Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves minor league coach Luis Salazar will lose his left eye after three surgeries.

The former major leaguer Salazar was struck by a foul ball off of the bat of catcher Brian McCann while he was standing in the dugout in an exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Salazar was hit in the eye, and then fell backwards onto the hard surface of the dugout.

Some say that the Braves' great ride last year will end this season. They say that they will get close to making the playoffs, but ultimately will finish just short. I say, nay.

This is a Braves team that returns their entire core from a year ago, including four out of their five starting pitchers. They also kept their lineup intact, with Martin Prado, Jason Heyward, Brian McCann, and Chipper Jones.

Philadelphia may legitimately have the greatest rotation in the history of baseball. The law of averages says probably not, but the eye test certainly screams yes.

However, the Atlanta Braves have something that Philadelphia simply does not: a healthy, complete team. With injuries and key weaknesses spreading across their team, the Phillies look to be nothing more than paper champions.

Throughout the process of Spring Training, I intend to bring you a weekly update on the progress of key Atlanta Braves' players and of the team as a whole.  As we all know, Spring Training is a situation in flux, so the status quo changes every day, much less every week.  So, in an attempt to better inform the reader and the fan, I'll be bringing you week by week updates on the progress of players, coaches thoughts and more!  So, stay tuned and you might just learn something.

As the 2011 MLB season quickly approaches, Adam Ganeles provides some insight into how some of the top corner infield prospects are progressing in spring training.

Royals first base prospect Eric Hosmer has imaginations running wild early in March. In 13 at bats this spring, he has six hits, two monumental blasts (including a grand slam) and six RBI. This is not foreign territory for the 6'4" 230-pounder who tore up the Carolina and Texas leagues last year to the tune of .338/20/86. 

The Atlanta Braves finished the 2010 regular season with a 91-71 record, which was good enough to claim the National League Wild Card. They lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in four games with every game being a one-run affair.

New manager Fredi Gonzalez replaces the legendary Bobby Cox and has a roster that should be in the playoff mix again.

Let's take a look at player-by-player projections for the 2011 Braves based on the probable Opening Day lineup.

Spring Training Stock Watch:

The Atlanta Braves currently have a 7-4-1 record this spring and appear to be rounding into shape for Opening Day. Chipper is back at third, Uggla is in town and Freddie and Jason are providing plenty of excitement.

When the Phillies added former Astros' ace Roy Oswalt at the trade deadline last season, many believed the deal would tilt the National League's balance of power in favor of Philadelphia.

Oswalt proceeded to pitch quite well; unfortunately for the Phillies and their faithful, the San Francisco Giants went on an improbable and impressive run to a World Series title behind their outstanding rotation and standout closer Brian Wilson.

The Braves look to be on the right track with their performances in spring training so far.

Saturday's 6-4 win over the Mets flirted with a no-no for five innings. Derek Lowe looked on the right track with an outstanding outing.

Chipper Jones looked to be on the right track as well with a key homer in the game and suffering no knee pain at all.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Even though Tommy Hanson’s ERA slipped (2.89 in ‘09, 3.33 in ‘10), and his strikeout rate declined (8.18 to 7.68), Hanson actually improved in many areas in 2010.