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Atlanta Braves history: top five franchise shortstops

By Fred Owens

Former Atlanta Braves’ shortstop Rafael Furcal checks in at number five on the list of Braves’ franchise shortstops. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Former Atlanta Braves’ shortstop Rafael Furcal checks in at number five on the list of Braves’ franchise shortstops. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Former Atlanta Braves’ shortstop Rafael Furcal checks in at number five on the list of Braves’ top franchise shortstops. (Photo by STEVE SCHAEFER / AFP via Getty Images) /

Our look at Atlanta Braves franchise history continues with a look at the best shortstops in franchise history.

When I decided to write about the best position players in Atlanta Braves franchise history, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. However, I felt the reams of available data would make sorting it out easier.  It wasn’t easy, and the data both helped and hindered.

I had to set a limit on either the fewest games or innings played, but couldn’t use the same limit for each position; when ranking shortstops, I settled on 500 games.

I also had to attempt to level the playing field across seven generations of players. I settled on plus stats as the way to do that. Plus stats like OPS+, tell us how well a player stacks up against the rest of the League when he played, with 100 as league average. However, until recently, shortstops were valued more for their glove than their bat, and only a few did much hitting.

I used the following stats to help me rank the players, but in the end, the choice was as much subjective as objective.

  • wOBA – if you care about determining how well a player contributes to run-scoring, wOBA is a more accurate representation of that contribution than OPS
  • wRC+ – If you want a rate statistic for hitters that weights each offensive action and controls for League and park effects, wRC+ is for you.
  • AVG+
  • OBP+
  • SLG+
  • dWAR
  • rWAR
  • fWAR

After going through the list of shortstops, I found at least eight candidates. Thanks to the 500 game limit, I quickly narrowed it to five.

Number five – Raffy

The Atlanta Braves signed 19-year old Dominican shortstop Rafael Furcal as an amateur free agent in November 1996 and gave him a $5,000 signing bonus. Forty months later, he made his Major League Debut against the Rockies, got two hits and stole his first base for the Braves.

Quilvio Veras started the season as the  Atlanta Braves’ leadoff man with Furcal filling as when the Braves rested Veras. On July 14, Veras tore his ACL in a rundown, and Furcal took over permanently. He finished the season batting .295/.394/.385/.776 and 40 stolen bases, a performance that earned him Rookie of the Year honors by a big margin.

Furcal’s best season came in 2003, when he had 194 hits, walked 60 times, stole 25 bases in 27 attempts, batted .292/.352/.443/.794, and led MLB in triples with ten. Those numbers and superb defense worked out to a .346 wOBA, 107 wRC+, with 4.0 fWAR and 4.9 rWAR. Furcal also made his first All-Star appearance in 1993 and finished #33 in MVP balloting.

In the 2004 NLDS, Furcal batted .381/.480/.762/.1.242 with two homers, as the Atlanta Braves lost to Houston.

Furcal still ranks third (130 in 2003), and tenth (103 in 2004), in runs scored by a shortstop.

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