presented by Redmond Regional Medical Center
May 27 & 29

Freddie Freeman had a season for the ages in 2020, further cementing his legacy in an Atlanta Braves uniform. Freeman won his first National League Most Valuable Player Award after receiving 28 of 30 first place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, making him the 7th Brave to take home the honor and the first since Chipper Jones in 1999.

During the 2020 season, the California native hit a career-best .341 while finishing in the top four of the Major Leagues in five major categories including runs (51), hits (73), doubles (23), RBI (53) and walks (45).

Not only did Freeman win the 2020 MVP Award, but the first baseman also took home his second career Silver Slugger Award and the highly coveted Hank Aaron Award, making him the second Brave in franchise history to win that honor after Andruw Jones in 2005.

Freeman – who is currently playing in his 11th season with Atlanta – spent the 2008 season in Rome and was a South Atlantic League All-Star that year. He was also a two-time Sally League Player of the Week.

presented by AGC Pediatrics
June 18 & 19

Brian McCann – born on February 20th, 1984 – had an illustrious 15-year baseball career. Born in Athens, Georgia and a product of Duluth High School, McCann was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft.

In 2003, McCann led the Rome Braves to a South Atlantic League championship where he donned jersey #17. Midway through the 2005 season with the Mississippi Braves, he was called up to Atlanta to make his major league debut on June 10th.

McCann spent his first nine years (2005 – 2013) in Atlanta where he was a 7-time All-Star (winning the MVP honors in 2010) and a 6-time Silver Slugger award winner. He was also the first Braves player in franchise history to hit a home run in his first playoff at-bat in the 2005 National League Division Series against Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros.

Following his stint with the Atlanta Braves, he played for the New York Yankees (2014-2016) and won the World Series in 2017 with the Houston Astros. In 2019, he returned to Atlanta for one final season where he notched his 1,000th career RBI before hanging up his cleats for one last time.

presented by Summit Hill Foods/Louisiana Hot Sauce
July 28 & 29

Charlie Culberson – a native of Rome, Georgia – was born on April 10th, 1989. After graduating from Calhoun High School in Calhoun, Georgia, Culberson was drafted in the first round (51st overall) of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the San Francisco Giants.

In addition to the Giants, Culberson also spent time in the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations before being traded to his hometown Atlanta Braves on December 16th 2017. He signed with the Texas Rangers in February.

During his first season with the Braves in 2018, Culberson became incredibly popular among the fan base. In just 113 games, he hit .270 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI while playing seven different positions including pitcher. Culberson’s late inning heroics even earned him the nickname, “Charlie Clutch.”

Not only is he a fan favorite in the city of Atlanta, he is also well respected in the community where he grew up. In fact, he was inducted into the Calhoun-Gordon Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He was also inducted most recently into the Rome-Floyd County Sports Hall of Fame in 2020 alongside his father.

presented by International Paper
August 20 & 21

Drew Waters – born on December 30th, 1998, in Woodstock, Georgia – graduated from Etowah High School in 2017. In his senior season, he led his team to a Class 7A state championship, which was played here at State Mutual Stadium. He was also named Georgia’s Gatorade Player of the Year and Metro Atlanta’s High School Player of the Year.

Waters committed to play baseball at the University of Georgia, but opted to sign with the Braves after being selected in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

In just three seasons, Waters has quickly made a name for himself. Following a stint with rookie affiliate Danville, Waters began the 2018 season in Rome. The five-tool player hit .303 with 20 stolen bases and 9 home runs before being promoted to High-A Florida after 84 games. That was good enough to earn SAL mid- and post-season All-Star honors. Waters opened the 2019 season with AA Mississippi where he was named a Southern League All-Star and became the first Braves prospect to win the Southern League Player of the Year since Javy Lopez in 1992. He finished the 2019 season in AAA Gwinnett.

Waters began the season as the Braves’ #2 prospect, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets the call to the big leagues.