Tommy Bond arrived in Boston in 1877 after a disagreement with his former Manager with the Hartford Dark Blues and the then-named Red Stockings would quickly love having the Irish-born Pitcher on the team.  Bond was a huge force on the mound where the sidearmer was arguably the best Pitcher in the National League from 1877 to 1879.  In that timeframe, which was basically the infancy of baseball, Bond won 40 Games each year, the first two of which were league-leading. He would also win the ERA Title twice, the Strikeout title twice, and was also first in WHIP twice.  1877 would see Bond win the Pitcher’s Triple Crown, making him the first to do so in the National League.  Bond tailed off quickly after his arm got weak but for the franchise he would win 149 Games.

From Curacao, Andruw Jones made his debut with the Braves at age 19, and it was clear from the beginning that this was a star in the making.  Jones would have his first 30-HR season in 1998, and from 2000 to 2003, he would hit that mark with three 100-RBI seasons and a .300 season in 2000, which was surprisingly the only one he ever had.  Jones would add to his already prolific power numbers in the 2005 season, where he had a league-leading (and career-high) 51 Home Runs and was also the champion in Runs Batted In with 128. For his efforts, he was the runner-up for the National League MVP.  His overall power totals for the Braves would be an impressive 368 Home Runs, 1,117 RBIs, with a .497 Slugging Percentage.

No conversation about Andruw Jones can take place without discussing his incredible defensive abilities.  Jones would win the Gold Glove every season from 1998 to 2007 (all with Atlanta), and he had six straight years where he would finish first in Total Zone Runs (1997 to 2002).  As a Brave, he was the NL leader in Defensive bWAR, and in six other seasons, he was in the top ten. 

Had Jones had a better Batting Average and OBP (.263 and .342 are decent but not spectacular), he would be higher on this list.  The Braves chose Jones for their Hall of Fame in 2016.  Ten years later, Jones received the call from Cooperstown.

Dale Murphy was the offensive star of the Atlanta Braves through the 1980s and was also one of the top power hitters of the game.  Murphy was named the National League MVP in back-to-back seasons (1982 & 1983), and he would finish atop the NL leaderboard in Runs Batted In while also being named an All-Star, a Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove winner.  The next two seasons were almost as good as he was. While he was not the MVP, he would repeat the All-Star/Silver Slugger/Gold Glove trifecta and would win the Home Run Title in both of those years.  The seven-time All-Star would have six 30 Home Run seasons with 371 in total for Atlanta, along with 1,143 Runs Batted In.  He was also the National League leader in OPS in 1983 and would finish second in the following three seasons.

While the Atlanta Braves of the 1990s and early 2000’ will always (and should be) known primarily for the elite starting pitching, Chipper Jones had the perfect path to greatness from the number one draft pick in 1990 to first ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 2018.

Jones was an Atlanta Brave during his entire career, winning the World Series in his rookie season (1995).  The loaded organization was expected to win more championships, and though they did not, it wasn’t for lack of effort from the Third Baseman, who proved to be one of the most consistent players in the game for years.  Jones would belt 468 Home Runs over his career with five 30-Home Run seasons and nine 100-RBI seasons with 1,623 in total.  He also hit for average, winning the Batting Title in 2008 with a .364 average, with nine .300 seasons and a career Slash Line of .303/.401/.529 with 2,726 Hits.

Along with that consistency, the eight-time All-Star finished six times in the top ten in National League MVP voting.  This included winning the coveted award in 1999. 

Without question, Chipper Jones is the best position player the Braves have had in the past thirty years.  Atlanta retired his number 10 in 2013 and inducted him into their franchise Hall of Fame the same year.