The Best Brave to Wear #15

The best Brave to wear #15 spent 9 years in Milwaukee/Atlanta. In his 8 full seasons, he hit .294/.356/.462 with 142 HR (23 HR, 87 RBI per 162 games). In 1961 he was runner-up for ROY and 21st in the MVP vote. He was an NL All-Star every year from 1963-1967. He earned MVP votes each year 1964-1966, and he won the 1965 Gold Glove for catchers. He even managed the Braves to a division championship (albeit as #9).

And yet, Braves fans equate him most with heartbreak, with October failures. The best Brave to wear #15, Joe Torre, later managed the New York Yankees to 3 World Championships in a 4 year span, with two of those Fall Classics coming against the Braves.

It’s a shame that that’s how he’s probably best remembered, because Torre was an outstanding catcher in the 1960’s, one of the league’s best.

His Atlanta career really only ended due to his strong backing of Marvin Miller and his hard-line approach to the 1968 CBA negotiations. Ownership traded Torre to St. Louis, where he would win the 1971 MVP and continue as a pivotal voice in the players’ march toward free agency.

He won 13 total division championships in his managerial career, and managed in the playoffs 15 times.

Honorable Mentions:

Tim Hudson (2005-2013) went 113-72 with the Braves, peaking with his only All-Star appearance in 2010 (17-9, 2.83, 4th place CYA).
Denny Neagle (1996-1998) stunk after his late season acquisition in 1996, but he was excellent the following year (20-5, 2.97, 233.1 IP) on his way to a 3rd place CYA finish.
Claudell Washington (1982-1986) stole 101 bases in his #15 tenure. He was a 1984 NL All-Star (.286/.374/.469, 17 HR).