The Best Braves to Wear #26, #25, and #24

The best Brave to wear #26 is Gene Garber.

For the 1982 NL West champion Braves, Garber went 8-10 with a 2.34 ERA and 30 saves, finishing 7th and 19th in the CYA and MVP races, respectively. He threw 119.1 relief innings that year, as he had what is probably the finest season of his career.

In his 10 year stint with Atlanta, 1978-1987, Garber saved 141 games with a 3.34 ERA, which isn’t bad for a decade spent at the launching pad. Garber was a sidearmer with a devastating changeup, and he finished in the top 10 in the NL in saves 4 times while in Atlanta. He still ranks 22nd in MLB history in games pitched (931) and 17th in games finished (609). Garber is probably one of the 100 best relievers in MLB history, and he’s the best to ever don #26 for the Braves.

Also, he ended that jerk Pete Rose‘s 44-game hitting streak.

Honorable Mention:

Dan Uggla was solid enough over his first two seasons in Atlanta, but his last two were disasters. Still, he won a Silver Slugger with the Braves and set the Atlanta record for longest hitting streak, at 33 games.

Who Is the Best Ever to Wear #26?

Honorable mention honors for Billy Williams and Chase Utley, but it’s Wade Boggs. Boggs only wore it with the Red Sox, so his other years weren’t even factored in. Fueled by fried chicken and beer, Boggs is one of the greatest 3rd basemen ever.

The greatest Brave to wear #25 is Andruw Jones. Duh.

I’m just going to save us some time, because when I talk at length about Andruw Jones, I always wind up in the same place – angry that he’s not in the Hall of Fame, and irritated that the Braves have yet to hang #25 in the stadium in his honor.

So, instead of being mad at dumb writers, let’s just appreciate Jones’ career:

If you just skipped that without watching, you are missing out.

Who Is the Best Ever to Wear #25?

He only started wearing it after going to San Francisco, but come on. It’s the best post-war hitter in MLB history, Barry Bonds.

*(Photo: National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)*

There have been a lot of notable and memorable Braves to wear #24, but none ever seem to stick around for long. Our Honorable Mentions section will cover several, and it’s hard to choose between some of them. So here, let’s honor the #24 that was good AND actually hung around for more than a year or two.

The best Brave to wear #24 is Lee Maye. After some impressive cups of coffee in 1959 and 1960 (.300/.346/.413 in 242 PA), Maye was a fixture in the Milwaukee lineup from 1961 until early 1965, when he was traded. In his 4 full seasons as an outfielder for the Braves (he played all 3 spots regularly), he hit .277/.329/.423, averaging 29 doubles, 6 triples, 15 homers, and 13 steals per 162 games. In 1964, he led the NL with 44 doubles. He may not have been a star, but he was a reliable ballplayer, a jack of all trades who would be valued more in today’s game.

He also might be the finest singer in Braves history. Under the name Arthur Lee Maye, the outfielder, along with his backup band, The Crowns, had some hits in the mid-50’s:

Here is Maye’s SABR bio.

Honorable Mention:

Vern Bickford was an NL All-Star in 1949, and the following season went 19-14 with a 3.47 ERA, leading the NL in innings (311.2) and complete games (27) en route to a down-ballot 30th place finish in the MVP race.
Deion Sanders led the NL in triples in 1992, and went 8 for 15 with 5 stolen bases in the 1992 World Series.
Mark Teixeira played 157 games with the Braves from 2007-2008, and he slashed .295/.395/.548 with 37 HR and 134 RBI in that timespan.
Michael Bourn was a 2012 All-Star, finishing 18th in the NL MVP race, with 45 extra base hits and 42 steals from the leadoff position.
Evan Gattis hit 43 HR in just under 800 plate appearances spread across two seasons. He was more beloved than he was great (basically, all non-HR activities were mostly sub-par), but with a nickname like El Oso Blanco, how can he not make this list?
Kurt Suzuki has played two seasons in Atlanta, where he reinvented himself and became a HBP and HR machine.

Who Is the Best Ever to Wear #24?

Say Hey, it’s the fella the Boston Braves discovered and nearly signed, but lost to the Giants when the team refused to meet his demand of an extra $15,000. Perhaps that’s the minor curse of #24 in Atlanta – when good players wear #24, they leave town quickly, because the greatest Brave to wear #24 should have been Willie Mays.