Guide Note:

John Smoltz is a Major League pitcher who has played his entire 20-season career on the Atlanta Braves.

Fast Facts:

1. Seven-time MLB All-Star
2. National League Cy Young Award winner (1996)
3. Only player in history to record 200 wins and 150 saves
4. 2007 All-Star Selection

A Michigan native, Smoltz was drafted by Detroit Tigers in 1985, but in 1987 in the midst of a pennant race, the Tigers traded their promising young pitching prospect to the Braves for veteran hurler Doyle Alexander. The trade was fateful for Smoltz, who would remain with the Braves organization until the present day.

In the 1990s, Smoltz became a regular part of a Braves starting pitching rotation along with Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux that was one of the best in the history of the game. During that decade, the three hurlers combined to win six Cy Young Awards; Smoltz, usually the third starter on the team, won his sole Cy Young in 1996, often overshadowed by his teammates. Smoltz helped lead the Braves to five pennants in the decade as well as a World Championship in 1995.

In 2001, Smoltz was moved into the role of closer, and quickly established himself as one of the most dominant in the game. In 2002, he led the National League in saves and won the league's Rolaids Relief Award for best relief pitcher. However, in 2005, Smoltz returned to the rotation and over the next three seasons, posted some of the best numbers of his career. Early in the 2008 season, Smoltz returned to the bullpen.