Who is the Best Atlanta Braves Third Baseman Ever? Cast Your Vote

This might be the shortest argument in the whole "best Braves at every position" series, and also one of the deepest benches to prove it wrong with. There is a switch-hitting Hall of Famer who spent 19 seasons at the hot corner and became the most beloved player of his generation. There is the only man to suit up for the Braves in Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta. There is a 1991 NL MVP who turned a last-place team into a pennant winner in one season. And there is a active All-Star doing his best to force his way into the conversation right now. Third base in Atlanta has never lacked for a signature player, even in the years between the legends.

Tap up to three players below to build your ballot. Your first tap is your #1. Then cast your vote and share your ranking with Braves Country.

Third Base in Atlanta: From Eddie Mathews to the Big Chipper Era and Beyond

The story of Atlanta Braves third basemen starts with one of the most fitting handoffs in baseball history. Eddie Mathews, already a Hall of Fame slugger by 1966, was the only player to suit up for the Braves in all three of their home cities: Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta. He played that first Atlanta season and then moved on, closing the loop on a career that had spanned the entire relocation. Clete Boyer took over from 1967 through 1971 and anchored the position with elite glove work through the late 1960s, and Darrell Evans followed with genuine power, famously hitting 41 home runs in 1973 as part of the first trio of teammates to each hit 40 or more homers in a single season.

Jerry Royster held the job in the mid-1970s, and then Bob Horner arrived in 1978 in one of the more unusual debuts in baseball history: he won National League Rookie of the Year that season without ever playing a single game in the minor leagues, going straight from Arizona State to the Atlanta lineup. Horner anchored third base for nearly a decade before Ken Oberkfell arrived via trade from St. Louis in 1987. Jeff Blauser, who would go on to make his name at shortstop, spent the 1989 season at the hot corner, and Jim Presley held the job for one season in 1990 before the front office went shopping for an upgrade.

1991: The Trade That Changed Everything

That upgrade was Terry Pendleton, and it remains one of the great value-add signings in franchise history. Pendleton won the 1991 National League MVP award and a batting title in his first season in Atlanta, and his arrival is often cited as the single biggest catalyst behind the Braves' turnaround from a last-place team in 1990 to a pennant winner in 1991. He held the position through 1994 and was as responsible as anyone for igniting the dynasty that followed.

Chipper Jones: Nearly Two Decades at the Hot Corner

Then came the player who defines the position in Atlanta more than anyone. Chipper Jones took over at third base in 1995 and became a franchise icon, a switch-hitting force who won the 1999 National League MVP and anchored the Braves' lineup for the better part of two decades. He briefly moved to left field from 2002 to 2003 while Vinny Castilla, signed as a free agent, manned third base, but Chipper returned to the hot corner in 2004 and stayed there through his final season in 2012, when he hit exactly .300 at age 40 in one of the most graceful send-offs in team history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018, and the number 10 has not been worn by a Brave since.

The Rebuild Years and the Next Great One

After Chipper retired, the position went through the churn every team experiences during a rebuild. Chris Johnson competed for the National League batting title in 2013, finishing with a sharp .321 average. Adonís García led the team in starts at third during 2015 and 2016, and 2017 split time between rookies and veterans, including Johan Camargo, Rio Ruiz, and García, as the front office searched for the next answer. Camargo secured the starting job in 2018 and helped lead a young, ascending Braves team back to the postseason. Josh Donaldson arrived on a one-year "prove it" deal in 2019 and delivered, hitting 37 home runs and winning National League Comeback Player of the Year.

Since 2020, the job has belonged to Austin Riley, who has grown into a core piece of the current roster with multiple All-Star selections and Silver Sluggers along the way. He is still adding to his resume, and every big series pushes his case further up this ballot.

So Who Is the Best Braves Third Baseman of All Time?

For most fans this isn't much of a debate. Chipper Jones's combination of longevity, an MVP award, a batting title, and a genuine Hall of Fame plaque puts him in a class by himself. But Terry Pendleton's 1991 season changed the direction of the entire franchise, Eddie Mathews closes the loop on the team's whole relocation story, and Austin Riley is building a case in real time. Cast your ballot and see where the fans land.