Eddie Mathews
The only man to play for the Braves in Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta was also the most underappreciated superstar of his generation. Mathews launched 512 home runs while hitting .271 over 17 seasons, a power surge that places him among the elite third basemen in baseball history.
His timing couldn't have been better. Mathews arrived just as the Braves were relocating to Milwaukee in 1953, becoming the face of baseball's western expansion alongside teammate Hank Aaron. Those Milwaukee years were magical — nine All-Star selections anchored by consistent 30-homer seasons that made him the most feared left-handed power hitter of the 1950s.
What separated Mathews from other sluggers was his patience at the plate and surprising speed. He walked more than he struck out for his career, a rarity among power hitters of his era. The Hall of Fame recognized his excellence in 1978, cementing his place as the greatest third baseman between Mike Schmidt bookends.
Career · Batting
17 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | BSN | 145 | 528 | 25 | 58 | .242 | — | — |
| 1953 | ML1 | 157 | 579 | 47 | 135 | .302 | — | — |
| 1954 | ML1 | 138 | 476 | 40 | 103 | .290 | 1.026 | — |
| 1955 | ML1 | 141 | 499 | 41 | 101 | .289 | 1.014 | — |
| 1956 | ML1 | 151 | 552 | 37 | 95 | .272 | .892 | — |
| 1957 | ML1 | 148 | 572 | 32 | 94 | .292 | .927 | — |
| 1958 | ML1 | 149 | 546 | 31 | 77 | .251 | .807 | — |
| 1959 | ML1 | 148 | 594 | 46 | 114 | .306 | .983 | — |
| 1960 | ML1 | 153 | 548 | 39 | 124 | .277 | .948 | — |
| 1961 | ML1 | 152 | 572 | 32 | 91 | .306 | .937 | — |
| 1962 | ML1 | 152 | 536 | 29 | 90 | .265 | .877 | — |
| 1963 | ML1 | 158 | 547 | 23 | 84 | .263 | .852 | — |
| 1964 | ML1 | 141 | 502 | 23 | 74 | .233 | .756 | — |
| 1965 | ML1 | 156 | 546 | 32 | 95 | .251 | .810 | — |
| 1966 | ATL | 134 | 452 | 16 | 53 | .250 | .761 | — |
| 1967 | HOU | 137 | 436 | 16 | 57 | .236 | .725 | — |
| 1968 | DET | 31 | 52 | 3 | 8 | .212 | .665 | — |
| Career | 2391 | 8537 | 512 | 1453 | .271 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.