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Atlanta Braves: The franchise all-time bracket

By Bill Felber

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 27: A detail view of the Atlanta Braves logo before the game against the Cleveland Indians at Turner Field on August 27, 2013. The Braves won 2-0. (Photo by Pouya Dianat/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 27: A detail view of the Atlanta Braves logo before the game against the Cleveland Indians at Turner Field on August 27, 2013. The Braves won 2-0. (Photo by Pouya Dianat/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

The teams of the 1990s face the Aaron-Mathews Atlanta Braves for franchise supremacy. Who will take the grand prize? Let’s take a closer look.

At first, glance, filling out an all-time Atlanta Braves bracket appears to amount to selecting the best teams from the 1990s dynasty.

After all, what team could surpass some of those Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz teams for consistent, unending performance?

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The Braves did have that string of 14 division championships in a 15-year span –broken only by the 1994 strike. During that stretch the Braves six times won at least 100 games for manager Bobby Cox.

But the Braves, whether playing in Atlanta, Milwaukee or Boston, have had some other good teams as well. Only one of the franchise’s three World Championships came during that period. The 1914 and 1957 World Series winners also must be included.

Although the performance of the 1990s Braves teams is largely interchangeable, it makes sense to include the 1991, 1995 1998, and 2002 clubs both for their success and for the chronological spread they provide.  Taking them plus the 1914 and 1957 teams leave room for two supplemental representatives, the 1948 National League champions and 2019 NL East champions being the most representative.

So that’s our bracket.

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The format is identical to previous bracket challenges. Each matchup in the tournament is decided based on seven criteria. You can think of each as a ‘game,’ the winner of four games advancing. The seven criteria are:

  1. Game 1: Regular season winning percentage.
  2. Game 2: Post-season winning percentage
  3. Game 3: Team OPS+
  4. Game 4: Team ERA+
  5. Game 5 (if necessary): Team WAR
  6. Game 6 (if necessary: Fielding percentage above the league average for the season in question.
  7. Game 7 (if necessary): The standard for Game 7 is Hall of Famers or likely future Hall of Famers.
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