We go back to the 1800’s for our next selection with John Morrill, who was a competent hitter who had 1,247 Hits for the Beaneaters, but it was his versatility on defense that made him exceptionally valuable.  Morrill played Second Base, Third Base, First Base, Shortstop, and Outfield over his career, and regardless of the position, he did it very well.  Morrill was not a star in his time, but he was one of the first players of note whose incredible value did not always show up on a stat sheet.

Darrell Evans had a very good career that began in Atlanta, where he was named an All-Star in 1973.  Evans arrived as a Rule 5 Pick from the Athletics in 1968, and he would work his way slowly to become the team’s starting Third Baseman.  Evans cemented himself as the starting Third Baseman in 1972, and in the next two seasons, he would lead the National League in Walks while putting up good power numbers.  In his 1973 season, Evans hit 41 Home Runs with 104 Runs Batted In, and it was as a Brave that he posted his best defensive numbers.

Evans later played for the San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers, helping them win the 1984 World Series.  He returned for one final year in Atlanta before he retired in 1990.

A former Golden Spikes Award winner as the nation’s best amateur baseball player, Bob Horner would win the National League Rookie of the Year award in the same calendar year (1978).  The number one draft pick would become known in Atlanta for his power numbers, where he would finish in the top ten in Home Runs six times, including a second-place rank where he went yard 35 times in 1980.  Horner was ninth in MVP voting that year and would later be named an All-Star in 1982.  As a Brave, he would swat 215 Home Runs and was six Hits shy of 1,000.

Sadly, Horner’s career with the Atlanta Braves came to an end when, as a free agent, he had the misfortune of becoming available in the year of collusion, and he would sign in Japan with the Yakult Swallows. 

For what it is worth, while we respect Bob Horner’s ability as a hitter, his rank is affected by his relatively low On Base Percentage (.339) and poor defensive record when he played Third Base.

Felipe Alou is arguably better known in baseball as a manager, having helmed the Montreal Expos for years and been named Manager of the Year in 1994, but he was also a former player who accumulated over 2,000 hits in his career.

Alou came up through the Giants, where he would be named an All-Star in 1962, and he would arrive in Milwaukee as part of a seven-player trade after the 1963 season.  The Outfielder played for the Braves for six years, where he had the best run of his career.  In 1966, he would lead the National League in Hits (218) and Runs Scored (122), both of which were career highs.  He would also set personal bests with 31 Home Runs, a .327 Batting Average, and a .533 Slugging Average, all of which would land him a fifth-place finish in MVP voting.  Alou would again lead the NL in Hits in 1968, this time with 210 Hits and a .317 Batting Average.

Twice an All-Star as a Brave, Alou’s six seasons would see him bat .295 with 989 Hits.