So, when it comes to the retired jerseys, we have a simpler process. If you are reading these words, you’re probably a Braves fan of some sort. If you’re a Braves fan of some sort, you really should know about the players whose numbers are retired. You don’t need a reminder of how good Hank Aaron was, nor do you need a story of Chipper Jones‘ background. I drop you some links and videos, and you can refresh yourself with their careers as you’d like.
The best Brave to wear the now retired #35 is Phil Niekro.
Knucksie went 268-230 in Atlanta with a 3.20 ERA and 2912 strikeouts. His 740 games pitched are a Braves record. He had 6 seasons in Atlanta in which he was either an All-Star or a CYA vote-getter, plus one where he should have:
1967: His record was only 11-9, but he won his only ERA title this year at 1.87. It got no award attention, but it should have.
1969: 23-13, 2.56 – Niekro finished 2nd in the CYA race, 9th in the MVP race, and was an All-Star.
1974: 20-13, 2.38, and led the league in complete games (18) and innings (302.1) en route to a 3rd place CYA finish.
1975: 15-15, 3.20, was an All-Star.
1978: 19-18, 2.88, and led the league in CGs (22) and innings (334.1), was an All-Star and finished 6th in the CYA race and 17th in the MVP race.
1979: 21-20, 3.39, led the league in wins AND losses, complete games (23), innings (342), finished 6th in the CYA voting and 20th in MVP voting.
1982: 17-4, 3.61, was an All-Star and finished 5th in the CYA vote at age 43.
He ranks in the top 25 in MLB history in the following categories:
- 318 wins (16th)
- 5,404 innings (4th)
- 3,342 strikeouts (11th)
- 716 starts (5th)
- 482 HR allowed (4th)
- 1809 walks (3rd)
- 5044 hits allowed (4th)
- 274 losses (5th)
- 226 wild pitches (7th)
Niekro is probably one of the 25 best starters in MLB history, due to his ability to eat innings as a quality pitcher and do so for a very long time.
Who Is the Best To Wear #35?
There’s a great argument for three players. One of them is Knucksie.
The second is Mike Mussina. Moose didn’t have the hardware, but he came awfully close, finishing in the top 6 in the CYA vote 9 different times. Mussina’s career overlaps the era of offensive explosion almost perfectly, which is important to keep in mind when viewing his career numbers. He’s 33rd in MLB history in wins (270), 41st in W-L % (.638), 66th in innings (3562.2), and 20th in strikeouts (2813). He had 11 seasons with at least 15 wins. He had 15 seasons with a better than league average ERA. Moose was just a rock of consistency for nearly 2 decades, getting MVP votes in both his first full season and his last. He absolutely belongs in the Hall of Fame, and was inducted in 2012.
The third is Frank Thomas, and he certainly had the best reputation of the three. A feared hitter and 2X MVP, the Big Hurt batted .301/.419/.555 for his career (the OBP and SLG are both 20th best in MLB history), hit 521 home runs (20th), drove in 1704 runs (24th), walked 1667 times (10th), and is one of the 10 best first basemen in history and was inducted into the Hall in 2014. I guess he’s my pick, maybe for personal preference, but I think there’s an argument for any of the three.
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