The Best Brave to Wear #34

*RHP Kevin Millwood. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)*

Kevin Millwood wasn’t really supposed to be that good.

An 11th round pick in 1993 out of HS, Millwood didn’t make prospect lists in the minors. Heck, he wasn’t even all that impressive statistically. He just sort of plugged along, giving up runs but eating plenty of innings. In 1997, he pitched adequately at AA Greenville, and was given a chance to pitch at AAA Richmond. In 9 AAA starts, he went 7-0 with a 1.93 ERA, the first time he posted any kind of eye-catching minor league numbers. They came at the best time; Millwood was called up to the Atlanta bullpen in July and soon found himself a permanent fixture in the rotation.

Millwood pitched well as a rookie (5-3, 4.03) and found bona fide stardom in his sophomore season. In 1998, Millwood went 17-8 with a 4.08 ERA and 163 K’s – the youngest member of the rotation that produced 5 15-game winners. He had his best season in 1999, going 18-7 with a 2.63 ERA, 205 K’s, and leading the league in WHIP (0.996) and H/9 (6.6). Millwood was a 1999 All-Star and finished 3rd in the CYA vote and 26th in the MVP race. He dropped off a bit in 2000 (10-13, 4.66), but he still devoured innings for a playoff team. After an injury-plagued 2001, Millwood bounced back in 2002 with what would be his 2nd best season: 18-8, 3.24 ERA, 178 K’s.

After 2002, Atlanta’s budget was pretty inflexible, so the Braves opted for the cheaper combination of starters Paul Byrd and Russ Ortiz instead of Millwood, whose salary was about to leap ahead drastically in arbitration. The team traded Millwood to Philadelphia for Johnny Estrada. Millwood’s solid 2003 (which included a no-hitter) made the team initially regret that decision, but Estrada became an all-star catcher and Millwood settled into his ultimate role of an ideal #4 starter, so it all more or less worked out. The deal helped Greg Maddux stay in Atlanta, and it helped Atlanta extend its division-winning streak by a few years.

Millwood became something of a journeyman. He spent 2 years in Philadelphia and followed that with 1 year in Cleveland, 4 in Texas, 1 in Baltimore, 1 in Colorado, and finished up with the 2012 Mariners. He went 169-152 in his career with a 4.11 ERA. He’s 70th in MLB history with 2083 strikeouts.

Honorable Mentions

Zane Smith was a reliable workhorse for some really bad Braves teams in the late 80’s, having his best season in 1987 – 15-10, 4.09 in 242 innings.
Cecil Upshaw had 79 saves and a 3.01 ERA with the Braves from 1966-1973.

Who Is the Best to Ever Wear #34?

First off, some honorable mentions:

David Ortiz is a beloved great player, but he was fairly limited and just couldn’t quite take the top spot in what turned out to be a competitive jersey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmQESMnVkQ4

Kirby Puckett was also beloved and great, but the early end to his career hurts him a tad. Besides, he’s a ’91 Twin, so I’m not picking him… But here are some highlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5hkCR9sgTA

Finally, Nolan Ryan is a legend, but only about half his career came as #34. His best years, in California, came as #30. He’s the best overall player of any of these contenders, but as far as what he did with #34 on his back, he’s only the runner-up (which is still kind of amazing).