Atlanta Braves greatest all-time home run hitters

The rich history of the Atlanta Braves franchise has many of the best home run hitters of all time.

The question of the day is this:  which Atlanta Braves‘ players – including those from the Boston and Milwaukee incarnations of this franchise – have hit the most home runs?

The name at the top of the list is likely obvious to most.  But the rest of the top twenty is likely a very tough trivia question for all but the most dedicated fans.

Going back as far as the baseball-reference.com records will allow (1871), there have been a total of 2018 players to wear the uniform of the Braves prior to the 2020 season.  It is these whose homers we will tally.

Of that group, 813 have homered during their careers.  This includes many lofty names in this sport, Babe Ruth among them.  Upon his return to Boston at the end of his glorious career (albeit as a National Leaguer for the first time) he logged 6 dingers.

But it was this 40-year-old Ruth on May 25th, 1935 who went 4 for 4 with 3 home runs – the final ones he would hit just prior to his retirement.  One is reported to have left Forbes Field entirely.

Braves Home Run Trivia

Of these 2,018 Braves players:

• 1,205 never homered (though several still are active and will have the opportunity to change that).
• 261 have hit ten+ home runs.
• Just 22 have 100 or more.
• 201 hit exactly 1.  Probably the most famous of the homer soloists (aside from Rafael Belliard), was the late Rick Camp, who hit a legendary homer in a legendary game.

Just missing the list:  Sid Gordon (100) and Bob Elliot (101).  Next up?  Ronald Acuña Jr. is the highest active hitter not yet in the top twenty with 67 homers.

But the Top Twenty?  Get your guesses ready and we’ll get started.

Braves all-time home run hitters – No. 20: Rico Carty

109 HR

Named one of the 10 best outfielders of the Atlanta Braves in a companion list we recently witnessed in these pages, Rico Carty might have been a lot higher on this list if not for enough injuries over his career to keep an entire Orthopedic practice going strong.

Though he lasted for 15 seasons in the majors overall, Carty averaged just over 110 games per year – and missed out on 1968 and 1971 entirely.

When he did play, Carty was a hitter… 204 homers, a .833 OPS (132 OPS+), and a career .299 average.  But that doesn’t say enough, either.

After 2 debut games in 1963, Carty broke out in a big way in 1964:  .330 average, .942 OPS with 22 homes and 88 RBI… marks that put him second in the Rookie of the Year balloting.

Carty’s best season came as a 30-year old in 1970.  He led baseball with a .366 average and .454 OBP.  25 homers and 101 RBI helped boost him to a 1.037 OPS.

While an All-Star that season, it seems a crime that Carty didn’t get more respect for the MVP award.  He finished 10th despite an OPS better than anyone not named McCovey (who finished 9th).

As a 36-year-old in Cleveland (1976), he hit .310.  In 1978 during his age 38 season, Carty hammered out 31 homers and 99 RBI in 145 games combined for Toronto and Oakland.

Rico Carty was a Brave from 1963 through 1972.  He pounded out 109 homers behind the tomahawk, which – thanks to health issues – kept him in the shadows behind three Hall of Fame teammates.