SB Nation’s 2010 MLB Previews: Atlanta Braves, Armed And Dangerous

It may seem like the Atlanta Braves lost some muscle this off-season, but the reality it that they gained muscle in the right places, places they had needed to add to for quite some time. Losing Javier Vazquez was big, but the addition of a healthy Tim Hudson and the ascendancy of Tommy Hanson made Vazquez expendable. Losing Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonazlez might seem like a big blow, but adding Billy Wagner is a move that didn't get a lot of attention, but may be the biggest move of the off-season. The real game changer for the team was the addition, at a bargain price, of Troy Glaus to play first base. He fills a hole in the middle of the order that has existed since Mark Teixeira was traded.

C: Brian McCann
1B: Troy Glaus
2B: Martin Prado
SS: Yunel Escobar
3B: Chipper Jones
LF: Matt Diaz/Melky Cabrera
CF: Nate McLouth
RF: Jason Heyward

Martin Prado takes over full time at second base. Troy Glaus learns the new position of first base. Matt Diaz and Melky Cabrera platoon in left field, and Jason Heyward will be the new right fielder. Are these folks an upgrade over last year's starters of Kelly Johnson, Casey Kotchman, Garret Anderson, and Jeff Francoeur? You betcha! The Braves are no longer hanging onto the hope that organizational guys like Francoeur and Johnson can become stars. They are no longer settling for Kotchman or Anderson -- powerless hitters -- at positions where there should be power hitters. The Braves got their offense going in the second half of last year, but that was only after a wasted first half of at-bats from the players listed above.

Chipper Jones looks much better this spring, and he says that he found out what was wrong with his swing last season and he has corrected it. Yunel Escobar is perhaps the most consistent hitter in baseball, and Brian McCann is the best hitting catcher not named Joe Mauer.

Tommy Hanson
Jair Jurrjens
Tim Hudson
Derek Lowe
Kenshin Kawakami

So much focus has been on the loss of Javier Vazquez, but he had a career year, and the Braves likely traded him away for more than they traded to get him. The real focus of the rotation should be on the fact that while we may not have a clear-cut number one starter, it's only because we have so many guys who fit into the number-2 or number-3 starter category. One through five this may be the best and deepest rotation in baseball. The fifth starter, Kenshin Kawakami, had a much better year last year than his record would indicate, as he suffered from the worst run support in the league. Adding Hanson to the rotation mix for an entire season, along with a rejuvenated Tim Hudson, improves our rotation over last year's and puts it in a league with the Braves rotations of the 90's.

I'm glad we got rid of Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano. Those guys were very inconsistent and hardly reliable at the end of games (as Baltimore and Tampa Bay will soon find out). New closer Billy Wagner is the best closer in baseball non named Mariano Rivera. Wagner may be coming off of surgery, but his K/9 ratio after he returned last season was the highest of his career. He's a guy who has had one season in his 15-year major league career with an ERA over 2.85... only one. That's consistency and quality.

Takashi Saito may be a bit of an underrated setup man, but he should still have enough left to get the job done. Peter Moylan is rapidly developing into a shutdown setup man, and he has now added a change-up to his repertoire, which he cheekily named Dave. Kris Medlen and Eric O'Flaherty are solid middle relievers, and after them the Braves have almost a dozen young arms to choose from throughout the year.

Everyone knows about Jason Heyward, and how good he's been this spring, but after him there are several other players who should contribute in the coming year. First baseman Freddie Freeman would be getting a lot more hype if it were not for Heyward. He'll be given the job next season, but may find himself called up early if Glaus gets injured. Reliever Craig Kimbrel has been called a right-handed Billy Wagner, and he could find himself in the bullpen at any time this season. Don't forget about Jordan Schafer. While the team wants him to get a full year at triple-A, if there is a big injury to an outfielder, he could find himself pressed into service. There are plenty of other rookie arms who could find their way to the Atlanta bullpen this year, guys like Jeff Lyman, Jonny Venters, Michael Dunn, and Lee Hyde, just to name a few. Beyond these guys, most of the Braves young talent resides in the low minors.