5 greatest outfielders in Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves franchise history
By Kevin Henry
Number 4 — Wally Berger (36.6 bWAR with Braves)
Babe Ruth may have been the most famous member of the 1935 Boston Braves, but Ruth’s teammate in Boston, Wally Berger, was in the midst of establishing himself as one of the best outfielders in baseball at that time as well.
Wally Berger’s power overshadowed his Braves teammate, Babe Ruth, in his final MLB season.
By the way, in that 1935 season, Berger would hit a team-leading 34 home runs for the Braves. Ruth would come in second on the team with six, playing in just 28 contests that season, including his final one on May 30, going 0-for-1 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Berger suited up for eight seasons with Boston and was an All-Star in four of those campaigns (1933-36). He hit 38 home runs in his rookie season of 1930, a rookie record that would stand (along with Frank Robinson’s total in 1956) until Aaron Judge hit 52 homers in 2017.
The slugger would hit 199 home runs in his Boston career (including 105 at Braves Field, the most for any player at that stadium) and would earn distinction as not only earning a spot in the first-ever All-Star Game in 1933, but also playing all nine innings, batting sixth and playing center field.
You can read more about Berger’s career here.