The Atlanta Braves have had many players that have made significant impacts on the franchise. These players have come from every century that the Braves have been around.
The Atlanta Braves are one of the only teams to have fielded a team since the start of professional baseball. They started out as the Boston Red Stockings in the 1870s and then changed their name in 1912 to the Boston Braves. In the spring of 1953 moved to Milwaukee and became the Milwaukee Braves. After playing in Milwaukee for 13 years, the Braves moved to Atlanta where they currently play now.
The Braves have seen a lot of players come and go in their 153 years of existence in the sport of Major Leauge Baseball. Let's take a look at some of those players that were able to get their numbers retired and will always be in Braves history.
Full list of Atlanta Braves retired numbers -- and when they were retired
Warren Spahn, LHP: No. 21, Number retired: Dec. 11, 1965
Warren Spahn joined the Braves where they were the Boston Braves in 1942 but then had three years of this career interrupted because of World War II when Spahn went into the service.
Spahn then rejoined the Boston Braves in 1946 where he started to really show what type of player he was. Throughout his whole career, Spahn was able to get 363 wins, which is the most recorded by a left-handed pitcher in Major League History.
Spahn was able to help the Boston Braves get to the World Series in 1948 and then again in 1957 when the Braves were the Milwaukee Braves where they won it all. Spahn was also a 14-time All-star and set a National League record for having 20 wins in 13 different seasons.
During Spahn's 20 years with the Braves, he was able to record 5,046 innings pitched, with an ERA of 3.05, 356 wins, 28 saves, and a WHIP of 1.189 while throwing 63 shutout games. Spahn is the first player to have his number retired in franchise history and is the only player to have his number retired without ever playing for the Braves in Atlanta.
Eddie Mathews, 3B: No. 41, Number retired: July 26, 1969
Eddie Mathews is the only player to be on every Braves team that there was, all the way from Boston to Atlanta. There were two times that Mathews finished second in the MVP voting for the National League, 1953 and 1959.
Mathews joined the Braves when they were in Boston in 1952. Even though Mathews had 115 strikeouts that year, he went on to show what type of player he was. Mathews was able to hit 493 home runs between 1952 and 1966 with the Braves and was able to become a nine-time All-star.
During Mathews' 15 years with the Braves, he was able to produce 2,201 hits, 493 home runs, 1,388 runs batted in, and a batting average of .273 with an on-base percentage of .379 and a slugging
percentage of .517.
Hank Aaron, OF: No. 44, Number retired: April 15, 1977
Hank Aaron started his career with the Braves in 1954 where he ended up finishing fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Aaron was also able to become the NL MVP in 1957 as he helped the Braves win the World Series championship.
Aaron became an All-Star 21 times, 20 of them being with the Braves. On April 8, 1974, Aaron did the unthinkable and went on to break Babe Ruth's home run record when he hit his 715th homerun. Hank Aaron was able to keep building on those home runs and ended with 755 home runs in his career, a record which he held until Barry Bonds broke it in 2007.
During Aaron's 21-year span with the Braves, he was able to produce 3,600 hits, 733 home runs, 2,202 runs batted in, a batting average of .310, an on-base percentage of .377, and a slugging percentage of .567. Hank Aaron still holds the MLB records for RBIs (2,297) and total bases (6,856).
Phil Niekro, RHP: No. 35, Number retired: Aug. 8, 1984
Phil Niekro started with the Braves when they were in Milwaukee in 1964 and was known for his knuckleball that would keep getting batters swinging and missing. In his first season, Niekro only played in ten games and ended that year with an ERA of 4.80 with 15 hits and eight strikeouts.
Niekro was able to find his rhythm playing for the Braves from 1964 until 1983 where he was able to gather up 268 wins. Niekro then came back to the Braves in 1987 to play one more game as a Brave and then officially retire with the team.
During Niekro's 21-year career with the Braves, he was able to be rewarded with five All-Stars and five Gold Glove awards. Niekro's also collected 268 wins, 29 saves, an ERA of 3.20, 2,912 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.229.
Dale Murphy, OF: No. 3, Number retired: June 13, 1994
Dale Murphy was selected by the Braves in the 1974 draft with the fifth overall pick. Murphey was playing as a catcher until the Braves Manager Bobby Cox moved Murphy into the outfield, which changed his whole career.
While playing with the Braves, Murphy won back-to-back MVP awards in the 1982 and 1983 seasons. Murphy also appeared in seven All-Star games. Murphy was able to average just below 30 home runs and 90 RBIs between 1980 and 1990. Murphy also won five straight gold gloves from 1982 until 1986.
Murphy spent 15 years with the Braves and was able to rack up 1,901 hits, 1,103 runs, 371 home runs, 1,143 RBIs, a batting average of .268, an on-base percentage of .351 and a slugging percentage of .478. Murphy holds 13 Atlanta franchise records including home runs, RBIs, hits, runs and games.
Greg Maddux, RHP: No. 31, Number retired: July 17, 2009
Greg Maddux was picked up in 1993 when he was a free agent from the Chicago Cubs. Maddux was nicknamed "The Professor" because of how impressive his baseball IQ was. After Maddux signed with the Braves, he continued to show that he was someone special to have on the team, winning three more CY Young awards three years in a row.
Maddux also led in the category of ERA in the National League four times in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1998. Wins were also another category that Maddux led the National League in 1994 and 1995. In the 1994 season, Maddux was able to post a franchise record of 1.56 ERA, which ranked second lowest in the Major Leagues right behind Bob Gibson's mark of 1.12 ERA that was posted in 1968.
In the 11 years that Maddux was with the Braves, he was able to post 194 wins, a 2.63 ERA, and 61 complete games with 21 shutout wins. Maddux pitched 2,526.2 innings recording 1,828 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.051. Greg Maddux was able to claim ten Gold Gloves with the Braves along with six All-Star appearances.
Tom Glavine, LHP: No. 47, Number retired: Aug. 7, 2010
Tom Glavine is always going to be known for his 1-0 victory in Game 6 of the 1995 World Series. Glavine limited the Cleveland Indians to only one hit in eight scoreless innings, which helped the Braves earn their third World Series title. Glavine played for the Braves from 1987 until 2002, and then again in 2008.
Glavine was able to achieve 244 wins while playing for the Braves. The first Cy Young Award that Glavine received was after the season in 1991 when the Braves went from the worst team in 1990 to first place in 1991. Glavine had five 20-win seasons during his time with the Braves.
During the 17 years with the Braves, Glavine recorded 244 wins, 3.41 ERA, 52 complete games, 22 shutout wins. Glavine also recorded 3,408 innings pitched, with 2,091 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.296.
Bobby Cox, MGR: No. 6, Number retired: Aug. 12, 2011
Former owner Ted Turner fired Bobby Cox after the 1981 season, expressing that he desired someone with similar qualities to fill the role. Following a successful period as a manager in Toronto, Cox returned to Atlanta four years later to assume the position of general manager. He played a crucial role in revitalizing the organization by implementing significant changes to the farm system, particularly through the recruitment of talented pitching prospects.
Cox's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 was a direct result of the remarkable accomplishments he achieved during his tenure as Atlanta's manager from 1991 to 2010. Under his guidance, the Braves experienced tremendous success, winning 14 consecutive division titles (excluding the 1994 strike year) from 1991 to 2005. In addition, they secured a World Series victory, clinched five NL pennants, and made 15 postseason appearances.
John Smoltz, RHP: No. 29, Number retired: June 8, 2012
John Smoltz, an exceptional pitcher in playoff history, was the sole player to remain on the Braves' roster for their impressive streak of 14 consecutive division titles. He made a notable entrance onto the baseball scene during his unforgettable duel against Jack Morris in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. Smoltz concluded his career with the second-highest number of postseason victories (15) in MLB history.
Following his return from Tommy John surgery in 2001, the right-handed pitcher immediately proved himself as a top-notch closer, establishing a National League record with 55 saves in 2002. After successfully transitioning back to Atlanta's rotation in 2005, this fiercely competitive pitcher earned two of his eight All-Star selections. Smoltz retired with the unique distinction of being the only pitcher to achieve both 200 wins and 150 saves in his career.
Chipper Jones, 3B: No. 10, Number retired: June 28, 2013
In 2018, Chipper Jones was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, thereby joining Ken Griffey Jr. as the sole player to have received this prestigious accolade after being selected with the top overall pick in the MLB Draft. The Atlanta Braves had chosen the slender prep shortstop in 1990, and over the ensuing two decades, they witnessed his ascent to become one of the most recognizable legends of the game.
Jones amassed 468 career home runs and retired as one of only two switch-hitters in baseball history to have a .300 career batting average from both the right and left sides of the plate. The eight-time All-Star was awarded the 1999 NL MVP Award and secured his sole career batting title in 2008 when he hit .364 at the age of 36. Significantly, his number was the 10th to be retired by the organization, a fitting tribute to his remarkable achievements.