2010 MLB Season Preview: Atlanta Braves

Charlie Klein

Key Additions:

Billy Wagner (RP)
Takashi Saito (RP)
Troy Glaus (3B)
Eric Hinske (OF)
Nate McLouth (OF)
Melky Cabrera (OF)

Key Departures:

Rafael Soriano (RP)
Mike Gonzalez (RP)
Ryan Church (OF)
Adam LaRoche (1B)
Jeff Francoeur (OF)
Javier Vazquez (SP)
Garrett Anderson (OF)

I have tempered expectations for the 2010 Atlanta Braves. There is not much on this roster that catches the eye. Looking at the players that have left the Braves in the offseason, including ace Javier Vazquez, Braves GM Frank Wren dropped the ball by not adding the right players to compensate for the departed.

The Braves do have a few young players that will be exciting to watch this season. Rookie phenom Tommy Hanson enters his first full season in the big leagues off the back of an 11-4 season with a 2.89 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 127.2 innings pitched. It's hard to imagine that that stat line is of a rookie, but believe it folks. It is why the Braves refused to trade Hanson and why Bobby Cox has to feel that Hanson has the ability to fill in for the absence of Vazquez.

Jason Heyward, the other young starlet in the Braves organization, has been wowing scouts and pundits alike in Spring Training. Heyward in one batting practice session dented a Coca Cola truck and broke the sunroof of Assistant GM Bruce Manno. Somehow I do not think Manno will be that angry at Heyward.

Heyward's swing and the sound his bat makes when it connects with the ball has been compared to that of Hank Aaron. "His line drive is like the old Hank Aaron sound,” Cox said. “I don’t want to put him in that class, but it’s the same sound. The same ring off the bat." Heyward is listed as the top prospect in MLB by ESPN, Baseball America, and MLB.com. 


All of that aside, I remain unconvinced by the back end of the Braves rotation. If Tim Hudson can put together a 200 inning season, this team's fortunes could change drastically. But I doubt that he can, and Chipper Jones is another year older and a year more injury prone. Speaking of injury prone, the Braves signed Troy Glaus in the offseason. 


I'm sorry Bobby, but your last season in charge is not going to go well.

Projected Starting Nine:

1. Melky Cabrera (LF)
2. Martin Prado (2B)
3. Chipper Jones (3B)
4. Troy Glaus (1B)
5. Nate McLouth (CF)
6. Brian McCann (C)
7. Yunel Escobar (SS)
8. Matt Diaz (RF)
9. Jair Jurrjens (P)

Projected Staring Rotation:

1. Jair Jurrjens
2. Derek Lowe
3. Tommy Hanson
4. Tim Hudson
5. Kenshin Kawakami

Predicted Finish: Fourth in the NL East.