Lineup: The Braves lineup does not have a lot of frightening on-base threats, but it *does* feature a deep roster of good OB 8 or 7 hitters. In fact, there is not a single hitter below an On-Base 7 in the lineup, which really gives them depth and lets them create trouble/a rally at any time. Grissom leads off with a typical Grissom card: OB 7, Speed A, HR at 18 with some good extra base pop alongside that. Chipper's hitting #2 and, although he didn't have the Hall of Fame level card we expect from him in 95, still brings good pop to the spot. The best hitter on the team is hitting third and its Ryan Klesko, putting together a very "00 Pennant Run" like card here. All Star Fred "The Crime Dog" McGriff bats cleanup with the most powerful card outside of Klesko. Lopez and Justice keep the parade of OB 8 hitters going, with Lopez having a sneaky deadly chart. For 7-8-9, it's a bunch of OB 7 hitters with low speed, but at least they've all got dangerous extra base ranges to make pitchers pay for any mistakes. Honestly, I think this will be an undervalued lineup in most manager's eyes.
Rotation: Unsurprisingly, here's the strength of the Atlanta Championship team! Greg Maddux is one of the best starters ever produced, period -- both in reality and card form. He's got an absolutely lethal Tier 1 card with high control and no doubles allowed. He's going to be a tank at the start of this rotation. He's supported by Tier 3 Glavine and Smoltz. Glavine is basically original David Cone, making him a solid #2 and Smoltz is basically himself from the 01 set. Avery takes the reins as the fourth starter, but he's definitely a scary link. Honestly, for a strength, it's nowhere near as good as memory holds for this Braves trio, as Glavine & Smoltz had (relatively) weaker years. Weird, but how baseball goes, that their one title came in a year where all three guys weren't totally clicking in that Tier 2 range.
Bullpen: Mark Wohlers gives the starters a really good closer to keep their wins safe! He's got no doubles on a Tier 2 chart, should be a stud guy for any manager. Greg McMichael brings another Control 4, Tier 2 card to the table, giving them a great eighth inning guy. The other two relievers are solid Tier 3 players, really helping Atlanta feel secure pulling Avery early if necessary and giving their other starters the opportunity to just survive five innings before turning the game over.
Overall: The 95 Braves are honestly just not as good as some of their counterpart teams from 100+ win seasons, but that doesn't stop them from being the only one who has hoisted a World Series Champions banner and still having a very good squad. At 5,160 points, they're definitely deep, they just lack the top-of-the-line stars we've come to expect from title teams. The Braves are a great example of "no weakness sometimes trumps top-heaviness." With their deep lineup, strong rotation, and deep 'pen, there's not a lot of holes and should be a safe option for an inexperienced manager to play (and win) with... especially if he or she is starting Greg Maddux!
As always, here's the "Non-Foil" versions of Atlanta's All Star from that season not named Maddux... just the CRIME DOG!
Still cant believe the braves only won 1 out of 5 in the 90's smh
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