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The Atlanta Braves long history takes the club back to 1871 through three cities and eight name changes.
Originally from Boston, the club took on six names (the Red Stockings, Red Caps, Beaneaters, Doves, Rustlers, and Bees) before sticking with the Braves in 1941. The club statred strong as the Red Stockings, winning first place in the National Association four times in five years.
With each name change the club became worse and worse. The team won two National League titles in seven years as the Red Caps, six titles in 24 years as the Beaneaters, no titles in four years as the Doves, an eighth place finish in a single season as the Rustlers, one World Series in 24 seasons as the Boston Braves, no championships in five seasons as the Bees, and one National League pennant as the Boston Braves for 12 seasons.
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The team moved to Milwaukee looking to change its luck and had a run of success from 1954 to 1960, when the club won two pennants, one World Series, and several second-place finishes. The most notable thing about the move to Milwaukee was the development of Henry “Hank” Aaron. Aaron paired with Eddie Matthews to create one of the most feared slugger duos in history. The two hit a combined 1,226 home runs as Braves’ teammates.
Aaron played with consistency, hitting 30 or more home runs in 15 seasons on way to his then record 755 home runs. The 21-time All Star followed the Braves from Milwaukee to Atlanta and played for the club as it played competitively until Ted Turner’s purchase of the team in 1977.
Other than a surprising 1982 season in which the Braves finished first in the NL West, the Braves struggled until finish anything but last in their division until the ‘90s.
The Braves became the “Team of the ‘90s” on the strength of its pitching. The club produced six Cy Young Awards in the decade with John Smoltz (1996), Tom Glavine (1991 and 1998), and Greg Maddux (1993,1994, and 1995). The Braves won the NL East in every season but 1994, winning the pennant four times and the World Series in 1995.
The Braves also had a talented offense that featured premier hitters like David Justice, Chipper Jones, and Andruw Jones. The Braves continued the domination of the NL East until 2005, winning the division a total of 14 times in 15 years, all with Bobby Cox as manager.
The Atlanta Braves appear to be near the end of a tremendously successful era that spans almost 20 years. This last season the team lost General Manager John Schuerholz and outfielder Andruw Jones. Bobby Cox is managing for his 19th straight season and the rest of the Braves’ stars are starting to show their age. This may be the last year the Braves make a push for the pennant before they openly begin rebuilding.
The pitching staff is still strong, as always. John Smoltz and Tom Glavine are still pitching well, despite being in the league for over a decade. The two were noth in the top five for quality starts last season. The third head of the starting rotation is Tim Hudson. He finished last season fifth in wins and fourth in quality starts. The remaining two spots in the rotation will be a question mark. Mike Hampton has not pitched in two years and Chuck James appears to be just a body to have in the fifth spot. The bullpen will be handed over to Rafael Soriano this season, as he tries to establish himself as the Braves’ full time closer. Peter Moylan and Tyler Yates will setup the powerful pitcher, with Moylan being the obvious choice in close calls.
The batting depends on Mark Teixeira at first base and Chipper Jones at third to supply the power at the 3-4 spots in the lineup. Catcher Brian McCann hopes to return to 2006 form when his batting average was 63 points higher and his slugging percentage was .960 and not the .772 from last season. Second baseman Kelly Johnson and shortstop Yunel Escobar are solid hitting infielders who hope to get on base often for the big bats in the lineup.
This season and its 162-game schedule might be the finale to a run of seasons that resulted in 13 straight National League East division championships from 1991-2004. The team has remained competitive at Turner Field in all those years, despite missing the playoffs in the last two seasons. The team in that time has produced several notable players, but none as notable as Hank Aaron from well before the successful run in the 1990s. Aaron has the second most home runs in history and the most RBIs. He leads the Braves in home runs, RBIs, runs, and hits.
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