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Aaron, Spahn lead way in All-Time 9

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By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

09/15/09 7:56 PM ET

ATLANTA -- Provided the opportunity to vote for the makeup of their ultimate Braves lineup, fans have shown expected support for Hank Aaron and proven that Warren Spahn's great career hasn't been forgotten.

Last week MLB.com started a campaign that has allowed fans to determine which players of each organization would combine to make the strongest lineups. While Hank Aaron was seemingly undoubtedly going to find himself in the outfield mix, it's been interesting to see that Rafael Furcal has been pushed by Jeff Blauser in the balloting for the shortstop position.

More than 4.1 million votes have been cast since the 9/9/09 debut of the "All-Time 9s," a platform for fans to debate the greatest single-season performances for all 30 Major League franchises. The voting marks the start of MLB.com's Lineup Card campaign, a gathering place for the posting and never-ending discussion of the greatest past and present lineups.

Here's a look at how the Braves' closest races are shaping up:

Many consider Greg Maddux to be the greatest pitcher of his generation. But he currently sits 3,000 votes behind Spahn, who won more games than any other left-handed pitcher in Major League history.

Yunel Escobar has proven that he has the chance to be the best shortstop in the organization's history. But the balloting at that position currently is led by Furcal, who sits about 700 votes in front of Blauser.

Javy Lopez was one of the most popular players during his playing tenure in Atlanta, and he currently leads both four-time All-Star Brian McCann and Joe Torre by approximately 4,000 votes.

Mark Teixeira wasn't in Atlanta long enough to gain serious attention at the first-base position. Andres Galarraga currently leads Fred McGriff by 1,500 votes at that position.

Joining Aaron as the leaders in the outfield category are Andruw Jones and Dale Murphy. These are three of the most beloved figures in the organization's history. Thus, it's a little easier to understand why David Justice and Gary Sheffield are having a tough time cracking the top three in this category.

Chipper Jones owns a comfortable lead at third base over Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews and fellow former National League Most Valuable Player Terry Pendleton.

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.