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The sport of baseball reveres its long history in America. Known as the national pastime, baseball is always eager to celebrate its roots and the stars of the game. For those who love the game, baseball is timeless. It’s easy to imagine Hank Aaron being one of the best players in the league if he were still alive and slugging today.
The Braves, with their four World Series wins, have contributed significantly to baseball’s history, so it’s no surprise to see the franchise well-represented in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Here’s an overview of some of the key players to have received the honor, plus a look ahead to the Braves players who may enter the Hall of Fame in the future.
How many Braves are in the Hall of Fame?
There are two ways to count the Braves’ players that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. One way is to include all those who played for the Braves at some point during the franchise’s history, including when the Braves were located in Boston or Milwaukee. The other way is to count only the players who played for the Braves after 1966, when the team moved to Atlanta.
In all, there are over 50 Braves players in the Hall of Fame. The number varies between 51 and 53, depending on which source you consult.
However, only fourteen of those are associated with the Atlanta incarnation of the franchise.
Those players are:
- Hank Aaron
- Orlando Cepeda
- Tom Glavine
- Chipper Jones
- Greg Maddux
- Eddie Mathews
- Phil Niekro
- Gaylord Perry
- Ted Simmons
- John Smoltz
- Bruce Sutter
- Hoyt Wilhelm
- Tony La Russa
- Joe Torre
Who could be among the next Hall of Famers?
If you want to place a bet on which Braves players will end up in the Hall of Fame, these are three strong contenders.
♦ Freddie Freeman: The first baseman was with the Braves for twelve illustrious years, signing off with a string of legendary performances to win the 2021 World Series against the Houston Astros. Freeman is still going strong with the LA Dodgers.
♦ Austin Riley: In his first 500 games, Riley smacked 100+ home runs, more than 500 hits, and a 300+ RBI. That puts him in a pretty special list of players to hit those numbers, including Eddie Matthews, Bob Horner and Fred McGriff. Plus, Riley is still young enough that he has plenty of time to cement himself as one of the all-time best.
♦ Ronald Acuña Jr.: What’s so special about Acuña Jr is that he has both power and speed, a combination that makes him highly effective both at bat and on base. Take a look through the Hall of Fame inductees and you’ll find plenty of players who also had that skill set. Plus, the Venezuelan right fielder won the 2023 National League MVP award.
When it comes to betting on game results, MVP awards, or on future Hall of Famers, punters can use betting offers available on oddschecker.com to gain extra value. The site compares odds across multiple bookmakers and also shows what promotions are available on each site, for example Caesars Sportsbook welcome bonuses for new sign-ups.
These three players really stand out in the Hall of Fame
This is a quick look at some of the most famous of the Atlanta Braves currently in the Hall of Fame.
♦ Hank Aaron played more than 3,000 games over a 21-year period for the Braves. And that doesn’t happen by accident. A force of nature with a bat in his hand, he’s the league’s all-time leader in bases and RBI. He also formed part of the all-star team twenty years in a row and was instantly admitted into the Hall of Fame when he became eligible in 1982. He signed off from the Braves with a home run at his last at-bat in 1974. Three years later, the Braves retired his number, 44, for good.
♦ Eddie Matthews isn’t just one of the best players to ever put on a Braves jersey. He’s also the only person to play for the Braves in all three versions of the franchise; he joined when the team was in Boston, stayed with them all through their Milwaukee stint, and then led the new era in Atlanta. With nearly 500 home runs, 338 doubles, and nearly 1400 RBI, it’s little wonder he made it into the Hall of Fame in 1978.
♦ Chipper Jones is a bonafide Braves legend. He’s second behind Hank Aaron as the organization’s leading hitter and even managed to contribute to the Braves’ World Series win in his rookie season back in 1995. Jones played eighteen seasons in total with the Braves and was admitted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
By Ben Walker
The views and opinions expressed in this content are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of any other entity.
