![]() ![]() Shaw/Getty Imagesĭespite his career not panning out, that doesn’t negate the fact that Thomas was a well-regarded prospect in the mid-1980’s. (In case your are wondering, FanGraphs does view his body of work with a slightly more positive slant, but still rates his career as worth -4.6 fWAR with 1986 still being his only positive value season.) Andres Thomas struggled offensively and defensively during his five-year career with the Braves. ![]() Thomas, who was only 22 years old in 1986, peaked in those 100 games in 1986 as he posted negative value in every other season of his career.įrom 1987 through 1990, his final season in MLB, he yielded a -6.2 bWAR, nadiring at -1.8 in only 84 games in 1990. His tenure with the team ended after the 1987 but during parts of eight seasons he provided 7.2 bWAR.Īndres Thomas shared shortstop with Ramirez in 19 before going on to become the full-time starter in 1988. His best season, at least according to bWAR, was the NL West Division winning season of 1982, when he produced 3.5 bWAR for the Braves. ![]() He finished 16th in the NL MVP voting in 1983 and was selected to the NL All Star team in 1984. Ramirez anchored the position for five seasons in the 1980s. An All Star in 1984, he finished his 13-year career with five seasons in Houston. Rafael Ramirez played eight seasons in Atlanta in the early- and mid-1980’s. Jackson was followed by Marty Perez, whose three years at the position were the most of any player until Rafael Ramirez became the starting shortstop in 1981. He ended his playing career in 1974 but stayed in the game as a minor league and major league coach for the Braves for almost two decades. After being acquired by the Braves in 1968, he spent three seasons as the team’s starting shortstop before moving to centerfield in 1971. Jackson debuted in 1963 as an 18 year-old and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting when he appeared in 150 games for the Astros in 1966. Although he ended his career as a two-time All Star, those appearances were with the Houston, because Atlanta traded him to the Astros for team’s next starter, Sonny Jackson. His 1964 season was the best of his career, when he produced 6.7 bWAR on the back of a 136 OPS+. When the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, they brought with them Denis Menke, the 25 year-old shortstop who had posted 11.2 bWAR in the prior three seasons in Milwaukee, despite only playing in 71 games in 1965. Denis Menke’s best season was with the Milwaukee Braves, but he spent two years in Atlanta before being traded to Houston where he was a two-time All Star for the Astros. You’ll have to wait to see where Cobb County’s favorite shortstop slots among those from the last three decades who have manned the position.īefore we jump into this most-modern era of Braves baseball, let’s take a look at some of the notable shortstops who played for Atlanta from 1966 through 1989. Surely he must rank at the top of shortstops to play for Atlanta since 1990, right? After all, his tenue with the Braves has him on pace to appear in 800 games with Atlanta before this season ends. ![]() Regardless of how the rest of this season plays out for Swanson, it is hard to believe he has been the starting shortstop for Atlanta for most of the past seven seasons. It is too early to know if this - his last season before free agency - will be his swan song with Atlanta, but we at Battery Power have thoughts about him and you can read some of them here and here. The official start of Summer is upon us and Dansby Swanson is putting up the best season of his career. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |