Braves Collection: Brad Komminsk

1985 Donruss

There are certain fans of the Atlanta Braves of a certain age who naturally resist the hype surrounding Atlanta rookies. This guy is the reason why.

In 1983, he was putting up a line of .334/24/103 for Richmond in AAA, and the hype was strong. Heck, he wasn't just going to be the heir apparent to Dale Murphy, he might be the next Hank Aaron. Well, he wasn't.

In fact, he wasn't particularly good at all. The question is: how could a kid this talented achieve nothing of significance in the big leagues? How could you dominate at AAA and do nothing for the Braves? Did he fold under pressure?

From my perspective, there were just too many holes in his swing. Now, perhaps with a little time and a little less attention, he could have turned himself into a productive player. That wasn't the case though. You are judged against the expectations placed upon you, and by that measure he was a failure. Honestly, by any measure he was.

One perk of being a one time prospect is that you will continue to get chances. The Brewers, Giants, Indians, A's and Orioles would all take a shot at turning Komminsk into a major leaguer, but it wouldn't happen. He would end his career in the minors, two years after Atlanta finally won a World Championship. It's sort of shocking that he was still in organized baseball in 1997.