Atlanta Braves

The Washington Nationals made one of the best moves of spring training on March 20^th, they sent down Stephen Strasburg.

Having made the decision that the young phenom would start the season in Double A, the Nationals designated him for assignment, which caused the hype surrounding Strasburg to deflate like a punctured beach ball.

Since Jason Heyward has been anointed the opening day starter in right field, he is omitted from this list. Heyward is without a doubt the Braves' top prospect, but this list is compiled of players that Braves fans should keep their eye on for the next few years.

The amount of pitching depth in the Braves' system will be evident in this list, as seven of the 10 are mound dwellers.

On Monday, the Chicago Cubs will open up their highly anticipated season against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, while thousands of the Wrigley faithful pray that this is the year. And we're ready. 

Though both are often overlooked in post-season predictions, Braves fans and Cubs fans alike may see the beginning of a heated wild card race. 

Each club has a very daunting task ahead of them in 2010, with two of the most competitive divisions in Major League Baseball. 

I am not trying to be a buzz kill.

I am not anti-Heyward.

I am not doubting the Braves' decision to start the McDonough Manchild out in right field.

I am, however, saying what I think needs to be said.

Jason Heyward is a rookie .

Not so dramatic there, was it?

There is zero doubt that Jason Heyward earned his spot on the Opening Day roster with his more-than-solid Spring Training.

How could you deny an .846 OPS and more hype than that movie with all of the blue people (you know, Avatar )?

The 2010 baseball rookie class is very deep filled with future All-Stars, and a few players that could one day be enshrined in Cooperstown.

There will be players that have great rookie campaigns, only to see a drop off in production in the next few years.

During the entire offseason, the Braves rotation has been touted as one of the most solid in baseball. In the past couple of weeks, though, they have been excluded from many top lists.

MLB.com picked the Phillies to have the top rotation in the NL East. The Boston Globe's Tony Massarotti picked the Cardinals, Phillies, and Giants over the Braves in the NL. These are just a couple of examples.

It has perplexed me how the Braves' impressive pitching could be ranked so low. How does a team with few problems over spring training go from tops to glossed over?

There are a lot of things to like about Atlanta Braves right fielder Jason Heyward.

You could start with his 6'4'', 220-pound frame, something usually found in a linebacker.

You could start with his numerous accolades, including the 2009 USA Today and Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year awards.

You could even start with the fact that he is the prototypical Atlanta prospect: a local boy that only the Braves truly appreciated as a prep star. Sure, Heyward was an All-American in high school, but only the Braves saw his No. 1 prospect potential.

The Atlanta Braves posted a record of 86-76 last season, an improvement of 14 games over their 72-90 mark of 2008.

The ballclub made several changes this winter and heading into the new season, it appears that it may have to take a step back before it can take a step forward.

The biggest holes to fill will be the departure of RHP Javier Vazquez from the starting rotation and closer Rafael Soriano from the bullpen. Additionally, they’ll have to find replacements at first base (Adam LaRoche), second base (Kelly Johnson) and left field (Garrett Anderson).

This entire offseason, the biggest argument against the Braves has been their offense. I'll admit it was abysmal during the first half of the season, but everyone seems to forget their fantasic second half in which they averaged 4.9 runs-per-game (.2 better than the Phillies).

Of course, the team lost Adam LaRoche and Garret Anderson. Still, those are losses the Braves can easily overcome. Also remember that Chipper Jones was in a slump for the majority of the time.

Let's have a look and see if the Braves will be able to provide the same production.

Kris Medlen is listed at 5'10'' and even that may be a stretch.

His small stature and the fact that he played mostly shortstop at Santa Ana Junior College prior to being drafted had many questioning whether or not he could ever be a productive professional pitcher, which resulted in a 10th round draft selection in 2006.

Despite the slights against him, Medlen dominated the minors, posting an FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) higher than 4.00 just once, and he saw even more success once he transitioned to starting pitcher in the summer of 2008.