Baseball America’s J.J. Hooper reported that former Atlanta Braves first baseman Mike Hessman formally announced his retirement today.
If you’re saying who is this guy and why do I care, you aren’t alone. Hessman was selected in the 15th round of the 1996 draft, other notable selected that year were Jason Marquis (Braves second pick), Mark DeRosa (seventh round, eighth pick) and Marcus Giles (53 round, 54th pick), of the 60 players taken that year those four and Joe Nelson (fourth round, fifth pick) who managed two IP in 2001 were the only ones to reach the majors as a Brave.