Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves

Who was the Braves’ highest-paid player 40 years ago?

How much did Braves players earn in 1978? PHIL NIEKRO -- The Braves' ace starting pitcher earned the team's top salary -- $302,500. He went 19-18 with a 2.88 ERA. BOB HORNER -- Third base earned Horner a whopping $27,000. The rookie posted a .266 BA with 23 homers. BRUCE BENEDICT -- The young catcher earned $21,000 in 1978. His stats: A .250 BA with no homers in 22 games. DALE MURPHY -- Murph, in his first full Braves season, hit .226 with 23 homers. His pay? $21,000. In 1991 and '92, he earned $2.5M pe
By AJC Sports
Feb 22, 2018

The 1978 Atlanta Braves roster featured names like Niekro, Murphy, Pocoroba and Rockett.

The ’78 Braves -- owned by Ted Turner at the time -- went 69-93 and finished dead last in the N.L. West standings. The team’s highest paid player was knuckleballer Phil Niekro who earned $302,500. Niekro finished the season 19-18 with a 2.88 ERA and third in the league with 248 strikeouts.

The season’s Rookie of the Year winner Bob Horner netted $27,000.

By comparison, today’s league minimum salary for any player is $507,500. The 2018 Braves’ highest-paid player (Freddie Freeman) will make $21 million.

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