We are saddened by the passing of former Braves third baseman Bob Horner.
The first overall pick in the 1978 MLB Draft, Horner made the jump straight to the Majors without playing a single day in the Minors.
Just ten days after being drafted, Horner made his MLB debut and homered off future Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven. Horner went on to blast 23 home runs in just 89 games and won NL Rookie of the Year honors.
He went on to top the 30-homer mark three times in the next four years and was a National League All-Star in 1982, when he helped lead the Atlanta Braves to a division title.
Horner spent 9 of his 10 Major League seasons with the Braves. He made history on July 6, 1986 when he slugged a record-tying 4 home runs in one game. It was the only four-homer game of the 1980s.
Horner completed his college career at Arizona State with the most home runs in NCAA history, a mark since broken. He was named MVP of the 1977 College World Series and was the very first winner of the prestigious Golden Spikes Award in 1978.
He was 68 years old.
We mourn the passing of Hall of Famer Bobby Cox, the fourth-winningest manager in MLB history.
Cox led the Atlanta Braves to unprecedented success, winning 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005, along with 5 NL pennants and the 1995 World Series championship.
The four-time Manager of the Year won 2,401 games overall, behind only Connie Mack, Tony La Russa, and John McGraw. Of the 13 managers with at least 2,000 career wins, only one (Joe McCarthy) got there in fewer games than Cox.
Cox managed the Braves for 25 seasons in all, leading them to six 100-win seasons and eight 90-win seasons. He also managed the Blue Jays for four years, including the franchiseโs first winning record in 1983 and first division title in 1985.
As General Manager of the Braves from 1986-90, Cox laid the foundation for the teams he would manage to success over the next two decades by trading for one future Hall of Famer in John Smoltz, drafting another in Chipper Jones, and helping develop homegrown legend Tom Glavine.
Owner of a .556 winning percentage in 29 total seasons as manager, Cox was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014.
He was 84 years old.