CSC 124 Project List
CSC 125 Project List
Favorite Atlanta Braves Players
 John Rocker Favorite Pitcher |
Height: 6-4 Weight: 225 Born: 10/17/74 in Statesboro, GA Resides: Macon, GA Bats: R Throws: L Major League Service: 0 + 147 Contract Status: Signed through '99 Acquired: Selected by the Braves in the 18th round of the 1993 June free agent draft... Signed by Rob English. |
1998 Season
Worked most of the year as the lone lefthander out of the
bullpen after 6/23 trade of Alan Embree to Arizona...Made
Major League debut 5/5 vs. LA in Atlanta's 8-3 win,
striking out two and walking one in an inning of relief...Secured
first Major League win in a 7-3 win 5/14 at St. Louis as
the Braves scored 7 in the top of the 8th after he
pitched a scoreless bottom of the 7th (1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K)...Posted
first Major League save 7/17 vs. Mil in relief of Mark
Wohlers, stranded inherited runner at second as he struck
out pinch-hitter Darrin Jackson... Struck out 42 batters
in 38.0 IP and had a .172 Opp BA (22 x 128)...Was not
scored on in 12 games (9.1 IP) before 9/7 at NY...
Recalled from AAA Richmond 5/4 after Mark Wohlers went on
15-day DL 5/3...Pitched scoreless ball in 38 of his 47
outings...Averaged more than a strikeout an inning (1.11)...Posted
a 0.44 ERA at home in 25 appearances with two saves in 20.2
IP...Was 1-3 on the road with a 4.15 ERA in 22 games and
17.1 IP...Held lefties to .164 (9x55) and righties to a .178
(13x73) average...Finished 16 games...AAA line: 1-1, 1.42
ERA, 9 G, 1 S, 19.0 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 10 BB, 22 K...First
batters were held to a .171 average (7x40)....Allowed 6
of 33 (18%) of inherited runners to score, 5th among NL
relievers...In seven appearances against the Astros and
Padres (7.2 IP) allowed only one hit while striking out
six...Held opponents to a .125 average (3x24) with RISP
and two outs with only 3 RBI and 11 K's.
Career Highlights
Highlight of 1996 season was a no-hitter he hurled vs.
Charleston-SC June 9 in a 2-0 triumph.
Personal
Full name JOHN LOY ROCKER...Single...1993 graduate of
Presbyterian Day High School (Macon, GA), where he played
baseball, football, and basketball...Earned All-State and
All-Region honors in baseball...Attended Mercer
University in Macon, GA, where he majored in political
science...Enjoys hunting and fishing...Works with the
Georgia Children's Home and Scottish Rite Hospital.
 Chipper Jones Favorite Player |
Height: 6-4 Weight: 210 Born: 4/24/72 at DeLand, FL Resides: Alpharetta, GA Bats: Both Throws: Right Major League Service: 5 + 024 Contract Status: Signed thru '99 Acquired: Was the Braves' 1st selection ( #1 in the nation) in the 1990 June free agent draft...Signed by Tony DeMacio and Dean Jongewaard |
1998 Highlights
Compiled a career year with highs in home runs (34),
games (160), hits (188), runs (123) and average (.313)...His
32nd home run 9/1 vs. Astros gave him 100 RBI for the
season; making him the first Brave to post 3 straight 100+-RBI
seasons since Dale Murphy did it 4 consecutive years 1982-85...
Became the first Brave to score at least 100 runs in 3
straight seasons since Henry Aaron did it 13 years in a
row from 1955-67...His 123 runs are the most for a Brave
third baseman in franchise history, eclipsing Eddie
Mathews' 118 in 1959... Became the 5th player in
franchise history to have 3 straight seasons of at least
20 HR and 100 RBI...The others: Wally Berger 1933-35,
Eddie Mathews 1953-55, Hank Aaron 1959-63 and Dale Murphy
1982-85..Finished the year ranked 22nd among active
players with a .382 OBP... His 31st homer 8/31 vs.
Houston set a career high, surpassing the 30 he hit in
1996...July stats: 27 G, 38 x 96, .396, 8 HR, 19 RBI, .508
OBP and .750 SLG%... Hit career home run #100 on 7/20 off
Cubs' Kevin Tapani, which was 26th of season...Had two 2-HR
games (4/7 at Pit and 7/1 at TB)...Has six 2-HR games in
career...Put together four significant hitting streaks
during the season: an 11-game 4/10-20 (16 x 41, .390, 5
HR, 15 RBI), a 10-game 6/6-17 (13 x 42, .310, 2 HR, 9 RBI),
a 13-game 7/11-24 (19 x 48, .396, 4 HR, 12 RBI) and a 9-game
8/6-15 (17 x 36, .472, 3 HR, 10 RBI)...Homer 7/17 off
Brewers' Brad Woodall was his first against a lefty since
9/6/97 at SD (Sterling Hitchcock); hit second of year off
the Giants' Kirk Rueter 8/7 at SF...Contributed to two
last at-bat victories: 8/9 at SF with a 9th inning 2-run
single and 6/8 with a 9th inning 2-run HR at TB...Finished
T4th in NL with 123 runs, T4th with 96 BB (career high),
5th with a .610 SLG% vs. RHP, 10th with 329 TB, and 9th
with a .404 OB%...Named the National League Player of the
Week for 4/13-19 for first time in his career (7 G, 11 x
26, .423, 5 HR, 13 RBI)...5 RBI 4/7 at Pit matched his
career high (4th time)...4-hit games 4/3 vs. Phi, 4/24 vs.
Diamondbacks, 5/23 vs. Cubs, and 8/9 at SF match his
career high (has 13 4-hit games in career)...Consistent
hitter both home and away: home - .321, 17 HR and 50 RBI,
road - .305, 17 HR and 57 RBI...Committed a career-low 12
errors at third base...Led the team with 22 solo home
runs...Hit .343 against Houston (12x35) and .394 against
San Diego (13x33)...Produced with the bases loaded with a
.500 average in 8 at-bats with one home run and 10 RBI...Struck
out 30 times with RISP and hit .288 (44x153) with 8 HR
and 57 RBI...Selected to his third All-Star game, started
at third and went 0x2 with a walk and a run scored.
Career Highlights
Led the Braves with 111 RBI (career high), runs (100),
multi-hit games (54) and multi-RBI games (26) in 1997...Selected
to his second consecutive All-Star team in 1997...His 41
doubles in 1997 established an Atlanta season record...First
Braves third baseman with 100+ RBI in consecutive seasons
(110 in '96, 111 in 1997) since Eddie Matthews had 114 in
1959 and 124 in 1960, and the first Brave of any position
with back-to-back 100+ RBI seasons since Dale Murphy had
100 in 1984 and 1985...Hit three grand slams in 13 games
July 10 vs. Mets, June 25 at NY and July 5 at Montreal...Stole
20-of-25 bases in 1997...A multi-faceted defensive player,
he started at three different positions for the Braves in
1995, (third base-121 games; left field-13 games; right
field-4 games)...Named the 1993 Braves AAA minor league
Player-of-the-Year...Named the No. 2 prospect of 1993 in
the International League by Baseball America...Voted
Richmond's Most Valuable Player and I.L. Rookie-of-the-Year
in 1993...Named Southern League's top prospect of 1992 in
BASEBALL AMERICA's poll of league managers...Named most
outstanding M.L. prospect for the South Atlantic League
in 1991
Personal
Full name LARRY WAYNE JONES, Jr.... Single... Graduated
from The Bolles High School in Jacksonville, FL... Was
honored as the Florida High School Player-of-the-Year in
1990... Led Bolles to the state championship with a .448
batting average... Hobbies include hunting and fishing...
Serves as spokesperson for Braves' Big League Lunch
Program.