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Atlanta Braves: Atlanta’s Top Five Players For 2017

By Kit Anderson

Aug 17, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (2) collects his first major league base hit against the Minnesota Twins during the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 17, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (2) collects his first major league base hit against the Minnesota Twins during the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
  1. Bartolo Colon

Colon deserves a spot in these rankings for several reasons the most important being the longevity of his career and the numbers he has put up in that career. Colon has more than 2,000 career strikeouts putting him second among active players, he is first among active pitchers with 233 career wins and an impressive 19 year resume, that if anything has seemed to be gaining speed over the past few seasons.

Colon deserves some credit as well for reinventing himself as a pitcher as well learning to truly pitch without velocity and to get hitters out with regularity. While on most teams Colon may not rank as one of their best players the Braves are still a very young team and lucky to have a veteran and clubhouse leader like they have found in Bartolo Colon.

He earns a spot in these rankings based on his aforementioned career numbers and leadership combined. The forty-three year old should help bring some stability to a rotation that struggled to find anyone that would last more than four or five innings at a time. Colon will offer the Braves an innings eater who will keep them in games and become a fan favorite at the same time.

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