As teams across baseball turn their attention to the regular seasons final month, MLB clubs also take a look at their farm systems annually this time of year as rosters begin to expand in September. With this, top prospects are sometimes called-up to help the big league club make a push for the postseason, with some of those names also making their respective MLB debuts in the process.
Looking at the Atlanta Braves in particular however, the club has been no stranger to calling-up some of their top prospects in the months of August and September over the years, which has included a few familiar names. Let's take a look at some of the biggest, starting with a current Hall of Famer.
Chipper Jones, Freddie Freeman among top late season call-ups in Atlanta Braves history
Chipper Jones, Third Baseman
MLB Debut: September 11, 1993
We begin with arguably to most famous late season call-up in Atlanta Braves franchise history, which took place back in 1993 when the organization promoted Jones to make his MLB debut.
Selected No. 1 by Atlanta in the 1990 MLB Draft, Jones would go on to appear in eight games for the Braves to close out the 1993 regular season, going 2-for-3 offensively with a double. Jones also had two runs scored, but did not record an at-bat for the Braves during the 1993 postseason run in which they fell in the NLCS.
Jones, as you likely know, would go on to become one of the greatest players in Braves history, and is now in the Hall of Fame. A few of Jones' additional career accolades include a MVP, an eight-time All-Star selection, 468 HR, and a combined .930 OPS across his 19-year MLB career.
Freddie Freeman, First Baseman
MLB Debut: September 1, 2010
Another significant name that was called-up by Atlanta in September came in 2010 with Freeman, who ended up spending the entire month with the Braves as opposed to a few games.
Atlanta's second round pick in 2007, Freeman was called-up for his MLB debut on September 1 of that year, and went on to appear in 20 games across the remainder of the month for a Braves team that reached the NLDS that season, although he did not see time in the postseason. Over that span, Freeman struggled at times however going 4-for-24 with eight strikeouts, but did hit his first-career HR against the Phillies on September 21 of that year.
Freeman's career in Atlanta went on to last from 2010-21, with some of his Braves honors including a MVP and six All-Star appearances, among others. The first baseman also slashed .295/.384/.509 with 271 HR across those 12 seasons.
Andruw Jones, Outfielder
MLB Debut: August 15, 1996
We conclude with another prominent name in Jones, who did not make his MLB debut in September, but rather was called-up by Atlanta in August of 1996.
Called-up a little earlier in the season than Jones and Freeman, the outfielder went on to appear in 31 games for Atlanta toward the conclusion of the 1996 campaign, slashing .217/.265/.443 with five HR, 13 RBI, and three SB. Jones would also feature on Atlanta's 1996 postseason roster as well, making a prominent impact in their World Series run by going 10-for-29 with three HR and nine RBI.
The outfielder would go on to have a decorated MLB career that included 368 HR and an .839 OPS across his 12 seasons in Atlanta. Jones also finished his career with 10 Gold Gloves and five All-Star appearances, among other honors.