Atlanta Braves: The franchise all-time bracket

Atlanta Braves: The All-Time Bracket

The Semi-finals

The Braves bracket reaches the semi-final stage with the intimidating 1957 crew pitted against three representatives of the 1990s dynasty.

1957 vs. 1998

Game 1: The 1957 Braves were 95-59, a .617 regular-season percentage. In 1998, the Braves finished 106-56, a  .654 percentage.

Game 2: By winning a seven-game World Series, the 1957 team reached .571 in post-season performance. The 1998 club swept the Cubs in the division round but lost in six games to San Diego in the NLCS, a 5-4 record that works out to a .555 percentage. That’s a win for 1957.

Game 3: With Aaron at 166 and Mathews at 154, the 1957 Braves had a 111 OPS+. The 1998 team only got to 107.

Game 4: The 1998 Braves rise and fall on their pitching. The staff ERA+ was 128, far better than the 1957 club’s 101. The series is even at two games each.

Game 5: The 1957 Braves reached 49.3 WAR. But the 1998 Braves bettered that, at 55.9 WAR. They can thank Andruw Jones (7.4), Chipper Jones (7.1), Maddux (6.6) and Glavine (6.1)  for that advantage.

Game 6: The 1998 team fielded .985, four points better than the league average. The 1957 club fielded .981, also four points better. This game comes down to decimal points, and those favor 1998.

Result: 1998 in six games

1995 vs. 2002

Game 1: The 2002 Braves won 101 games, and their .654 percentage was 29 points better than 1995’s .625.

Game 2: The 1995 Braves’ World Series win capped a .786 post-season. The 2002 team only played.400 post-season ball. The series is even at a game each.

Game 3: Based on OPS+, the 2002 team’s 93 was superior to 1995’s 91.

Game 4: The 2002 team also had statistically the better of it on the mound. Their 133 ERA+ beats 1995’s 123 by 10 points.

Game 5: In 2002 the Braves amassed a 46.0 WAR, easily better than 1995’s 38.2 WAR.

Result: 1998 in five games