All Braves team 1965-2016 pitchers

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Out of all the team's I've put together so far, the Braves pitching staff was perhaps the easiest. For the most part, these choices are cut and dried, though some might quibble about who goes where on this list. As might be expected, the Braves great rotation from the 90s is well represented. And here we go.

Starting pitcher: John Smoltz Out of the Braves big three of Smoltz, Maddux and Glavine, Smoltz had the best stuff. John excelled not only as a starter, but as a reliever. John led the NL in wins in 1996 with 24. He led the league with 55 in 2002. John was outstanding in post season, going 15-4 with an ERA of 2.67. That in itself is enough to vault him to the top of the Braves rotation.

Starting pitcher: Tom Glavine Tom slides into the second slot of this Braves rotation over Greg Maddux by virtue of his longevity with the Braves. Tom spent 17 years with the Braves, going 244-177. Tom was a master at commanding his stuff, which led to his getting a little more of a margin of error in the strike zone than most pitchers. John had five seasons of 20 wins or more. Six times John led the NL in starts. In 17 years of pitching with the Braves, Tom rang up a WAR of 58.7. John's post season record was 14-16, though his ERA was a solid 3.30.

Starting pitcher: Greg Maddux In some ways, Greg is like a right handed version of Tom Glavine, or Glavine is a left handed version of Maddux. Greg also had great command and helped himself by winning a gold glove almost every year. He could also put down a sacrifice bunt and hit a little bit too. In 11 seasons with the Braves, Greg put up a WAR of 66.0. His won and lost record was 194-88 with an ERA of 2.63. While Greg's overall record in post season play was an unimpressive 11-14, his ERA was a good 3.27. Greg Maddux, a member a member of both the Braves and Cubs rotation. 

Starting pitcher: Phil Niekro Before the Braves big three of the 90s, there was another ace, Phil Niekro. Phil pitched 21 years for the Braves, going 268-230 with an ERA 3.20. Twice Phil led the NL in wins. He also led the NL in losses four times, though that speaks more to his durability than his lack of effectiveness. Four times Phil led the NL in innings pitched, throwing over 300 innings in each of those seasons. Phil had a WAR of 90.0 in his 21 years with the Braves. In the 1970 season alone, Phil had a WAR of 10. Actually, the argument could be made that the long time knuckle baller should be higher on this list.

Starting pitcher: Tim Hudson Tim spent 9 seasons with the Braves, recording double digit wins in seven of those. From 2010-12 his win totals were 17-16-16. Tim put up a WAR of 24.4 and an ERA of 3.56. Tim gets the fifth slot over other notable Braves starters, Steve Avery and Kevin Millwood. Avery had a few nice seasons for the Braves in the 1990s and Millwood had a couple of 18 win seasons, but it wasn't enough to beat out Hudson.

Relief pitcher: Craig Kimbrel Craig was an easy choice. In his four seasons as the Braves full time closer, he led the NL is saves. His strikeout per 9 innings was an amazing 14.8. His WHIP was 0.903. From 2011-14 Kimbrel was simply the best closer in the NL.

Relief pitcher: Gene Garber While not being overpowering Garber spent 10 years with the Braves and amassed 141 saves during his stint in Atlanta. Three times he pitched over 100 innings in relief. Garber had his best season for the Braves in 1982 when he saved 30 games. His strikeouts per 9 innings wasn't great that season, but his other peripherals weren't bad. Garber gets this slot because of longevity as much as efficiency.

Relief pitcher: Mark Wohlers There was a brief period in time when Wohlers was one of the most dominant closers in baseball. From 1995-97 his save totals were 25-39-33. His strikeouts per 9 innings during that stretch was right at 12. And then it was gone. Still, he nails down the third slot in the Braves pen.

There are my choices. Look them over and see what you think. Feel free to express your opinion.