All-Diamond Team: Deion Sanders

In 2025, The Diamond hosts its 40^th and final season of professional baseball in Richmond. Between the Richmond Braves from 1985-2008 and the Richmond Flying Squirrels since 2010, countless future major leaguers have taken the steps from the first base dugout onto The Diamond’s playing surface.

Prior to the season, fans voted for The All-Diamond Team, selecting one manager as well as 14 of their favorite players who have gone on to MLB stardom after suiting up for the R-Braves and Flying Squirrels.

We continue the announcement of the All-Diamond Team with the fans’ choice for the third of three outfielders, Deion Sanders.

Manager: Grady Little
Starting Pitcher: John Smoltz
Starting Pitcher: Tom Glavine
Starting Pitcher: Logan Webb
Relief Pitcher: Mike Stanton
Relief Pitcher: Hunter Strickland
Utility Player: Mark DeRosa
Catcher: Javy Lopez
First Baseman: Ryan Klesko
Second Baseman: Joe Panik
Third Baseman: Chipper Jones
Shortstop: Brandon Crawford
Outfielder: Andruw Jones
Outfielder: David Justice
Outfielder: Deion Sanders

You cannot make a list of the biggest stars to call The Diamond home without including Deion Sanders.

Arguably the most famous player to suit up for a Richmond baseball team, Sanders was a member of the Richmond Braves in 1991.

The two-sport star was drafted in baseball by the New York Yankees in 1988 out of Florida State. He first reached the International League in 1989 around the same time he was drafted by the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

Sanders first came through The Diamond as a visiting player with Columbus that year. A confrontation with spectators eventually led to Sanders making a contribution that went towards the construction of a handicapped seating area at the ballpark.

He briefly reached the majors in 1989 and continued working through balancing professional football and baseball through the next year before being released by the Yankees after the 1990 season.

Sanders signed with the Atlanta Braves entering the 1991 season and was originally assigned to begin the year with Triple-A Richmond. However, an exceptional showing in Spring Training landed him a spot on the big league club to open the season.

He played 24 games with Atlanta through late May and was batting .198 with two homers and seven steals before being optioned to Richmond when some of the Braves’ regular outfielders returned from injury.

Sanders arrived at The Diamond on May 26, 1991, but his equipment was mistakenly shipped to North Carolina, delaying his first Triple-A game of the year by a day.

He made his R-Braves debut on May 27, 1991.

When Sanders originally signed his minor league deal with Atlanta, he told the press Richmond was “not, like, my favorite city,” likely calling back to his 1989 altercation. His pregame introduction at The Diamond was met with some boos but mostly cheers.

In his first at-bat with Richmond, Sanders fouled off seven two-strike pitches before going down on strikes in a 12-pitch battle against Omaha pitcher Mike Magnante. The effort earned him an ovation from The Diamond crowd.

He finished his first game with the R-Braves 1-for-4 with a walk.

The next day, he helped lead Richmond to a 7-3 win over Omaha, going 2-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored.

Sanders hit his first homer at The Diamond on May 30, although it stayed in the ballpark. On the first pitch of the game, he hit a flyball over the head of center fielder Jose Nunez and circled the bases, beating the throw home for an inside-the-park home run.

To open his time with Richmond, Sanders posted an eight-game hit streak, batting .324 (12-for-37).

He kept hitting well into the middle of June. On June 8, he hit his second inside-the-park homer at Louisville. He stole three bases in a game on June 12 against Columbus. On June 15 at The Diamond, he drove his first homer of the year that cleared the fence, a three-run shot in a win over Toledo.

Through June 15, Sanders had hit safely in 17-of-19 games, posting an average just under .300.

He was scratched the next day for a hand sprain and fell into a brief slump over his next seven games, batting .161 (5-for-31). He also left a game in that stretch after twisting his knee.

Sanders broke his slump on June 25 in Omaha. With the score tied, 4-4, in the seventh, he hit a game-winning, inside-the-park homer in a come-from-behind R-Braves victory. It was his third inside-the-park home run with Richmond.

The next day, after Vinny Castilla tripled for his first Triple-A hit, Sanders launched a two-run homer to help pad the lead in a 6-3 win over the Royals. The win was the R-Braves’ fifth in a row and 10^th in their last 13 games to get the team back to .500 for the season.

Sanders returned to Richmond the next day for his final game at The Diamond on June 27. The R-Braves rolled to an 11-3 win and Sanders was called back up to Atlanta after David Justice was sent to the disabled list.

He spent the rest of that year in the majors. The next year, he had the best season of his MLB career, batting .304 with 26 steals and 14 triples for Atlanta.

Sanders went on to spend parts of nine seasons in the majors with the Braves, Reds, Yankees and Giants, with a few pauses for football.

He also spent 14 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Falcons and Cowboys. He won two Super Bowls and was a six-time First-Team All-Pro. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Sanders is one of the most decorated multi-sport athletes and one of a handful of Richmond Braves to spend notable time in multiple top leagues.

Former University of Richmond athlete Brian Jordan also played for the Atlanta Falcons before a 15-year MLB career and made a stop with the R-Braves on a rehab assignment in 2006.

Pitcher Ron Reed spent parts of the 1966 and 1967 seasons with the Richmond Braves on his way to a 19-year MLB career. He also spent two seasons with the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.