Who would be on the Mount Rushmore of Atlanta Braves pitching?

Any conversation about the top four pitchers in Atlanta Braves history has to start with the "Big Three"

The Braves franchise has a long legacy of pitching excellence, with a surprising number of Hall of Fame pitchers having spent time with the Atlanta Braves - some are obvious, like Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine, but there's others in the franchise's history that are surprising: Cy Young (played for the 1911 Boston Rustlers), Babe Ruth (played for the 1935 Boston Braves)

But who are the best four? 

In trying to figure out who would be on Atlanta's Mt. Rushmore, we had to narrow the list somehow, and so that's what we did: This would be Atlanta's Mt. Rushmore of pitching, not Milwaukee's or Boston's. Only performance for the Braves franchise in Atlanta would be considered, and this narrowed the field significantly but still left us some tough choices. 

Among the Braves legends left out because of the Atlanta requirement: Warren Spahn, Johnny Sain & Lew Burdette (Boston), Bob Buhl (Milwaukee). 

#1: Greg Maddux

Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

1993-2003 stats: 363 G, 194-88, 2.63 ERA w/ 61 complete games, 21 shutouts. 2526.2 inning pitched with 1828 strikeouts (6.5 K/9) to 383 walks (1.4 BB/9)

After his first seven years with the Chicago Cubs, where he was a two time All-Star and won the 1992 NL Cy Young, Maddux joined the Atlanta Braves in free agency and promptly continued his dominance as the pitcher of the 90s: He won the NL Cy Young Award in 1993, 1994, & 1995, was a six-time All Star, and collected ten Gold Gloves in his eleven years with the franchise. 

He had some of the most dominant pitching years in baseball's Modern Era, going 16-6 with a 1.56 ERA in 1994 and following that up with a 19-2 record and a 1.63 ERA in 1995. 

There were three dominant pitchers on those Braves teams of the 90s, but Maddux was the unquestioned ace and gets the first spot on Atlanta's Mt. Rushmore of pitching. 

Maddux was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014, receiving 555 of a possible 571 votes. 

#2: Phil Neikro

1966-1983 stats: 688 games (593 starts), 266-227, 3.19 ERA w/ 226 complete games, 43 shutouts. 4529.2 innings pitched with 2855 strikeouts (5.7 K/9) to 1419 walks (2.8 BB/9)

One of the best knuckleballers of all time, Neikro began his career with the Milwaukee Braves in 1964 before moving with the franchise to Atlanta for the 1966 season. He racked up 4 All-Star selections, 3 Top 5 Cy Young finishes, and won at least 15 games eight different times during the 1970s, including leading the NL in wins twice. His 164 wins during the 1970s, a decade known for phenomenal pitching, stand as the eighth-most wins during that time frame. 

He pitched in Atlanta through 1983, his age 44 season, where he then spent time with the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, and one final game (at age 48) with the Atlanta Braves in 1987. 

Neikro was inducted into the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, receiving 380 of a possible 473 votes. 

#3: John Smoltz

1998-2008 stats: 708 games (466 starts), 210-147, 3.26 ERA w/ 53 complete games, 16 shutouts, and 154 saves. 3395 innings pitched with 3011 strikeouts (8.0 K/9) to 992 walks (2.6 BB/9)

One of only two pitchers in MLB history with 150 wins and 150 saves in his career (Dennis Eckersley, fellow Hall of Famer, being the other), Smoltz is considered not only one of Atlanta's best pitchers but one of MLB's best pitchers during his twenty-plus year career. 

Winning the 1996 NL Cy Young after going 24-8 with a league leading 276 strikeouts, he twice led the National League in wins and was an 8-time All Star. From 1989-1999, Smoltz averaged 14 wins a season with 214 innings pitched and 187 strikeouts. 

After missing the 2000 season to Tommy John surgery, he returned in 2001 as a closer and spent four years locking down the back end of the bullpen before shifting back into the rotation for the end of his career. As a closer, he led baseball in saves in 2002 with 55, and averaged 38 saves a season during the four year stretch before returning to a starting role. 

Smoltz was inducted into the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015 with votes on 455 of 549 ballots.   

#4: Tom Glavine

© Michael Snyder, The Northwest Florida Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK

1987-2002, 2008 stats: 518 games started, 244-147, 3.41 ERA w/ 52 complete games, 22 shutouts. 3408 innings pitched with 2031 strikeouts (5.5 K/9) to 1177 walks (3.1)

A two-time Cy Young winner (1991, 1998) and eight-time All-Star with Atlanta, Glavine was the most overqualified #2 pitcher during most of his career. A paragon of consistency, he led MLB in starts six times in his career and five times led the National League in wins. Outside of the two Cy Young wins, he finished in the top three four additional times (1992, 1993, 1995, 2000). Glavine won the 1995 World Series MVP after winning both game two and game six against Cleveland, including eight innings in the clinching game six with one hit, no runs, and eight strikeouts.  

After five years spent with the New York Mets, he returned to the Braves for the 2008 season at age 42 and made 13 starts before retiring. 

Glavine was inducted into the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 with votes on 525 of 571 ballots. 

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