Hall of Fame Catcher Joins Braves Broadcast, Praises Run of Success

The Atlanta Braves made an appearance during the broadcast of a Spring Training game

Bench is a fan of how the Braves operate things | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench joined the Atlanta Braves telecast against the Miami Marlins on Friday. 

During his chat, he spoke highly of how the Braves operate the front office. Teams don’t always have the baseball minds in charge but the Braves do.  

“The Braves have seen so successful over the years because they put the right people in the right place,” Bench said in the top of the second inning.

Bench didn’t name anyone in particular, but two specific names over the years can be pointed to as examples of this success: Bobby Cox and Alex Anthopoulos. 

Cox was both the manager and general manager of the Braves at different times during his career. During his time as general manager, Cox traded for John Smoltz and drafted Chipper Jones and Steve Avery. 

He then became the manager (for the second) time in 1990 and led the Braves to a World Series title, five National League pennants and 14 straight division titles.  

Anthopoulos has been a major factor in manufacturing the Braves' current run of success. Under his tenure, the team has won the World Series 2021 and won six straight division titles from 2018 to 2023. 

A major move Bench mentioned on the broadcast from the Anthopoulos era was swapping out Freddie Freeman for Matt Olson. Even though losing Freeman still stings for many Braves fans, Olson has been an All-Star during his time in Atlanta and a Gold Glove finalist. 

“It’s how you justify that decision,” Bench said. “Sometimes it’s money. You don’t know all the situations.” 

Bench’s Hall of Fame career lasted from 1967 to 1983, all with the Cincinnati Reds. He won two MVPs, made 14 All-Star teams and won 10 Gold Glove Awards. He was the 1976 World Series MVP.