The Best Brave to Wear #14

The best Brave to wear #14 seemed to have a preternatural ability to drop base hits into the outfield. He wasn’t really supposed to be a great player. Hell, he wasn’t supposed to be a MLB player. But after un-remarkably working his way to the upper minors, Martin Prado got a cup of coffee with the big league club in 2006. He didn’t embarrass himself, but he wasn’t on the radar. Then, in 2007 at AAA, he hit .319/.374/.420. He earned a second short stint in the majors, and once again, the non-prospect didn’t embarrass himself.

In 2008, Prado saw more significant time as a major league ballplayer, and despite his non-prospect status, he was immediately a good one. He hit .320/.377/.461 in 78 games. In 2009 (.307/.358/.464, 11 HR), he earned more playing time and became a fan favorite. In 2010, he had his best season: .307/.350/.459 with 40 doubles, 15 homers, and 100 runs scored. He was an All-Star and 9th place MVP finisher. His BABIP held back his 2011 numbers (.260/.302/.385, 13 HR), but he bounced back with a 20th place MVP finish in 2012 (.301/.359/.438, 42 doubles, 10 HR, 17 SB). After 2012, Atlanta included Prado in the deal to acquire Justin Upton from the Diamondbacks.

Since leaving Atlanta, Prado underwhelmed in Arizona. After a mid-summer trade to the Yankees in 2014, Prado caught fire, homering 7 times in 37 games for New York. In the offseason, the Yankees traded him to the Marlins. In Miami, Prado had two of his best seasons in 2015-2016. 2017 was shortened by a knee injury, and Prado retired after the 2019 season.

Honorable Mentions

Andres Galarraga, “The Big Cat”, was beloved as a Brave. Replacing McGriff couldn’t have been an easy task, but Braves fans quickly got over it with Galarraga’s .305/.397/.595, 44 HR season, which garnered him a 6th place MVP finish and an All-Star bid. A fight with cancer canceled his 1999, and just making it back onto the field in 2000 was an accomplishment. Coming back to slash .302/.369/.526 with 28 HR, 100 RBI, and making the All-Star team? That’s one of the best comebacks in MLB history. If this were purely a per-game methodology, Galarraga is the greatest #14 by a long shot.
Julio Franco, for the complete weirdness of his Braves career. He wasn’t really a great 1B by conventional methods, but considering the manner in which he was acquired, and his age during his tenure, it’s memorable.

Who Is the Best Ever to Wear #14?

It’s the all-time hit king, Pete Rose. Forget for a moment the modern Pete Rose discussion, which centers around whether he should have been banned for baseball (he should have been) or whether he should be in the Hall of Fame (he should be). By all accounts, he’s a pretty scummy guy, a degenerate gambler who allegedly had sexual relationships with 14 and 15 year olds when he was playing ball.

But he was the best baseball player to wear #14. A ROY, the 1973 NL MVP, and a 3-time batting champ. His peak is very likely overrated by a legion of fans, and most of his records are a by-product of simply staying on the field more than any player in history. But while 1973 was probably his only truly great season (.338/.401/.437 with what could have been Gold Glove defense in LF) (there’s an argument for ’76 as well: .323/.404/.450, but he was a better LF than a 3B), he was a solidly above-average player for a very long time.