The Best Brave to Wear #37

The best Brave to wear #37 is the greatest hitter in MLB history in at-bats occurring at 3:45 AM. It’s former pitcher Rick Camp.

There are 3 things you need to know about Camp.

1. He’s best known for his involvement in the 1985 July 4 game against the Mets, a game which lasted until the early hours of the morning. The Braves, as they promised they’d do, set off fireworks at the game’s conclusion, which was around 4 AM. Locals, awakening at the sound of the ballast, thought the Soviets were invading. This is the most important moment of his career, a big moment in Braves lore:

2. Camp was actually a pretty good pitcher, too. He was an excellent reliever in ’80-’81, going 15-7 with 39 saves and a 1.86 ERA in that span. In 1981, he even finished 20th in the NL MVP race. Atlanta transitioned him to a starting role, and he took to it fairly well. Over the final 4 seasons of his career (’82-’85), he went 33-34 with a 3.65 ERA. Good pitcher.
3. Camp was probably a better pitcher than he was a person. He became a lobbyist and was later sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to steal $2,000,000 from a mental health center. Yeah….

Camp passed away in 2013.

Honorable Mentions

• Mike Remlinger – The reliever was nothing but brilliant for the Braves from 1999-2002, and as an All-Star was a  key part of that ’02 pen that’s one of the best in MLB history.
• Brandon Beachy – The rookie out of nowhere wowed Braves fans in 2011 with 10.7 K/9 over 25 starts but struggled to stay healthy afterwards.

Who Is the Best Ever To Wear #37?

I think there’s something of an argument for Kenny Rogers‘ longevity, but I’m going with one of the more underrated starters of the 1980’s, Dave Stieb. Stieb was a 7-time All-Star, finished in the top 7 of the CYA race 4 times, and twice got MVP votes. He led the league in ERA once (2.48 in 1985) and innings twice (1982, 1984). Stieb pitched one no-hitter, but you may not realize how close he was to having thrown 5. In 1985, he took one into the 9th but ran out of gas and got shelled. On September 24 1988, Stieb was one out away from a no-no and gave up a single. In his very next start, on September 30, he again got one out away and gave up a hit. In 1989, he lost a perfect game with two outs in the 9th. He finally got his no-no in 1990. If he makes 3 better pitches in those 3 9th innings (’85 wasn’t that close of a call), Stieb might very well have made it into the HOF, just like his inferior AL opponent from the same era, Jack Morris.

The agony:

The ecstasy: