John Smoltz threw Sunday. A simple game of a catch, albeit not the same variety you or I may know with dad in the back yard. It was just 25 throws, on flat ground at that. What could possible be so special about that? I’ll tell you what. This particular session could set a time table that will spell the return of one of the most dominant late inning pitchers that the game has ever known.

When the season began, the Braves were hoping to coble together one of the most veteran and successful rotations they’ve had in some time. Smoltz, Tim Hudson, the returning Tom Glavine and perhaps – dare we say – a healthy Mike Hampton. Then again, things have not gone according to plan. Injuries have sapped the rotation, first Hampton, then Glavine, then Smoltz. Young Jair Jurrjens has been the saving the grace in the early going.

Smoltz’ 2008 season started with a bang. On April 22, he notched career strikeout number 3,000 as part of his second straight 10-K performance. That may well have been highlight of a swan song for the grizzled veteran in the starting role he returned to just three seasons ago.

He’s on the record now. John Smoltz is coming back as a reliever. That’s what he says. Returning the dominant closer of 2001-2004 to the bullpen might be one of the best things the Braves could hope for as they battle for NL East supremacy. Or it could leave a gaping hole in the starting rotation. Either way, the Braves and Smoltz have a decision to make.

Here are some numbers to help make this decison just that much harder:

As a closer from 2001-2004 (Pitcher A)

YEAR	G	W	L	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
2001	36	3	3	10	59.0	53	24	22	7	10	57	3.36	1.07	.238
2002	75	3	2	55*	80.1	59	30	29	4	24	85	3.25	1.03	.206
2003	62	0	2	45	64.1	48	9	8	2	8	73	1.12	0.87	.204
2004	73	0	1	44	81.2	75	25	25	8	13	85	2.76	1.08	.245
Totals	246	6	8	154	285.1	235	88	84	21	55	300	2.65	1.02	.224

And now as a starter from 2005 – Present (Pitcher B)

YEAR	GS	W	L	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
2005	33	14	7	229.2	210	83	78	18	53	169	3.06	1.15	.243
2006	35	16*	9	232.0	221	93	90	23	55	211	3.49	1.19	.251
2007	32	14	8	205.2	196	78	71	18	47	197	3.11	1.18	.249
2008	5	3	2	27.0	22	6	6	2	8	36	2.00	1.11	.214
Totals	105	47	26	694.1	649	260	245	61	163	613	3.18	1.17	.246

 

So now I will pose the question to all the armchair GM’s out there…

Which one of these pitchers, A or B, would you like to have on your staff? Both have consistently great numbers. Pitcher A lead the league in saves (in red) while pitcher B lead the league in wins. Decisions, decisions.

If only it were that easy; because injury is the reason we are having to ask ourselves this question to begin with. We are talking about a veteran pitcher who has made it known exactly which capacity he would like to be utilized. On some levels, announcing to the press that you will be swapping roles when you make your return from an injury is highly unorthodox. Mostly because his manager, pitching coach and even the general manager had not come to the same conclusion. The idea may have always been in the back of their minds, but no tangible internal discussions had even taken place. Talk about being side-swiped.

Bobby Cox has gone as far as to say that for the Atlanta Braves to be a championship club, they need John Smoltz in the starting rotation. Who could blame him? Take a look at the numbers (not to mention the track record) that has made Smoltz one of the best and most reliable starters in the game. Tack on the fact that he is the winningest pitcher in post-season history and a strong case can be made for Smoltz – the starter.

On the other side of the coin, Smoltz has stated that the team will not be able to win if he is only a “five inning pitcher.” He brings up an interesting point, since closing out games has been among the biggest weaknesses the Braves have had since 2005. If they could have sealed the deal in the ninth, Smoltz may have been a 20-game winner in ’05 and ’06. Honestly, he should have been.

Dan Kolb, Chris Reitsma, Kyle Farnsworth, Reitsma again, Bob Wickman, Rafael Soriano, and now Manny Acosta have all worn the cap of closer in the past three seasons and the first month of 2008. Just four appearances and one save into this season, the Braves had to shut down Soriano because of elbow tendinitis. With no real ETA for Soriano’s return, a healthy Smoltz could be just the answer for the late innings.

Peter Moylan could have played a major role in Soriano’s absence. But shortly after nailing down his first save, Moylan went down and required Tommy John surgery. Gone for the year.

The Braves have Mike Gonzalez on the mend. He racked up 24 saves for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2006 and was off to a great start last season (1.59 ERA in 18 appearances) before needing Tommy John himself. The return of Gonzalez could be right around the corner, but Atlanta can ill afford to put all their hopes on a reliever who hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since May of last year.

Yes, it would appear that the stars have aligned for Smoltz to make the transition back to the end of the Braves bullpen. There is no other qualified candidate that has his credentials, his poise, his stuff and his resume. No one. Period.

Still, it won’t be a decision that anyone in the Braves camp will jump to. There are questions of durability. While this is the same guy who said that going back to starting would be easier on his arm, logging so many innings to keep the Braves in the ballgame the past three seasons finally added up. The results spoke for themselves, but maybe the bulk of the workload has become too taxing. Really, who is to say he isn’t right about this move too?

Smoltz will likely have to battle soreness throughout the remainder of the season. But that is nothing new. This is a man who has pitched through pain before. It would stand to reason that he knows just how much he has left. However, soreness could play a factor in how many consecutive nights that Bobby Cox will be able to make the call for his could-be closer.

Not to rain on the parade, but Smoltz is older now. There is no way of knowing that he will be the same force he was in the pen four, five or six years ago. But there is reason to believe… and there’s only one way to find out.

We may be watching the final chapter of a Hall of Fame career in Atlanta this season. It is hard to imagine life after John Smoltz. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

As they say, “Only time will tell.”

Till next time,

G-Mc

This won’t be a long entry. I’m going to stray from Braves country for a minute.

Sometimes, as I’m patrolling all the MLB sections of various sports sites, I’ll stumble upon a good story. Occasionally, they even come from the strangest of places. For example, this one that I am about to share with you comes from esteemed columnist/author Jeff Pearlman.

I can’t say that Pearlman’s style has ranked among my favorites, in subject matter or execution. But I will take the time to post a link if something grabs my attention. This particular piece is on the Texas Rangers multi-talented centerfielder Josh Hamilton.

To give you a little backgrond on Pearlman, he is the author of Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Anti-hero. A former senior writer for Sports Illustrated (that courtesy of his bio on ESPN.com’s Page 2), he also penned that lovely look we all got into the life of John Rocker in the December 23, 1999 issue of S.I.

Personally, I’ve read dozens of stories about the miraculous turn-around of this young man’s life. From Sports Illusrated’s spread a couple of years back, to the dozens that poured out when a Rule 5 pick became one of the feel good stories of 2007.

My hat is off to Hamilton for being able to push himself out of the darkest depths of addiction and on to live out his dream of being a Major League Baseball player. I further applaud the way that Pearlman sheds light on the fact that many people miss. There are some things you can boo a player for, and some things that we as human beings should keep off limits. Hamilton is just as human as we are. I hope his story continues to be as positive as it has the past two seasons.

Click here for the story. And you can click here for Pearlman’s rather random take on where his relationship with Rocker is now. If you make it all the way through the second article, then you get a gold star!

 

Till next time,

G-Mc

Maybe I’ve been spending too much time listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers the past couple of days and have the tune stuck in my head, but looking at the first month of the 2008 season has got me shaking my head. It’s been a weird month all over, from the Atlanta Braves that I see on a nightly basis to MLB as a whole.

There has been no shortage of stories, injuries, hot starts, cold streaks and even a little bad blood that sums up the on field and off-field product. Here are a half a dozen things that have caught my attention, arranged in no particular order.

Slumping stars:

Some of the games best players and most talented young stars are all suffering through some pretty rough starts. I could spend a whole bunch of words and more of your time than necessary to describe these struggles… or I could simply give you a chart that demonstrates my point. Thus, here you go: 

Player Name	AVG	HR	RBI	R	OPS
Ichiro Suzuki	.257	2	8	19	.695
David Ortiz	.177	4	20	15	.611
Ryan Howard	.174	5	11	13	.659
Jose Reyes	.237	2	9	13	.664
Alfonso Soriano	.175	2	5	7	.528
Gary Sheffield	.159	1	3	7	.575
Carlos Beltran	.224	2	13	17	.771
Andruw Jones	.159	1	4	11	.522
Travis Hafner	.219	3	15	12	.667
Prince Fielder	.244	4	18	14	.818
Robinson Cano	.153	1	5	5	.431
Troy Tulowitzki	.152	1	11	10	.464

(Stats through Monday April 28).

What’s worse is that I haven’t even taken a look at the pitchers who are off to rough starts. Let’s save those for another time. There is alot of baseball left to be played.

The Three-way tie for AL East Lead

Ok, so the Red Sox are pacing the AL East. No surprise right? Wrong. They happen to be tied with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles… Say what? I know it’s only one month and that does not a season make, but I would love to know the last time that the Orioles were pacing the East and I would really like to know if the Rays have ever been in front after a full month? Things to ponder and Google.

Barry Zito breaking the bank in the bullpen

So I said “later” to addressing the struggling pitchers. Later is now.

It’s not that Barry Zito‘s Cy Young season and the strong start his career got off to did not warrant the contract he recieved from the Giants. Really, big contracts are just a part of sports today, and more power to those who receive them. Zito has been horrendous since moving across the bay, however. His 0-6 start and his drop in velocity, not to mention his command issues, have all combined to give the Giants a rather pricey lefty reliever.

Zito’s numbers with the Giants, for those interested.

W	L	ERA	GS	CG	IP	ER	H	HR	BB	K	WHIP
11	19	4.91	39	0	225.1	123	223	28	98	142	1.43

Let’s hope he gets it figured out, for his sake and the Giants.

Chipper Jones’ torrid start at the plate

“The reports of my demise have been greatly exagerated.” — Mark Twain, 1897

Ditto for Chipper Jones after his 2007 campaign. Injuries sapped the slugging third baseman’s ability to put up the numbers that earn MVP awards, All-Star nods and Silver Sluggers, but Chipper announced himself healthy in a big way when he nearly won a batting title (.337) and lead the Majors in OPS (1.029). How about 75 extra base hits in 134 games and what should have been his first Rawlings Gold Glove award? That too.

This season, Chipper has taken it to a whole new level. He is pacing the Big Leagues in batting average (.410) and is right up there with eight homers and 20 RBI after the first month. Some nagging injuries have popped up, but Chipper Jones in the lynchpin of the Braves offense. A healthy and productive season will be one of the main reasons that Atlanta contends in the National League East.

Roy Halladay, master of the CG

There could come a day where the complete game (or CG) could go the way of the GW-RBI (that’s game winning RBI for those curious) stat category. That is, they count them, but they don’t really count for anything anymore. No longer an official statistic since 1989.

Maybe that won’t happen, but you just don’t find many pitchers that go all nine these days. There are match-ups to follow and relief speacialists that get the call in seemingly every situation for every manager now. It’s all about lefty vs. lefty and righty vs. righty. How about if a team finds relievers that just pitch well. And you give them the ball. And they throw an entire inning. And the world doesn’t come to an end. It could work, but forget it. I’m old fashioned I guess.

It’s become the industry standard as starting pitchers seem to last fewer and fewer innings per start each year. Roy Halladay is the clear exception to the rule. His eight and two third inning complete game effort in a 1-0 Toronto loss at Fenway Park on Tuesday was his fourth of the season. No other pitcher has thrown more than one. Call it a random tangent on my part, but it’s nice to see a pitcher start and finish the game on a semi-regular basis.

And finally, I saved the best for last…. Nick Johnson’s mustache

This may truly be one of baseball’s great mysteries. I mean, why? I don’t care who you are, that is just a bad look. My only regret is that I cannot find a picture that can properly demonstrate the pure 70’s cheesiness of Johnson’s ‘stache.

And that is all I have for you, my readers.

 

Till Next time,

G-Mc 

Before we even get started, let me just say this:

It could be worse… They could be the Detroit Tigers.

After all the off-season moves and pre-season predictions, I never thought I would be saying that. Here we are though, just over one week into the season and the Braves are 3-5 while the Tigers sit at a woefull 0-7.

Yes, the Atlanta Braves are off to a less-than-stellar start, but there are some bright spots. There are also some things that haven’t gone quite according to plan. Let’s take a look at both.

What’s going right: 

Tom Glavine:  Some critics, including ESPN’s Keith Law, thought that the Braves opting to bring in a 42-year old left-hander was not the right move. Law blasted the move in a call-in interview with a local Atlanta sports station. It’s not shocking that a baseball analyst would be drawn more to younger arms given the choice, but it was rather strange how vehemently he attacked the move as a complete waste of money. Tisk, Tisk.

Let’s just say that this Tom Glavine is looking more like the vintage Tom Glavine we remember than the one who allowed seven runs in a third of an inning in his final Mets outing. Two starts into the season, he has allowed just two runs and a holds a 0.79 ERA in the early going. I don’t think there is anyone who expects Glavine to recapture his Cy Young magic of ’91 or ’98, or duplicate his ’95 World Series Game 6 everytime out. However, if he can average about 6 innings every time out, it will put the Braves in position to easily win the majority of Glavine’s starts. (See: One run losses a little later)

Chipper Jones: There’s a rumor going around that Chipper Jones really knows how to hit. Ok, so it’s not a rumor – it’s a fact. He doesn’t just beat you with the long ball, Jones constantly works over pitchers and sprays base hits all over the ballpark. That is how you contend for a batting title. Jones has picked up right where he left off last season. Through eight games, he is 13-for-34 for a .382 average – good for the ninth best mark in the NL thus far.

What’s more? Jones drives in runs, lots of them. How about one a game? If a player can hold that ratio over the full season, then you would have a 162-RBI guy in your line-up. I’d take that. Realistically though, Jones driving in 100 runs in crucial to the Braves success. He’s off to a good start.

Mark Kotsay: He must have answered the question of how he planned to replace Andruw Jones all spring long, but Kotsay never presumed that he needed to “replace” Jones. Instead, he concentrated on getting ready for the season and doing the things he knows how to do. That’s been pretty evident in the first week.

Kotsay is a completely different kind of player. He has line-drive power and a shorter more compact swing that garners more contact. The guy just doesn’t strike out (only three times this season). He makes play after play in center, turning in a number of dazzling catches and showcasing the throwing arm that has gained him a reputation as one of the best throwing outfielders in the game today.

For those curious, here’s a look at Andruw and Kotsay in 2008:

Kotsay: .267 AVG | 1 HR | 3 RBI | .833 OPS | 3 SO

A. Jones: .103 AVG | 0 HR | 1 RBI | .325 OPS | 9 SO  

It may not stay that way all season, but Kotsay has given the Braves a quality everyday player to plug into the line-up and in center field.

Beat the Mets, beat the Mets: Everyone loves a sing-a-long. As a matter of fact, the Braves were able to accomplish just that over the weekend. They stepped right up and swept the Mets in a rain-shortened two-game series. That’s enough of that tune for now.

Kelly Johnson returned in a big way after missing most of the week with a balky right knee, hitting a pinch-hit grand slam that punctuated the 11-5 win on Saturday afternoon. We saw the return of John Smoltz, who threw five scoreless innings to help Atlanta get the best of Mets ace Johan Santana. Even Mark Teixeira got into the action in support of Smoltz with a two-run homer and a sparkling defensive play to preserve Sunday’s win.

There’s no getting around the fact that the Braves will have to perform at a high level against both the Mets and Phillies in head-to-head match-ups this season. Having their way with the Nationals and Marlins would also go a long way toward putting ground between Atlanta and the rest of the division.

What’s gone wrong?

Mike Hampton: Not that this comes as a complete surprise to anyone, but Mike Hampton is hurt again. After the strong spring when he went 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA in five starts, there was hope that the veteran left-hander would be able to boost the Braves rotation this season. He still may, but the latest set-back is a strained left pectoral muscle.

The injury has put him on the 15-day disabled list for now, giving Chuck James a chance to reclaim his spot in the rotation. Still, the Braves are hoping that the return of Hampton could occur this season. I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see if he is able to overcome the two and a half year layoff.

Mark Teixeira: Yes, he has been known as a slow starter, but the Braves are going to need  Teixeira’s bat to awaken from its slumber. Despite his stellar track-record, it would be a bit much to expect him to continue his pace from the final two months of 2007.

Most of his struggles have occured from the right side, where he is just 1-for-14 this season. The Braves have seen quite a few left-handed pitchers on the young season, but that is a trend that will change over the course of the season.

Keep in mind, Teixeira started the 2006 season off by hitting .275 with nine homers and 49 RBI before the All-Star break. All he did in the second half was explode to the tune of .291 average, 24 homers and 61 runs knocked home. It could be one of those years, or it could be too early to tell.

One run losses: When I said a little earlier that Glavine’s work thus far should have been enough to give the Braves victory, this was what I was referring to. Glavine’s first start, the wild 12-11 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the home opener, doesn’t exactly hit the nail on the head, but Monday’s start does. For six and a third innings, Glavine kept the Rockies scoreless. Matt Holliday then victimized Blaine Boyer for a two run blast that held up for a 2-1 Rockies win.

What was the real story in that loss? I contend that it was not a bullpen meltdown, but rather the fact that Aaron Cook and the Colorado bullpen was able to keep Atlanta off the board for the final eight innings. They did so by allowing just one hit over those frames. That makes it hard to string together any kind of rally.

This one run loss stuff goes back to opening day, when Ryan Zimmerman stung the Braves with a walk-off homer in a 3-2 opening day defeat. Either way, the Braves are going to have to find a way to get on the other side of these close games, or they may be looking back at these frustrating losses as the reason they are playing catch-up this season.

 

Till next time,

G-Mc

 

Well, 21 runs and two games into the homestand, the Atlanta Braves finally picked up their first win on Wednesday night. A close contest into the eighth inning, the Braves bats came to life and put seven on the board against the Pirate bullpen.

Lost in last night’s offensive barrage (for those who like games with lots of runs) may have been a solid first effort by 22-year old right-hander Jair Jurrjens. His peers believe that his baseball acumen to be far beyond his years, not to mention his poise on the mound.

Just ask Braves catcher Brian McCann.

“He’s 22-years old and when he’s on the mound, you’d think he’s a 10-year veteran,” said McCann, the man calling the signs. “When you’re a pitcher, and you’ve got the stuff he’s got and you can put the ball where you want, he’s going to do what he did tonight.”

McCann got the closest look at Jurrjens performance, save the Pirates hitters who struggled to do much against him in the way of run-scoring opportunities. Sure, Xavier Nady knocked home a pair of runs, but no one is expecting a shut-out every time out. More times than not, if you can limit an opponent to two runs a start, you are going to put your team in a position to win.

Jurrjens is a cool customer, no doubt about it. He prides himself on getting outs early in the count and using location and command as the hallmarks of his pitching style.

“I wanted to get the team in the win column tonight,” said Jurrjens of his goal for the night.

Would you expect anything less from the guy who has spent the spring making one of the best first impressions of any pitcher I can remember? This may be the best young pitcher Atlanta has seen since Kevin Millwood ascended into the Braves rotation full-time as a 23-year old in 1998.

Over the first few innings, he did not commit the mistake of many young pitchers and try to overthrow. For five innings he held the Pirates comfortably in check, before trouble cropped up in the sixth inning and he reverted to being more of a thrower than a refined pitcher.

But you don’t have to tell him. Jurrjens knew upon meeting with the press after the game that if there is anything he can take from this start to work on in the future, it would be stick to the game plan.

“That last inning, you could see I tried to over do it,” said Jurrjens. “I got in trouble and tried to overthrow. I need to stop doing that, especially if I want to go deep in the game.”

Now that’s a stream-lined way to get better results next time out. Identify the problem areas and address them. This kid has got it down.

So what do his teammates think of Wednesday’s performance?

“He was great,” said first baseman Mark Teixeira. “This is what we expect from him. It’s alot of pressure for a young kid… but we expect alot of things out of him. He stepped up tonight and showed how good he can be.”

There are some men on the Braves bench that have seen alot of baseball, and I’m not talking John Smoltz and Tom Glavine here. Bobby Cox has seen every arm the Braves have trotted out for more than two decades, serving as Manager and General Manager, beginning in 1986.

“He threw a great game,” said Cox. “He was sensational I thought, [did] a very impressive job.”

When you’ve seen it all, you don’t really have to spend a great amount of time and a great amount of words to describe what you seen. Mark it down though, if injury takes its toll on the Braves veteran rotation, Jurrjens could become an impact player in a hurry.

 

Till Next time,

G-Mc

 

Assuming Mike Hampton is healthy, which at this juncture is a fairly big assumption, the Atlanta Braves are going to have no shortage of candidates to fill in their fifth spot in the rotation. While some may be earmarked to for Triple-A Richmond in case of injury, others are locked in roster spot battle that should be fun to watch as it plays out.

Bobby Cox and Frank Wren are certainly not going to have an easy decision. I’ve boiled it down to the four candidates I believe have the best shot at grabbing that fifth spot. There are others, but these are the hurlers that are going to be in the forefront of the battle. So let’s take a closer look at each, because there’s a pretty good chance you’ll see each one get a shot before 2008 comes to a close.

Jair Jurrjens, RHP | Age: 22
The trade of Andy Marte for Edgar Renteria may have become the deal that just keeps on giving. Renteria is now a Detroit Tiger, dealt for righty Jair Jurrjens and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez. Both are ranked high on the Atlanta prospect depth chart, but it’s Jurrjens who has the chance to make his presence known as soon as this season.

Scouts, coaches and teammates alike all sing the praises of Jurrjens. His poise, repertoire and effective use of all of the above have propelled him to the top of the heap through the first two weeks of Grapefruit League play. Jurrjens is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in four starts so far.

In seven starting assignments for the Tigers in 2007, Jurrjens turned in a 3-1 record and a 4.70 ERA despite shoulder problems that forced him to the DL after his third start. Most of the buzz around spring training camp at Disney’s Wide World has been about the talent of Jurrjens, making it difficult to say that he may not have already clinched a spot.

His last start against he Astros was somewhat shaky (four runs on four hits with four walks in 2 and 2/3 IP), but his other starts produced just one earned run over nine previous innings.

Prediction: MLB Starting Rotation

Chuck James, LHP | Age: 26
After winning 11 games in the past two seasons, Chuck James finds himself in danger of losing his spot in the rotation. James was Atlanta’s number three starter for the majority of the 2007 season, but his inability to consistently pitch beyond the fifth inning added still more stress to an already over-taxed Braves bullpen.

James brought some guts and a solid change-up to the Braves in 2006 and went 11-4 as a rookie, even though he did not get a start until the disastrous month of June that sunk the Braves play-off hopes. There was no reason not to expect more good things from the diminutive lefty last season.

On some levels, James produced on the stat-line. He went 11-10 with a 4.24 ERA in 30 starts. Unfortunately, with his club starving for innings, James pitched seven innings in just four starts last season. Some have astutely noticed that James devolved into a two-pitch pitcher, relying solely on a fastball/change-up combination. If James is able to effectively mix his slider back into the mix, then he could re-assert himself into the Braves rotation.

Shoulder woes have forced James to get a late start on his spring, but he was impressive with two scoreless innings in his first outing. It’s likely that the Braves will want him to continue to build up his arm strength with regular work at Triple-A, especially since the fifth start will not see as much action during the season’s first month.

Prediction: AAA Richmond Starting Rotation.

Jo-Jo Reyes, LHP | Age: 23
The Braves are certainly lucky to have no shortage of lefty starters, from Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton to Chuck James and Jo-Jo Reyes. Atlanta has a bright pitching prospect in Reyes, who seemed to get things going as the season drew to a close.

Reyes went 12-1 in 19 minor league starts last season before going 2-2 with a 6.22 in 10 starts with the parent club. After rough returns in the early going, Reyes mounted a respectable September (2-0, 3.10 ERA in 20.1 IP). More importantly, he only allowed one homer in his last four appearances of the season after allowing eight in his first seven outings.

The talent is there. Reyes has impressed the Braves at seemingly every stop along the way. He has three quality pitches with the ability to throw all of them for strikes. That is what helped Reyes make it to Atlanta last season, though the walks have become a bit of a concern since his arrival.

Reyes has issued more than his share of walks in his three spring appearances (seven in seven innings) to go along with nine hits allowed. All those base runners are going to pose a problem. With only six starts at Richmond last season, it is possible the Braves may wish to give him a little more time to sharpen his control before installing him in the rotation. He should be ready, should injury befall one of the Braves starters.

Prediction: AAA Richmond Starting Rotation

Jeff Bennett, RHP | Age: 27
Sometimes a club finds a pitcher by complete random chance. That is the case for the Atlanta Braves and Jeff Bennett. He exploded on to the scene with eight strike outs in five and 2/3 innings to earn a win in his Atlanta debut. By the way, Not only was that his first appearance with the Braves but it was also his first Major League start.

Bennett battled injuries after spending the 2004 season as a reliever with the Milwaukee Brewers. After spending 2005 in the minors, Atlanta had signed him in January of 2006. Unfortunately for Bennett, he wound up having his contract voided when a pre-existing elbow condition was discovered. But that didn’t stop him from the goal of making it back to the big leagues.

Spending most of last season as a reliever in stops with Mississippi and Richmond, Bennett made six starts while at Triple-A. That was enough to earn him a shot at the Major Leagues in September. One of the things that many noted about Bennett this spring was the fact that he has shed roughly 50 lbs.

The slimmed down Bennett has looked solid in his outings thus far, but not spectacular (0-1, 3.86 ERA in four games). Expectations should be tempered based on the fact that last season’s debut and subsequent outings was not an accurate sample size.

Still, Bennett looks to have something to offer. My guess is that it may just be in relief. With Oscar Villarreal now pitching for Houston and Tyler Yates struggling a bit, the Braves may want to keep the right arm of Bennett around in his original role.

Prediction: MLB Reliever

So there you have a look at four guys who could make an impact for the Braves this season. That’s just my look though. Injury could change everything around a couple of times before it’s all said and done. What do you think? Send along some comments/emails.

Till Next time,

G-Mc