Five Braves superstars named among greatest players of MLB's modern era

This week, BleacherReport has accumulated a list of the 50 best Major League Baseball players of the modern era, which began in 1995 with the introduction of wild card teams.

Of the 42 players on the list (the top 10 will be listed tomorrow and there were some ties), five Braves superstars have been named as the best of the best.

Former outfielder Andruw Jones ranks at No. 41. Across his career, he boasted a .254 Batting Average, 1,204 runs, 1,289 RBI, and 434 home runs. He was a five-time All-Star , a 10-time Gold Glove winner, and a 1-time Silver Slugger. Jones is one of four players to record at least 400 home runs and 10 Gold Glove wins. He shares this honor with Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mike Schmidt.

Currently playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Freddie Freeman is ranked just in front of Jones at 40. He won a World Series with the Braves in 2022, is an eight-time All-Star, a one-time Gold Glove winner, and was named National League MVP in 2020. Over his continuing career, Freeman has a .301 BA, 1,270 runs, 1,196 RBI, and 333 home runs.

Sharing the 28th spot with Jim Thome is Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine. Throughout his over 20-year-long career, Glavine holds a 305-203 win-loss record with a 3.54 ERA. On the all-time leaderboard, he is third in starts (682), fourth in wins, eighth in strikeouts (2,607), seventh in innings played, (4,413.1), and tenth in WAR (66.7). Glavine is a ten-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, two-time Cy Young winner (1991, 1998), and was named World Series MVP in 1995. His number was retired by the Braves.

Joining Glavine from the 1995 World Series-winning team is John Smoltz, ranked 24th. Smoltz held a 213-155 record with 154 saves, a 3.33 ERA, 3,473 innings played, and 3,084 strikeouts. He is an eight-time All-Star, won the Cy Young award in 1996, and was named into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2015. His number was also retired by the Braves.

The final Braves player on the list (so far) is Chipper Jones, who has spent his entire year as a player and a coach with Atlanta. Ranked 14th overall, Jones had a .303 BA, 1,619 Runs, 1,623 RBI, and 468 home runs. Jones' accolades include being an eight-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, one World Series, and MVP in 1999. He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2018 and had his number retired by the Braves.

Two other players who have played for Atlanta were named honorable mentions on the list: second baseman Robinson Canó and outfielder/third baseman Gary Sheffield.

BleacherReport is set to release its Top 10 tomorrow. Only time will tell if any more Braves will make it on the list. I'm looking at you, Greg Maddux.

More MLB: Resurgent Ace Is On Trade Block; Should Braves Look To Make Big Deal?