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Atlanta Braves Opening Day countdown: 54, Medlen, HOF, GG

By Benjamin Chase

ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 23: Starter Kris Medlen #54 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on August 23, 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 23: Starter Kris Medlen #54 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on August 23, 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 08: Kris Medlen #5 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 8, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

In our first multiple-story day of the countdown, we look at an elite young Atlanta Braves arm, guys who have reached the game’s pinnacle, and slick fielders.

Not every day the rest of the way will have multiple things to highlight, but 54 brings the first with multiple things just too good to ignore one over the other in Atlanta Braves history. We’ll first start with the story of probably the best-known player to wear jersey #54, Kris Medlen.

Medlen’s Atlanta Braves career

Originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 37th round out of high school in California, Kris Medlen ended up falling to the Atlanta Braves out of Santa Ana College in the 10th round of the 2006 draft.

Medlen moved quickly through the Atlanta Braves farm system, though never really distinguishing himself as a starter or a reliever, specifically. He worked his first full season as a reliever exclusively and had transitioned to making 17 starts in his 36 appearances in Mississippi in 2008. He started 6 of his 8 appearances with Gwinnett before his call up in 2009.

After 68 appearances, 18 of which were starts, and just over 175 innings in his first two major league seasons, Medlen missed nearly all of the 2011 season with injury. When he returned in 2012, the Braves initially used him out of the bullpen.

That plan was going well, with Medlen posting a 2.48 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 38 games to open the season. However, whispers began when Medlen went 3 hitless innings in his last relief outing on July 25th. He next appeared as a starter against those same Marlins on July 31st. He’d allow just a solo home run over 5 innings, securing a win.

He’d go on to finish the 2012 season with a 9-0 record over 12 starts with a 0.97 ERA and 84 strikeouts over 83 2/3 innings. More importantly, the Braves won all 12 of his starts.

Medlen had a very good 2013, winning 15 games for the Braves over 197 innings, with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, striking out 157. He was expected to be part of a dominant young core for the 2014 Atlanta Braves rotation with Julio Teheran, Mike Minor, Alex Wood, and Brandon Beachy, with Medlen being the senior member of the rotation at just 27 years old.

He succumbed to elbow injury and needed Tommy John surgery that spring along with Beachy, essentially ending a promising 2014 Braves season before it ever began. The Braves non-tendered Medlen that winter, and he signed with the Royals. He’s been plagued by arm injuries since, retiring in May of last year after a rough start in an attempted comeback with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Let’s now take a look at some of the all-time greats in franchise history…

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