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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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About The Atlanta Braves
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 finished 2008 with problems on the mound and a record of 72-90, which was good for fourth place in the ultra competitive NL East. The Braves gave fans at Turner Field plenty of offense but could not keep the other team off the base path and suffered its third consecutive season struggling.
Most of the efficient offensive beast is back. Chipper Jones hopes he can have a season that resembles last season before the injury. Brian McCann is still one of the very best young catchers and he will have a host of good contact hitters to drive in. Kelly Jonson, Yunel Escobar, and Jeff Francoeur are not going to lead the league in hitting, but the Braves will have runners on base.
Atlanta baseball fans are still not accustomed to having a struggling team, so it is very difficult for them to accept that the starting rotation is far from the best in the league. The signing of Derek Lowe will help provide some veteran leadership. Javier Vazquez, acquired in a trade, is the picture of inconsistency, but when he is on he is a power pitcher few relish facing.
The youth is on the way with Jair Jurrjens. Meanwhile Japanese import Kenshin Kawakami will be the latest to try to rule the best batters in the world. Jorge Campillo is a de facto fifth starter who will probably end up replaced at some point in time in the season, perhaps giving one of the young starters that had a bitter taste of the majors last season another shot. Of course there is also a chance that Tim Hudson will make it back earlier than expected and give the rotation a boost.
Like it or not Mike Gonzalez is projected to be the closer. He had some good showings for the Braves in the last couple seasons and could solidify the closer spot after it wavered between him and several other players in 2008. The Braves have the pieces to compete, though there are plenty of holes.
