#60 BRUCE SUTTER

FAVORITE BRAVES PLAYERS OF THE 1980'S

#60 BRUCE SUTTER

ATLANTA BRAVES 1985-1988

During the Braves late 80's doldrums, the team actually put together a fairly productive bench of reserve players. These players were dubbed "The Bomb Squad" by former all-star Ted Simmons and charter member of the "BS." For my version of the Bomb Squad, I use the phrase in more general terms for eighteen players the Braves got at the wrong end of their career during that decade.

  

Bruce Sutter 1986

AND ON THE LIST WITHIN A LIST...

COMING IN AT #5 ON THE LIST-

"THE BOMB SQUAD: 1980'S FORMERLY PRODUCTIVE 

MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYERS THE BRAVES ACQUIRED

NEAR THE END OF THEIR CAREER"-Bruce Sutter

Career: Bruce Sutter is the only player on this bomb squad list to make the Baseball Hall of Fame. The premiere reliever of his era, Bruce led the league in saves every year between 1979 and 1982. He also led the league in saves in 1984 and won the Cy Young Award in 1982. He made the Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Bomb squad: This certainly seemed like a good acquisition at the time. Bruce had just come off another stellar season when he joined the Braves as a free agent in 1985. But arm troubles and ineffectiveness sank his save total that year to 23, about half what he had the year before. His ERA was never under 4.34 during his three years with Atlanta and was released before the 1989 season. Needless to say, on his Hall of Fame bust he isn't wearing a Braves cap.

Bruce Sutter 1982