Who are the longest-tenured Atlanta Braves players?

The Braves have had plenty of success over the past six seasons, and one reason why is their ability to retain core players. However, it's only natural that with roster turnover, the fewer and fewer Braves remain from rosters over half a decade ago.

But which Braves have managed to stick around the longest? While some players are obvious, there are certainly a few surprises. These are the six longest-tenured active Braves (as of December 15, 2023).

Honorable Mention: Charlie Morton (2008; 2021-Present)

Before we look at the longest-tenured active Braves, I think we should call out an honorable mention. After all, Charlie Morton was a Brave when the team was still wearing the red-billed cap on the road.

Drafted by the Braves in 2002, the righty made his way through the minor league system and made his MLB debut in 2008.

Morton pitched 74.1 innings for the Braves that year with little success. This is where Morton's initial Braves journey came to a close. In 2009, he started with the Gwinnett Braves before being traded to the Pirates that June for Nate McLouth.

But, after stints with the Pirates, Phillies, Astros, and Rays (the latter two being his most successful), Uncle Charlie rejoined the Braves in 2021 and has pitched for the team ever since.

Despite being the only active member of the Braves (Jesse Chavez, please come back) to play a home game at Turner Field, Morton isn't on this list because of his two separate stints.

6. Huascar Ynoa | Braves debut: June 16, 2019

It seems impossible that a guy who's 25 and only has 122.1 career innings could possibly be one of the longest tenured Braves, but thanks to the trades of Michael Soroka and Kyle Wright, Ynoa finds himself the sixth-longest tenured Brave currently in the organization.

Ynoa debuted on June 16, 2019 against the Phillies. He'd find himself on the Gwinnett shuttle several times that season, being recalled four times, but would only appear in two games.

His notable moment with the team came in 2021, when he hit a grand slam against the Nationals. It was his second homer in as many starts.

Braves fans would be forgiven for forgetting he was still on the team, however. Since 2022, he's only pitched in two games. He struggled with the Stripers in 2022 and then missed 2023 recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

5. Austin Riley | Braves debut: May 15, 2019

Young Thick, Austin Riley is the Braves fifth-longest tenured player. The slugging 3B has been a core member of the team for three seasons, but it took him a minute to get to that point.

After an Ender Inciarte injury, the Braves turned to Riley to fill the outfield hole. The then rookie got off to a hot start, hitting seven bombs in his first month with a 1.143 OPS, but pitchers quickly figured him out.

Riley ended his rookie season with an 85 wRC+ and 0.1 fWAR. He had a similar 2020, with a 88 wRC+ and a 0.0 fWAR.

Then he broke out. Since 2021, his lowest fWAR season was his 2021, when he finished with 4.8. He's become a perennial star, anchoring 3B for the long future. In 2022, he signed the biggest contract in Braves history.

4. Ronald Acuña Jr. | Braves debut: April 25, 2018

There are not enough words to describe just how great Ronald has been since making his debut. When he made his debut in 2018, he was a highly-ranked prospect with sky-high expectations.

In 2023, it's hard to say he's been anything but a success. This season he won his first MVP and had MLB's first 40/70 season (in addition to the first 40/60, 40/50, 30/70, and 30/60).

Instead of waxing poetic about his performance in his six-season career, I'm just going to share my favorite highlights.

His 2018 NLDS grand slam

Ronnie joins the 30/30 club in 2019

Ronald hits a 495-foot bomb in 2020

Ronnie scores on a sac fly to the 2B in 2021

Ronnie falls on a homer in 2022

Ronnie gets his 40/70 his 2023

A.J. Minter | Braves debut: August 23, 2018

Do you remember beardless Minter? In 2017, A.J. Minter rocketed his way through the minors. He started with the High-A Florida Fire Frogs and had stints in Rome (due to rehabing a minor injury), Mississippi, and Gwinnett before making it to the majors in August.

Although he's had some rocky seasons (see his 2019), he has been one of the team's best relievers. He's been worth 7.1 fWAR since his debut, and has been among the Braves high leverage relief corps every playoff series since 2020.

His most impressive moment, however, came as a starter. With a short rotation, Brian Snitker turned to the lefty in Game 5 of the 2020 NLCS.

In his only start to date, Minter went three innings and struck out seven of the 10 batters he faced. I wish his electric start had a better outcome.

2. Max Fried | Braves debut: August 8, 2017

A few weeks before A.J. Minter made his Braves debut, and just a week after the longest-tenured current Brave made his debut, Max Fried took the mound for Atlanta. He would enter in relief of Luke Jackson and pitch two scoreless innings.

The Braves would use Fried as a swingman over the next two seasons before fully entrusting him in starting rotation in 2019. After a Michael Soroka injury in 2020, Fried fully took the reigns as the de facto ace and hasn't let go of them, albeit in the 2023 season when he dealt with injury.

In his seven seasons with the club, Fried has been worth 15.7 fWAR and has a 3.03 career ERA. He's also the final pitcher to win a Silver Slugger, which he took home in 2021.