Qualifier: players will be classified under one position even if they played at more than one.

Joe Torre:

Before becoming one of the most prominent managers in Major League Baseball, Joe Torre was a five-time All-Star for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves. Torre gave the Braves one of the best hitters at his position in the 1960s. He batted .294 with a .818 OPS over 1,037 games with the Braves. Torre later won a National League MVP and went to four more All-Star Games with the St. Louis Cardinals. In his 18-year career as a whole, he racked up 2,342 hits, 252 home runs and 1,185 RBI.

Del Crandall:

Del Crandall was an eight-time All-Star backstop for the Braves from 1949 to 1963. In 1,394 games with the Braves, Crandall maintained a .257 batting average and slugged .412. Defensively, he won four Gold Gloves and tossed out 46 percent of base-stealers. Crandall was a part of the Braves’ second World Series Championship team in 1957. Like Torre, Crandall went on to manage in the majors with the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners.

Javy Lopez:

One of the best offensive catchers in recent Major League history, three-time All-Star Javy Lopez played his first 12 seasons with Atlanta from 1992 to 2003. Lopez was a .287 hitter with a 113 OPS+ (league average is 100) over 1,156 games behind the plate in Atlanta. He went to nine playoffs and won a World Series with the Braves in 1995. Lopez capped his Braves career with a brilliant 2003 season in which he cracked 43 home runs, drove in 109 RBI and posted a 1.065 OPS.

Brian McCann(notes):

Current Braves catcher Brian McCann has been a NL All-Star in each of his six full seasons in the big leagues. McCann has hit 20 home runs and topped the .800 OPS mark five times in the last six years, pulling in four Silver Sluggers in the process. His bat has been worth 21.8 wins above replacement for a team that competes for a playoff spot year in and year out. Through 882 games in the majors, McCann boasts 878 hits and 136 home runs.

Hank Gowdy:

Longtime Boston Braves catcher Hank Gowdy was the starting backstop for the Braves’ first World Series winner in 1914. Gowdy played for the Braves for 14 years over two stints from 1911 to 1930. Behind the dish, he threw out 51% of potential base-stealers overall, twice leading the NL in the category. Gowdy was a career .270 hitter with a 104 OPS+. He reached as high as 35.9% in the Hall of Fame voting, but never made it in.

Sources:

Atlanta Braves Team History & Encyclopedia, Baseball-Reference.com

More from this contributor:

Boston Red Sox top five catchers

Top five pitchers in August 2011

Atlanta Hawks top five power forwards

Atlanta Hawks top five small forwards

Atlanta Hawks top five shooting guards

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By Christopher Gates

– Managing Editor

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Oct 26, 2011 – As we sit on the precipice of the sixth game of what has been a very good 2011 World Series, I feel it’s only appropriate that we take a look back at what might be the greatest moment in Minnesota Twins history. . .which, ironically enough, also took place in a Game Six.

The year was 1991, exactly twenty years ago tonight, when the Atlanta Braves, who went from worst-to-first from 1990 to 1991 much like the Twins did, brought a 3-2 series lead into the Metrodome in the hopes of closing out the Twins and winning their first World Series title since moving to Atlanta from Milwaukee. The Braves were coming off of three consecutive victories in Atlanta, including a 14-5 thumping of the Twins in Game Five. The Braves sent left-hander Steve Avery, who had gone 18-8 during the regular season and had been named the MVP of the National League Championship Series, to the mound. The Twins countered with right-hander Scott Erickson, who had gone 20-8 during the regular season en route to being voted runner-up for the American League Cy Young Award.

The Twins got to Avery first, as Chuck Knoblauch reached first on a one-out single in the bottom of the first inning, and Kirby Puckett brought him home with a triple to make it 1-0. After Chili Davis was retired, Shane Mack singled to bring home Puckett and give Minnesota a 2-0 lead after one inning.

It stayed that way until the top of the fifth, when National League MVP Terry Pendleton hit a two-run homer off of Erickson to make tie the score at two. The Twins pulled ahead in the bottom of the inning, when Dan Gladden walked to lead off the inning and stole second base. Gladden advanced to third on a fly ball by Knoblauch, and came home on Puckett’s sacrifice fly to make the score 3-2.

After Erickson gave up a single to Mark Lemke to start the top of the seventh inning, he was lifted for Mark Guthrie. With one out, Guthrie threw a wild pitch to allow Lemke to move to second, and a walk to Lonnie Smith and a single by Pendleton loaded the bases. Guthrie was then lifted for Carl Willis, who got Ron Gant to ground into a fielder’s choice, but Lemke came in to score and tied the game at three.

The score remained that way through nine, and into the bottom of the eleventh, when the Braves brought in one of their starters, left-hander Charlie Liebrandt, from the bullpen. With Avery, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine comprising the Braves’ post-season rotation, Liebrandt had been used out of the bullpen by Bobby Cox during the playoffs. Puckett led off the bottom of the eleventh for Minnesota.

What happened from there will forever be a part of Minnesota sports lore.

There’s a reason that Liebrandt is, to this day, known south of the Mason-Dixon line as Charlie “F’ing” Liebrandt. That 2-1 pitch to Kirby Puckett is that reason.

Jack Buck gave us one of the single greatest calls in World Series history, Kirby Puckett gave us one of the greatest memories in Minnesota sports history, and the greatest World Series in the history of baseball was pushed to a seventh game.

Exactly twenty years ago. It makes you wonder where the time has gone, doesn’t it?

Read More: 1991 world series, 1991 world series game 6, 1991 world series game six, and we’ll see you tomorrow night, Tom Glavine (P – ATL), John Smoltz (P – STL), Scott Erickson (P – NYY), Mark Guthrie (P – TAM), Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves

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By Jonathan Tjarks

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Oct 26, 2011 – While it’s not quite as prestigious as the Baseball Writers of America award that will be announced after the World Series, Atlanta Braves rookie closer Craig Kimbrel received a nice exclamation point on a dominant rookie season today when he was named the 2011 NL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News.

Voting for the award is done solely by MLB players, and 112 NL players chose Kimbrel as the league’s best rookie in the 2011 season.

In 77 late-game innings this season, the right-handed 5’11 205 pitcher was nearly unhittable, with 127 strikeouts to 32 walks and a 2.30 ERA. From June 14 through Sep. 8, he made 38 consecutive appearances without allowing a run. He tied for the NL lead in saves with 46, shattering the previous rookie record.

Many believe his heavy usage earlier in the season contributed to his late-season fade, most notably his blown save on the last night of the regular season that knocked the Braves out of the playoffs.

However, Atlanta probably wouldn’t be in that position in the first place without Kimbrel’s dominance through the vast majority of the season, which he was rewarded for today in a vote of his peers.

For the latest on the Braves’ off-season moves, check out the SBNation blog Talking Chop.

Read More: Craig Kimbrel (P – ATL), Atlanta Braves

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The 2011 World Series is set to begin this evening, Wednesday, October 19, with the first pitch set for 8:05 p.m. Eastern. The FOX network will air the St. Louis Cardinals versus Texas Rangers game from Busch Field for the opening game of what many feel will be a high scoring series. The Rangers will send C.J. Wilson(notes) to the hill against Chris Carpenter. Wilson has struggled this postseason, going 0-2 with a 8.04 ERA in three starts, while Carpenter is 2-0 with a 3.71 ERA over his three starts, and opponents are batting just .230 against him.

The Rangers are making their second straight appearance in the World Series, losing to the San Francisco Giants a year ago, while the Cardinals are looking to win their first title since 2006. Both teams have been helped by former members of the Atlanta Braves, but which ones have had the most productive postseason thus far?

Rafael Furcal(notes)

The Braves signed Furcal as an undrafted free agent in 1996, and he had a nice run with the team before moving to the Los Angeles Dodgers. At the trade deadline in July, the Cardinals acquired the native of the Dominican Republic to shore up their defense and provide a spark at the top of the lineup. Furcal hasn’t had the best of postseasons, hitting .204 in 11 games, and has hit one home run with two RBIs, while stealing just one base.

Matt Harrison(notes)

Harrison was one of the minor pieces in the Mark Teixeira(notes) trade in 2007, but he played a major role in their 2011 success. This postseason, he has made three appearances (two starts), going 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA. He held opponents to a .225 average, but has struggled with accuracy, allowing six walks in 10 2/3 innings.

Neftali Feliz(notes)

Another piece in the Teixeira trade, Feliz has played exceptionally well this postseason. In seven appearances, he has allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings, and has converted on all four save opportunities.

Elvis Andrus(notes)

The shortstop has numbers similar to that of Furcal this postseason. He is hitting just .205 in 11 games and is yet to hit a home run with just one RBI. Andrus has stolen one base thus far, but has been caught stealing twice, not providing the spark on the base paths the Rangers would like to see.

For access to Atlanta Braves season recaps from 1990-present, a look at trades that changed Braves history, or a look at the greatest award winners in team history, go here for easier access.

More from this contributor:

All-Braves Team

Tale of Two Septembers for Derek Lowe

Braves 2012 Starting Rotation

Remembering Skip Caray

Rise and fall of Andruw Jones

Hobson Lopes has been a life-long Atlanta Braves fan, thanks to TBS, and can be followed on Twitter @HobsonLopes .

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Rome Braves

Randy Ingle will be returning as manager of the Rome Braves this coming season. (File photo, RN-T)

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After a one-year absence, Randy Ingle will be back with the Rome Braves this coming season.

Ingle’s return was announced by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, and was one of several changes the club revealed pertaining to the farm system.

Ingle previously managed the R-Braves from 2006-2010. He then spent last season with the Danville Braves of the rookie-level Appalachian League.

“I am very pleased to be coming back to Rome,” said Ingle when reached by phone on Tuesday night.

“It’s familiar territory for me, and I am looking forward to it.”

Ingle has been in the Atlanta organization for 32 years, including his time as a player, coach and manager. He has won the organization’s Manger of the Year award on multiple occasions.

During his first stint in Rome, he directed the R-Braves to the playoffs in 2006.

Now, he’s excited about returning to State Mutual Stadium this spring.

“It’s like coming back home,” said Ingle. “I think it’s one of the best places to be, and I’ve made a lot of friends in Rome.”

The Atlanta organization also announced on Tuesday that former Rome Braves manager Rocket Wheeler will be the manager of the Gulf Coast League (rookie-level) Braves this season.

Wheeler was the skipper for Rome from 2003-2005, and was the manager for the Class AA Mississippi Braves this past season.

The Atlanta Braves announced three new hires to their 2012 minor league personnel, as well as a new manager at one minor league affiliate.

Don Long joins the organization as the Club’s minor league hitting coordinator.

Long joins the Braves farm system from the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he served three seasons (2008 to 2010) as their Major League hitting coach.

Joining the organization as the Club’s minor league infield coordinator is Luis Lopez.

Lopez comes to the Braves from the Boston Red Sox, where he served the last four seasons as a hitting coach, including two years (2010 and 2011) with the organization’s Single-A affiliate Greenville Drive and previous to that the Lowell Spinners (short-season) from 2008 to 2009.

Doug Dascenzo will serve at the Braves minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator.

Dascenzo joins the organization from the San Diego Padres, where he spent the previous 13 seasons as a manager and coach in their farm system, including the last two at the helm of the San Antonio Missions (AA).

Dascenzo totaled six seasons as a minor league manager in the Padres farm system and twice earned co-Manager of the Year awards.

Aaron Holbert will manage the Double-A Mississippi Braves in 2012. He comes to the Braves organization from the Cleveland Indians, where he spent the last four seasons as a manger in their farm system.

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