Atlanta Braves

Here we are.

Just one week until the Atlanta Braves open the season against the Chicago Cubs at Turner Field.

Most of the roster has already shaken itself out.

You're looking at an outfield of Cabrera/Diaz, McLouth, and Heyward, and an infield that boasts Jones, Escobar, Prado, and Glaus with Brian McCann behind the dish.

The rotation has been set since Vazquez was dealt, with Jurrjens, Hudson, Hanson, Lowe, and Kawakami leading the charge.

With one week of Spring Training left, it's time to get the crystal ball down from the attic, dust it off, and see what the future holds for baseball in 2010.

Last year this was a lot easier. Just pick the Yankees to win it all and be done with it.

While I was tempted to do the same thing for 2010, I just don't see it that way for this season. Not to say that the Yanks won't win the American League, but things will definitely be a little tougher for the game's richest team this
season.

Hopefully after reading these next few pages you will know exactly where your team stands for 2010.

What I’m Reading

• Tune in tonight at 7 for our unnecessarily extended sappy special, “Not Officially, But Close: The John Smoltz Retirement Story.” Sounds like a romantic-comedy.

With less than two weeks until opening day, most the roster is set. However, a few position battles will likely go down to the final week.

As everyone knows, spring training stats are an awful indicator of future performance and are written off as useless for most players. But don’t tell that to guys like Brooks Conrad and Joe Thurston who are playing their tails off trying to be the last position player on the roster.

Since most of the roster is set, I won’t go into detail about why Tommy Hanson will be in the rotation or Chipper Jones will start at third base.

Brian McCann came into today's game against the Philadelphia Phillies batting .440 with two homers, and Tim Hudson entered his fifth spring start with a 1.93 ERA and a 13-1 K/BB ratio.

With Hudson facing the tough Philadelphia lineup and McCann batting against tough, young left-hander J.A. Happ, it would have been easy to expect those numbers to come back down to Earth.

Coming into this evening, Jason Heyward was leading all players in walks (nine) along with car damaging home runs (two) during batting practice. 

At 6'5" and 250 lbs, it is clear that Heyward would pack a great deal of power in his swing. What is not so clear, is that he has the ability to wait and his game plan at the plate is similar to that of a ten-year veteran's.

The talk of the mammoth blasts are just starting, but as a Braves blogger what you have to be most impressed with is his knack for letting pitches go. 

Bobby Cox may want to rethink his retirement.

Never shy about elevating top prospects, throughout the years Cox has overseen the arrival of a number of impact players at Turner Field.

Intuition, intelligence, respect, and interpersonal relationship skills make up the character of the game's greatest skippers. What separates a common manager and a winning guru?

Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves, Joe Torre of The Los Angeles Dodgers, and Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals are perfect examples of what differentiates a club-house full of talent, to a unified team, striving to reach a common goal.

One of the biggest stories for the Atlanta Braves this spring has been the progression of top prospect Jason Heyward . Heyward's become a batting practice legend, shattering a car window and forcing the grounds crew to put a net up at the Braves' spring training home at Champion Stadium in Walt Disney World Resort. 

There are a number of other issues involving the Braves this season outside of their remarkable rookie.

Through about three weeks of Spring Training games, what have we learned about the Atlanta Braves?

Here are a few things...

Jason Heyward is the man.

Nate McLouth...not so much.

Craig Kimbrel can throw really well.

Jesse Chavez...not so much.

Derek Lowe has a new delivery.

Brian McCann and Troy Glaus' deliveries of balls to the outfield have not.

Joe Thurston and Brooks Conrad are both more than qualified to be the back-up, back-up infielders.