Milwaukee’s Best, Part 5: The 50 Best To Play For Braves, Brewers: 10-1
By Phil Watson
Eddie Mathews, shown on a 1957 poster.
2. Eddie Mathews, 3B
Braves 1953-65
Eddie Mathews had just completed his first season in the majors when the Braves came to Milwaukee in 1953 and by the time they left for Atlanta after 1965, he was one of the most highly accomplished third basemen in baseball history.
Matthews was a nine-time All-Star in Milwaukee, winning NL home run crowns in 1953 and 1959. He also finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting four times, including runner-up finishes in 1953 and 1959.
Matthews struck out a lot by the standards of his era, but he also walked a ton—leading the NL in free passes four times and pacing the circuit in on-base percentage in 1963.
He finished in the top 10 in home runs 11 times in 13 seasons in Milwaukee, as well.
In the 1957 World Series, Matthews was 5-for-22 with a homer and four RBI and was 4-for-25 with three RBI in 1958.
Mathews had signed with the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent out of Santa Barbara (Calif.) High School in the spring of 1949 and was traded to the Houston Astros in December 1966. He later played for the Detroit Tigers before retiring after the 1968 season.
After his playing days, he managed the Braves for parts of three seasons, 1972-74, posting a record of 149-161. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1978 and later worked as a minor league instructor for the Oakland Athletics for several years.
Mathews died in La Jolla, Calif., in February 2001 at the age of 69.
Here are Mathews’ statistics from his 13 seasons with the Braves in Milwaukee:
| Year | Age | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 ★ | 21 | 157 | 681 | 579 | 110 | 175 | 31 | 8 | 47 | 135 | 1 | 3 | 99 | 83 | .302 | .406 | .627 | 1.033 | 171 |
| 1954 | 22 | 138 | 600 | 476 | 96 | 138 | 21 | 4 | 40 | 103 | 10 | 3 | 113 | 61 | .290 | .423 | .603 | 1.026 | 172 |
| 1955 ★ | 23 | 141 | 616 | 499 | 108 | 144 | 23 | 5 | 41 | 101 | 3 | 4 | 109 | 98 | .289 | .413 | .601 | 1.014 | 170 |
| 1956 ★ | 24 | 151 | 651 | 552 | 103 | 150 | 21 | 2 | 37 | 95 | 6 | 0 | 91 | 86 | .272 | .373 | .518 | .892 | 143 |
| 1957 ★ | 25 | 148 | 666 | 572 | 109 | 167 | 28 | 9 | 32 | 94 | 3 | 1 | 90 | 79 | .292 | .387 | .540 | .927 | 154 |
| 1958 ★ | 26 | 149 | 649 | 546 | 97 | 137 | 18 | 1 | 31 | 77 | 5 | 0 | 85 | 85 | .251 | .349 | .458 | .807 | 120 |
| 1959 ★ | 27 | 148 | 682 | 594 | 118 | 182 | 16 | 8 | 46 | 114 | 2 | 1 | 80 | 71 | .306 | .390 | .593 | .983 | 168 |
| 1960 ★ | 28 | 153 | 671 | 548 | 108 | 152 | 19 | 7 | 39 | 124 | 7 | 3 | 111 | 113 | .277 | .397 | .551 | .948 | 166 |
| 1961 ★ | 29 | 152 | 672 | 572 | 103 | 175 | 23 | 6 | 32 | 91 | 12 | 7 | 93 | 95 | .306 | .402 | .535 | .937 | 156 |
| 1962 ★ | 30 | 152 | 643 | 536 | 106 | 142 | 25 | 6 | 29 | 90 | 4 | 2 | 101 | 90 | .265 | .381 | .496 | .877 | 137 |
| 1963 | 31 | 158 | 675 | 547 | 82 | 144 | 27 | 4 | 23 | 84 | 3 | 4 | 124 | 119 | .263 | .399 | .453 | .852 | 146 |
| 1964 | 32 | 141 | 590 | 502 | 83 | 117 | 19 | 1 | 23 | 74 | 2 | 2 | 85 | 100 | .233 | .344 | .412 | .756 | 112 |
| 1965 | 33 | 156 | 626 | 546 | 77 | 137 | 23 | 0 | 32 | 95 | 1 | 0 | 73 | 110 | .251 | .341 | .469 | .810 | 126 |
| TOTALS | 1944 | 8422 | 7069 | 1300 | 1960 | 294 | 61 | 452 | 1277 | 59 | 30 | 1254 | 1190 | .277 | .385 | .528 | .913 | 150 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/22/2015.
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