaherty wasn't just an excellent reliever in 2011, either. During his first stint with the Braves, the lefty pitched 231 innings and had a 1.95 ERA during that tenure.
But, as Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel both made All-Star appearances, the first member of the acclaimed O'Ventebrel never got one.
In May 2013, O'Flaherty went down with a UCL injury that ended his season. He signed with the Oakland Athletics in 2014, and had an excellent season after returning from injury in July, finishing the season with a 2.50 ERA in 20 innings.
Unfortunately, this would be the last time he had a successful season. From 2015 until his final season in 2017, O'Flaherty had a 7.60 ERA in 77 innings with the A's, Mets, and Braves.
In his final season, the Braves held onto him just long enough for him to get his 10 years of service time.