Brian McCann

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.

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.

This will begin my 2010 MLB preview. I intend to touch every team in the major leagues in installments by division. The lineups I provide will be what I predict will be the most productive for each team for the MAJORITY of the season (e.g., Jason Heyward will be listed as the Braves RF even though he may not begin the season as the starter).

I will also provide the stereotypical letter grade to each team's lineup, rotation, bullpen, and depth/bench. Though it is trite, I think all baseball fans can identify with the letter grade system.

Pitchers and catchers reporting tomorrow down in Orlando (or "Dark Star" as Dave O'Brien of the AJC has so cleverly coined it)  has a welcoming ring to it.

Every trade, every signing, every prospect, and every rumor has been dissected and bantered about throughout this hot stove season to the point where the only thing really left to do is the most important of all: play ball.

With economics playing a larger role in how teams are constructed - here's my 25 players who are going to be on the Braves active roster leaving Spring Training and in the dugout on Opening Day 2010. There are a couple of additions, that, by the September, may bring the Braves back to the playoffs and possibly a World Series title in Bobby Cox's final season.

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It’s the unofficial halfway point in the baseball season, and most teams are deciding whether or not they have what it takes to make a run at the postseason before the trade deadline at the end of the month.

The Braves are currently standing at 43-45, 6 games back of the division-leading Phillies.

To start this first half review, I will look at the performance the Braves received from the catchers on the season. All stat lines will be AVG/OBP/SLG/HR/RBI/SB

One at-bat into his Braves career, long-time minor-leaguer Brooks Conrad made lots of fans in Atlanta, as his three-run, pinch-hit blast led the Braves to a 9-8 win over Washington on Friday night.

The Braves had been pitching very well lately, but Kenshin Kawakami's first start since taking a liner off his neck was rather forgettable.

He surrendered runs in each of the first three innings, including the first hit and RBI of Washington starter Ross Detwiler's career.

In an effort to improve both financial and on-the-field performance, the Atlanta Braves announced today that they have agreed to allow Dulcolax Stool Softener sponsor the team.

In a press conference, Bobby Cox was quoted "We feel that this move will allow for more regularity in run-production and revenue, plus, this product has a nifty logo that we can put on our uniforms."

Relief was prevalent in the Braves' clubhouse (wink wink nudge nudge).

Through the first three-plus innings Sunday, Tommy Hanson looked every bit the future ace that he is destined to become. After that first time through the order he quickly crashed down to earth.

After Hansen struck out the side in the second, a lot of the Braves faithful were beside themselves with excitement.

Then in the fourth the wheels started to slowly come off.

Ryan Braun took a misplaced fastball after a leadoff walk to J.J. Hardy and calmly deposited it into the stands to tie the game at two.

There are rumors that the Atlanta Braves are shopping right fielder Jeff Francoeur.

The Boston Red Sox may be looking for a replacement for J.D. Drew, a former Atlanta Brave and Georgia native.

The loss of Frenchy, as his teammates and fans affectionately call Francoeur, would be severe.

Francoeur grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta and is one of the most popular Braves on the team. He played with and against Braves catcher Brian McCann on several Little League teams and the two are close friends.