The Top 16 franchise-making trades in Atlanta Braves history
By Fred Owens
12. The Swan Song of Johnny Evers
1914 – JOHNNY EVERS / CHICAGO CUBS
Many who follow baseball still remember Johnny Evers as a member of the Chicago Cubs’ infield trio immortalized in the 1910 poem ‘Baseball’s Sad Lexicon’:
"These are the saddest of possible words: “Tinker to Evers to Chance.”"
Few recall that Evers spent four seasons with the Braves near the end of his career.
In 1914, Evers joined Boston in exchange for Bill Sweeney, on a $25,000 contract ($640,230 today) with added incentives that made him the highest-paid player in baseball. Many thought Evers’ age (32), size (5-foot-9) and proclivity for getting ejected made him a bad investment; they were wrong.
On July 5, the Braves were dead last, then they swept the July 6 doubleheader and reeled off a 15-4 streak to end July; Evers led the charge with a .333/.415/.417/.831 line.
In the infield, Evers and Rabbit Maranville vacuumed up everything within reach. In Run Rabbit Run, Maranville said Evers’ baseball knowledge amazed him.
"“Evers . . . was psychic. He could sense where a player was going to hit if the pitcher threw the ball where he was supposed to.”"
Today, we know Evers led all second basemen with 1.8 dWAR. His regular-season play carried on in the World Series when he hit .438 and had several key hits. He capped off his spectacular season by winning the Chalmers Award as the NL’s MVP.
Like Maranville, Evers passed on a reported $100,000 ($2,560,920 today) bonus to stay with the Braves offered by the Federal League tried to make a splash by stealing away the best major leaguers.
The Philadelphia Phillies claimed Evers off waivers in 1917; after that season, he made spotty appearances until 1929. Writers made him a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
Next: The Braves found themselves four games back of the Phillies and eight games back on June 1, but back on top by August 1. Considering their lineup issues, that was a minor miracle. Help arrived at the end of August, in the form of a 43-year-old Dominican infielder.