Not only are we comfortable saying that Warren Spahn was the greatest Pitcher in Braves history, but he is also in the top ten all-time and the greatest left-hander ever.

Calling anyone the greatest Braves Pitcher of all time is no small statement considering the legends who took the mound.  A Cy Young winner in 1957 (the inaugural winner), Spahn had a later start: he debuted for the Boston Braves in 1942 but missed the next three years due to military service.  The southpaw would emerge as an All-Star for the Boston Braves, winning 21 Games and the ERA and WHIP titles while also eating the most Innings.  This would become a pattern for the next decade and a half.

21 must have been his favorite number as he would win exactly that amount of Games seven times with two other 20 Win seasons.  Leading the NL in Wins eight times, 356 of his 363 Wins were with the Braves, and whether it was in Boston or Milwaukee (where they moved to in 1953), it could always be counted on that Spahn would win a lot, strikeout his share of batters, and keep his ERA down.  This is also a 17-time All-Star, a three-time ERA leader, and a four-time Strikeout leader.  He won the 1957 Cy Young Award when it was awarded to the best in both leagues, and he was also runner-up for it the next three years.  Let’s not forget that he was the ace of the staff that won the 1957 World Series.

Sabremetrically speaking, Warren Spahn never finished first among Pitchers but he was second four times, third twice, fourth once, and was fifth four times.  From 1949 to 1959, he never finished outside the top five!  We haven’t even mentioned that he hit 35 Home Runs over his career.

Spahn would enter the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, his first year on the ballot, and he will not be dislodged from this spot at #2 for decades to come.  His number 21 was inducted by the Braves in 1965, and in 1999, he was one of four former players enshrined in the Braves Hall of Fame.

We need to bring this up as much as we can…

Regardless of the era Hank Aaron is one of the greatest baseball players that ever existed. 

Period. 

A four-time All-Star, Tim Hudson spread those accolades over three teams (Oakland, Atlanta & San Francisco).  Hudson would finish in the top ten in Cy Young voting four times, including a runner-up run in 2000.  He would also finish in the top ten bWAR for Pitcher seven times.  The sinkerball specialist would win 223 Games, an excellent number for his era, and most notably, made history by becoming the oldest Pitcher to start a Game 7 in the World Series, a game that his San Francisco Giants won, giving him his lone World Series ring.

It’s official.

Former Outfielder, Andruw Jones and Executive, John Schuerholz are now members of the acclaimed Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame. 

Jones made his Major League debut a month and a half after his 19th birthday and the Atlanta scouts were correct in that they had a bona fide star on their hands.  In his third season, Jones would win his first of ten consecutive Gold Gloves and cement himself as one of the greatest defensive outfielders if his generation.  While Jones was a spectacular fielder, he was equally adept at offensive production. 

Jones would smack 368 of his 434 Home Runs as a Brave and over his Atlanta tenure had a .263/.342.,497 Slash Line with 1,117 RBIs and 138 Stolen Bases.  In 2005, Jones would leas the National League in Home Runs, Runs Batted In and captured his lone Silver Slugger Award.

John Schuerholz, the team’s President since 2007, will join him.  Prior to that role, he was the General Manager of the team and is credited with assembling much of the roster that made them so dominant in the 1990’s.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the latest Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame class. 

The Atlanta Braves have announced that Andruw Jones and John Schuerholz will be inducted into their franchise’s Hall of Fame this year.

The two new inductees will receive this honor in a pregame ceremony on August 19, prior to their home game against the Washington Nationals.  This brings the total number of inductees to the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame to thirty.

Jones debuted at age 19 for Atlanta and would spend twelve years with the Braves.  Over that period, the Outfielder would make five All Star Games and earn ten consecutive Gold Gloves.  Jones was a very good hitter for the Braves accumulating 1,683 Hits, 368 Home Runs with 1,117 RBIs and 138 Stolen Bases.  He would win the National League Home Run Title in 2005 and had a bWAR of Atlanta of 61.0.  He is eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.

John Schuerholz has been the team President for the last 26 years, and under his watch the organization won fourteen division five World Series.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the two newest members of the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame.

Right now, it is hard to imagine a time when the Atlanta Braves were not relevant in the world of Professional Baseball, but in the 1980’s, frankly, Ted Turner’s team wasn’t a spectacular one.  The exception to that rule was Dale Murphy, who in his prime drew comparisons to legends such as Mays and DiMaggio.  No, really, he did.

For a five-year stretch, Dale Murphy was among the most feared hitters in the league.  He hit for power, had a decent average, and was excellent in the clutch.  In addition, Murphy knew how to handle himself in the field, as shown by his five Gold Gloves.  He played every day and was a huge favorite among the Braves faithful.  He was the only Brave at the time who could get National attention, and he did so quickly with his loud bat and quiet demeanor.

Unfortunately for Dale Murphy, his offensive numbers seriously took a tumble by the age of 32, and he posted substandard numbers thereafter.  Of course, all great players suffer a decline, but because it happened to him earlier than it does to others, he did not reach the milestones that stat lovers will point out.  Subsequently, he struck out a lot in his career, even during his MVP years.  Had his career tailed off at the age of 34, and he put up a career that added two or three hundred more hits, his stock would greatly improve, and his contributions on a bad Braves team might be celebrated more outside of Georgia than they have.

Talk about being forgotten.  Darrell Evans is one of the few eligible players to hit more than 400 Home Runs and not get elected to the Hall of Fame.  He actually never made it past the first ballot.  He only made the All-Star Team twice.  He was a great fielder but Mike Schmidt won all the Gold Gloves at third.  He won a World Series with Detroit but was overshadowed by Whitaker, Trammell, Morris, and Hernandez.  A lot of this may have happened because he had a lifetime Batting Average of .248.

Darrell Evans did get a lot of notoriety for being the oldest player to ever win a Home Run crown when he belted 40 at the age of 38.  He was always a consistent power hitter, but received a lot of flak from amateur statisticians for his low Batting Average.  Those who saw that forgot to see how often Darrell Evans earned free passes as he walked an awful lot.  This was not due to pitchers intentionally walking him, but to a very keen and underappreciated batting eye.  Evans is currently twelfth all-time in the Bases on Balls category.

If Darrell Evans had a Batting Average just ten points higher, would it make a huge difference?  Probably, as the sub .250 career average really hampers what was a great and consistent career.  He has been called one of the most underrated players in baseball history.  It is hard to argue that statement.

Tim Hudson has quietly announced that he will be retiring at this year’s baseball season. 

The 40 year old San Francisco Giants Pitcher cited that “it was time” and he is currently holds the most Wins (222) of any active Pitcher.  Hudson balances that out with only 132 Losses and currently has well over 2,000 career Strikeouts with a healthy 57.4 career bWAR.

Hudson broke in with the Oakland Athletics in 1999 and would have a very productive year in 2000 where he went 20 and 6, leading the American League in Wins and was the runner up for the Cy Young.  He would continue to be a large part of the A’s success for the next few years and while he was not necessarily considered the elite, he was considered consistent and a high level second tier Pitcher. 

Following his run in Oakland, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves prior to the 2005 season.  Hudson would have some injury issues, but would rebound in 2009 and make his third All Star game. 

Two years ago, Hudson signed with the San Francisco Giants and would make history as the oldest Pitcher to start a game in the World Series.  He would also earn his first and only World Series Ring.

The impending retirement of Hudson raises the usual Hall of Fame question and if he is to get inducted it would have to be based on his strong bWAR, which is currently 66th overall for Pitchers and is higher than many existing Hall of Famers. 

Hudson will be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021 and will be added when he add that section on Notinhalloffame.com.

In our eyes, Tim Hudson is a borderline Hall of Famer (perhaps closer to the wrong side) but will likely be on the Notinhalloffame Baseball list.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com look forward to see what will be next in the career of Tim Hudson. 

Even amidst the constant controversy that surrounds the Baseball Hall of Fame, there is always something magical about Cooperstown, and when they have a former player from the modern era elected it makes the ceremony that much more special.

This year they have four.

On what was a beautiful summer day in front of 40,000 fans and forty-nine Hall of Famers in upstate New York, four baseball legends are now enshrined with a bronze bust that will forever be on display.

Rather than recap the accomplishments of the four (regular visitors know that we have done that often), let’s read the etchings on each of the four new inductees.

CRAIG ALLAN BIGGIO: HOUSTON, N.L. 1988-2007

GRITTY SPARK PLUG WHO IGNITED ASTROS OFFENSE FOR 20 MAJOR LEAGUE SEASONS, BECOMING FIRST PLAYER IN HISTORY WITH AT LEAST 3,000 HITS, 600 DOUBLES, 400 STOLEN BASES AND 250 HOME RUNS.  TRANSITIONED FROM ALL-STAR CATCHER TO GOLD GLOVE SECOND BASEMAN TO EVERYDAY OUTFIELDER, AMASSING 3,060 HITS, INCLUDING 668 DOUBLES – MOST BY A RIGHT-HANDED BATTER – AND A MODERN-DAY RECORD 285 TIMES HIT BY A PITCH.  A SEVEN-TIME ALL-STAR, WON FIVE SILVER SLUGGER AWARDS AND FOUR GOLD GLOVE AWARDS.


JOHN ANDREW SMOLTZ: ATLANTA N.L. 1988-99, 2001-08; BOSTON, A.L. 2009; ST.LOUIS, N.L. 2009

A WORKHOUSE POWER PITCHER, TRADED HIS STARTING DOMINANCE TO DEVELOP INTO PREMIER CLOSER BEFORE RETURNING TO ROTATION.  BECAME THE FIRST PLAYER IN HISTORY WITH 200 WINS AND 150 SAVES.  WITH A DYNAMIC FASTBALL, A DECEPTIVE SLIDER AND A DARTING SPLITTER, FANNED 3,084 BATTERS AND WAS NAMED TO EIGHT ALL-STAR TEAMS, THE 1996 N.L. CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER AND 1992 NLCS MVP.  SET N.L. RECORD WITH 55 SAVES IN 2002.  PITCHED BEST WHEN GAME WAS BIGGEST, RECORDING A 15-4 POST-SEASON RECORD, HELPING BRAVES TO 1995 WORLD SERIES TITLE.

PEDRO JAIME MARTINEZ:  LOS ANGELES, N.L. 1992-93; MONTREAL. N.L. 1994-97; BOSTON, A.L. 1998-2004; NEW YORK, N.L. 2005-08; PHILADELPHIA, N.L. 2009


FEATURING AN ELECTRIC ARSENAL OF PITCHES THAT VANQUISHED BATTERS DURING AN ERA OF HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE, THE FIERY RIGHTY FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC OWNED THE INSIDE PART OF THE PLATE WITH AN EXPLODING FASTBALL AND CONFOUNDING CHANGE-UP.  LED LEAGUE IN E.R.A. FIVE TIMES AND STRIKEOUTS THREE TIMES EN ROUTE TO THREE CY YOUNG AWARDS AND EIGHT ALL-STAR SELECTIONS.  FIRST PITCHER TO RETIRE WITH 3,154 STRIKEOUTS IN FEWER THAN 3,000 INNINGS.  WON 219 GAMES WITH AN ASTOUNDING .687 WINNING PERCENTAGE.  POSTED 117-37 RECORD IN BOSTON HELPING TO LEAD RED SOX TO 2004 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP.


RANDALL DAVID JOHNSON:  “RANDY” “THE BIG UNIT”:  MONTREAL, N.L. 1988-89; SEATTLE, A.L. 1989-98; HOUSTON, N.L. 1998; ARIZONA, N.L. 1999-2004, 2007-08; NEW YORK, A.L. 2005-06; SAN FRANCISCO, N.L. 2009

AT 6’10’, A TOWERING AND INTIMIDATING LEFTHANDER WHOSE CRACKLING FASTBALL AND DEVASTATING SLIDER PARALYZED HITTERS FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES, FIVE-TIMES CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER, INCLUDING FOUR CONSECUTIVE, 1999-2002.  LED LEAGUE IN STRIKEOUTS NINE TIMES AND POSTED SIX 300 STRIKEOUT SEASONS.  TEN-TIME ALL-STAR AND THREE-TIME 20-GAME WINNER, RANKED SECONS ALL-TIME ON STRIKEOUT LIST (4,875) AND FIRST IN STRIKEOUTS PER NINE INNINGS (10.6) UPON RETIREMENT.  WON 303 GAMES AND LED LEAGUE IN E.R.A. FOUR TIMES, WON THREE GAMES IN 2001 WORLD SERIES WITH CHAMPION DIAMONDBACKS EARNING CO-MVP HONORS. 


Capital letters do make it more emphatic doesn’t it?

Do you want to know what makes it even better?

The fact that Randy Johnson was inducted with his mullet is far greater to us than his hat (the first for Arizona) and the hat worn by Craig Biggio (Astros, also a first.

So what do we do now?

What we always do!

We look forward to the next class of Baseball Hall of Famers and debate their merits.

Hopefully, all of you will participate and lend us your opinions as to who you want to see in the next Baseball Hall of Fame class.

If Baseball truly is an International game, then we would like to name Julio Franco as its Global Ambassador. 

The Dominican-born Franco played professional baseball until age 47 in the United States, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and his home country. Cooperstown does not recognize accomplishments abroad, but despite playing outside the Majors for an extended period, he still amassed over 2,500 hits. Franco had a strange batting stance, but considering he batted over .300 eight times, a Batting Title, and five Silver Sluggers, it had to be considered effective. 

Julio Franco may be the ultimate test of whether the Baseball Hall of Fame would reward durability over what is considered traditionally great by Baseball standards.