Atlanta Braves: Top 15 leadoff seasons in Braves history

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ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 14: Left fielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves hits a 2-run RBI single in the second inning during the game against the Washington Nationals at SunTrust Park on September 14, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /

A certain rookie is rewriting the leadoff record books in Atlanta Braves history, but where does that rank among Braves all-time leadoff seasons?

This year, Ronald Acuna is not only rewriting record books for the Atlanta Braves from the leadoff spot, but for all of baseball, especially as a rookie. However, where does this rank all time?

The Atlanta Braves organization traces its organizational history back to 1876, through 3 team locations and 6 team nicknames. That deep history allows for plenty of seasons to review for a list of the best leadoff hitters in the team’s history, except for one issue – we don’t have data on who exactly the leadoff hitters were for the first 30+ years of the organization.

That means this list is technically the best leadoff hitters in the Braves history from 1908-present. I think you’ll find that the entirety of the organization’s long history is represented – the list of 15 consists of one from the 1910s, two from the 1920s, one from the 1940s, one from the 1960s, one from the 1970s, two from the 1980s, four from the 1990s, one from the 2000s, and two from the 2010s.

One restriction that was put on the list was that only one season per player could be listed, otherwise, roughly half the list would be about 3 players in the history of the organization. This could be a great reminder of the excellence that has been part of the team’s history and also a reminder of just how tough times were for the Atlanta Braves over the organization’s history.

Before we get into the individual seasons, let’s look at some all-time leaders for the Atlanta Braves when penciled in as the first hitter on the lineup card (not their overall season numbers) from the primary leadoff hitter for the season:

Average – Ralph Garr, 1974, .356
On-Base – Bill Sweeney, 1911, .432
Slugging – Ronald Acuna, 2018, .698
Walks – Eddie Stanky, 1949, 111
Home Runs – Felipe Alou, 1966, 24
Stolen Bases – Otis Nixon, 1991, 70

Let’s start the countdown with our #15 Atlanta Braves leadoff season…

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