As spring training approaches, it is time to take an in depth look at how the Braves are shaping up. Each entry will cover a specific portion of the club with a deeper look at how the positions and the battles to fill those final spots will shake out.

The Outfield

For the first time in more than a decade, the Atlanta Braves will begin a season without Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones patrolling center field. While the change will be apparent, the Braves have still maintain a solid corps of outfielders, lead by homegrown star Jeff Francoeur.

After exploding on to the scene with a red hot summer in 2005, Francoeur, 24, has continued to mature over his two and a half seasons with Atlanta. He has proven solid on both sides of the ball, winning his first Rawlings Gold Glove award last season while finishing with a very respectable .293 batting average. After hitting .300 in his abbreviated rookie season, some said that his lack of patience would prevent him from ever approaching that mark again.

Digging deeper into the statistics shows a great deal of overall growth in Francoeur’s game. His cannon arm racked up 19 outfield assists, which tied him for the Major League lead among outfielders. Though his home run total dipped from 29 in ’06 to 19 last season, Francoeur upped his doubles total from 24 to 40 and his overall hit total from 169 to 188.

Don’t look now, but the free-swinger nearly doubled his walk total (from 23 to 42) which saw his paltry 2006 on base percentage of .293 climb to .338 last season. While that will not rank him among the league leaders, it certainly shows signs that Francoeur will continue that improvement over time.

How about durability? Francoeur gives you that too, having started all 162 games in each of the past two seasons. Run Production? For the second year in a row, Francoeur drove home more than 100 runs. As he enters the prime years of his career, the Braves will likely try to lock up the new face of their franchise to a long-term deal in an attempt to buy out some of his arbitration years and perhaps the first few years of his impending free agency.

There is no doubt that the Braves will look for an offensive boost from Francoeur to help fill the void left by the departure of Andruw. Having Mark Teixeira in the mix certainly helps there. The club is eagarly awaiting the arrival of super-prospect Jordan Schafer, but Atlanta had to make a move to fill the center field spot for 2007. General Manager Frank Wren made a move, first with the acquisition of the speedy rookie Josh Anderson from Houston. Many wondered if that would be the final move, giving life to a theory that Schafer would be given an opportunity to win the job outright in the spring.

All that speculation came to a close when Wren sent pitchers Joey Devine and Jamie Richmond to Oakland in exchange for veteran center fielder Mark Kotsay in mid-January. Missing substantial time in 2007 and bringing with him a history of back problems, Kotsay is some-what of a role of the dice. That not withstanding, the Braves were happy to bring in a veteran stop-gap to fill the hole and buy time for Schafer to gain valuable experience in Double-A and beyond.

At 32-years old, Kotsay is far from over the hill by anyone’s standard. Kotsay’s defense is far better than average, which should help everyone from Wren to Bobby Cox to Atlanta pitchers continue to breathe easy when the ball is struck toward center field. Seasonal averages project Kotsay to hit around .280 with upwards of 12 homers and 65 RBI if healthy. The key will be keeping Kotsay healthy and in the lineup for better than 150 games. Since the Braves only owe him 2 million this season, the reward far outweighs the risk, especially with Anderson ready as an insurance policy.

If Kotsay should fall short due to injury, Atlanta will have the option of going with Anderson. The 25-year old proved himself ready for the show last season with the Astros, hitting .358 in 21 September contests. A speedy base-runner, Anderson lead the Houston system with 40 steals at Triple-A Round Rock. The Braves will definitely benefit from some speed off the bench.

Matt Diaz, soon to be 30, has very quietly established himself as an integral part of the offensive dynamic when given the chance. Though he has been a part of platoons in each of his first two seasons, Diaz ranks second to Ichiro Suzuki with a .333 average since the start of 2006. Given, it is in half as many at-bats, but the numbers certainly don’t lie. Seemingly never trying to hit the ball out of the park, Diaz sprays line drives all over the field at will.

In 2007, despite splitting significant time with new-comer Willie Harris, Diaz increased his productivity across the board from his first season in Atlanta. Much like Francoeur, the average was up from .327 to .338, doubles from 15 to 21, homers from seven to 12 and RBIs from 32 to 45. As the year wore on, Diaz began to play smarter on defense and as result he began making the routine plays look just that.

It will come as no surprise if Cox again chooses to go with a platoon to complement the righty swinging Diaz. Highly regarded prospect Brandon Jones got a taste of the Major Leagues last season and may be sticking around come this spring. The next in a the line of Jones boys, Brandon, 24, drove home 104 runs at three stops including Atlanta in 2007. Though he only had 19 at-bats with the big club, it appears that he will be given an opportunity as a cost-effective lefty counterpart to Diaz.

Jones batted .295 in 138 games between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Richmond, clouting 19 homers and even swiping 17 bases between the two levels. The native Floridian projects to get a good portion of the pinch-hit at-bats along with power-threat Scott Thorman. With Jones on board it is unlikely that Thorman will see any time in the outfield this season. The acquisition of Anderson all but rules that out.

Still ahead:

• The Infield
• The Bullpen
• The Bench

Till next time,

G-Mc

If you were wondering when exactly the New York Mets were going to make any substantial off-season moves before heading to Florida, then the answer came on Tuesday. USA Today reports that the Mets and Minnesota Twins have agreed on a deal that will send ace left-hander Johan Santana to New York in exchange for highly regarded outfielder Carlos Gomez, starter Philip Humber and minor league hurlers Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey. All that remains is working out a contract extension to Santana’s liking.

The Tom Glavine sized hole that was left in New York’s rotation has been filled by the best pitcher (statistically) in baseball since 2003. Santana has been mowing down American League line-ups since joining the Twins rotation full-time in 2004.

As the Mets and Santana try to iron out the details of that contract extension, the move has already sent ripples across the NL East. Rumblings thus far indicate that we’re talking about $25 million a year for a term of no less than six years, according to Santana’s representation (agent Peter Greenberg). With Santana signed, sealed and delivered, New York has an indisputable ace to lead an already capable four-some of Pedro Martinez, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Orlando Hernandez. Talk about a loaded rotation.

The Braves of course can counter with their veteran trio of John Smoltz, Tim Hudson and Tom Glavine. Throw in a healthy Mike Hampton and a rejuvenated Chuck James and Atlanta could be dog-fighting it out with New York into the month of September.

Both rotations have health concerns. New York’s primarily lie with Martinez and Hernandez while the Braves deal with the ever-present quandary that is Hampton. The moves made by both teams (Atlanta with Glavine and New York with Santana) definitely push the Phillies into crunch time as they make a decision on bringing back Kyle Lohse.

Though Lohse (9-12, 4.62 ERA in ’07) hardly represents the impact of Santana, or Glavine for that matter, he does represent the solidifying of a rotation that will welcome Brett Myers back into the fold and already has young stud Cole Hammels, surprisingly dependable Kyle Kendrick and veterans Jaime Moyer and Adam Eaton.

This move certainly ranks among the biggest of the post-season, as the landscape of the NL East will be decidedly different in 2008. Preview time is nearly upon us.

Till then,

G-Mc

It is rare that any sense of immediacy is involved when declaring an era in any sport.  After Thursday’s release of the Mitchell Report, the "Steroid Era" has certainly been marked clearly and permanently in baseball’s history books.

What has been an on-going debacle for nearly a decade may have finally seen its first significant step towards beginning the reclamation of Major League Baseball’s good name, so to speak. And mind you, that is not because the Mitchell Report is the foremost word on what did and did not go on, but more simply it will be the impetus for our first look at the widespread manner in which steroids, HGH and other performance enhancing drugs soaked their way deep into the fabric of America’s pastime.

There will be a clarity that will only come in time, as those involved will more than likely be rooted out by personal admission or have it done for them by a supplier, trainer or one-time friend. But what is to become of these troubled souls who did, in the eyes of most, defame the level playing field and forever alter a history that stands firmly on numbers that signify greatness?

Baseball’s all-time home run king has been indicted and faces legal ramifications that could land him in jail before all is said and done. Once the lightning rod of the entire steroid equation, Bonds now has company – elite company at that. The greatest pitcher of his era, Roger Clemens, now faces the landslide of scrutiny at the hands of media skeptics, cynics, fans and those who solely thirst to get back to what was good about the grand old game.

Many are passionate that those involved with this performance enhanced scandal are now and will forever be known as cheaters. And perhaps, in the simplest form, that is true. But with the list of those involved having grown exponentially on Thursday, we no longer have the comfort of sitting back and casting all the blame squarely on the short list headed by Bonds. He, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire and that grinning loon Jose Canseco were merely the first big names to be tied squarely to allegations of doping.

So, we have a nice tidy list of names boiled down on most sports sites and publications following a cursory first look at the Mitchell document. What has begun to resonate with me, from my inner fan to the years of my adult life spent working in and around the game, is that fact that the line between objective reporting and opinion oriented ranting has become incredibly blurred.

Don’t get me wrong, I have spent enough time on the internet to border on becoming socially dependent and I love sports talk radio, but the fact is that more and more people are becoming dependent upon these outlets to tell them how to feel about this topic.

Deep down we know that cheating is wrong. We were taught that as kids. Some of us have chosen to stick to mom and dad’s advice and live as closely to the words as possible.

I seriously doubt the tenacity of each individual who will pass judgment on those involved (those named in this report) to actually read the full report to properly put everything in context. The power of words and the ease in which they multiply in the internet age will easily sway the voice of public opinion. That doesn’t apply solely to sports. That is becoming a fact of life.

I’ve never been in the position to make millions of dollars, based mostly on my athletic ability to perform a task. I’m not much of a grand-scale entertainer. And for the most part, I still have age on my side. The future is still largely ahead of me. There is no medical shortcut that will take me to the places that I want to go as fast as I can physically get there. Sometimes I wish it was that easy.

I think the part that really stirs up the anger in most is that these athletes have already been gifted to a measure that many of us will never know and have never experienced. Why would their talent not be enough to satisfy them as professional athletes? We in the general public have followed the same model. You play until somebody says you aren’t good enough to proceed to the next level. Or simply, life happens. You lose interest, get hurt, or simply get over the desire to continue.

So getting back to the whole question of why a baseball player would want to enhance his performance on the field, I think it goes beyond simply wanting to have the edge. It goes beyond simple on-field performance. It’s been said by some, but not as many, that in some cases these are guys who are simply trying to put themselves in the position to maximize their earning potential.

As much as we would like to be able to point the finger of blame squarely at the men named in this report, I feel we should at least think about what any one of us would have done in what seemingly appeared to be a vacuum of look-the-other-way apathy that coated baseball throughout the 90s. No one had any reason to worry about getting caught, because no one in charge really seemed to care about addressing steroids. Baseball’s dirty little secret.

I shudder to think what would happen if an average American office was supplied with a supposed wonder drug that would increase the rate in which any one of us could climb the ladder and start earning the big money and leading the good life. How many average Joe’s do you think would take short cut? Even if they were told, ‘Hey this might shave a few years off your life,’ it wouldn’t stop many.

The funny thing about this whole hypothetical scenario is that it will never happen. Caffeine is the drug that permeates the office-place. That certainly won’t make you CEO. But I think we should take a look inside to see if no one was really checking, would we take the easy way? I’d like to say I wouldn’t… but the temptation would be hard not to succumb to.

We all have strong feelings about the many facets of the game. We love hustle, the diving catch, going first to third and a good hard slide. But somewhere between Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds our love of the home run may be the very thing that became too much for us to live without. The stolen base all but vanished as a high art and middle infielders started cranking 30+ homers on a yearly basis. How did it happen? I’ll leave that for you to ponder.

Are these guys villains? No. Are they performers? Yes. Are they always virtuous role models that we would like kids to be just like? No. Are they human beings born into the same set of flaws that we all have to live with? Yes. They just do it on national television. You invite them into your home with every game that is broadcast. And I guess, in the end, we expect our guests to follow the rules. Even if we do not.

Till next time,

G-Mc

Well the official close of the winter meetings is on Thursday with the Rule 5 draft looming, but Wednesday had plenty of big news afterall.

The Tigers stole most of the attention when their contingent arrived to announce the trade for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrell Willis was now official. A press conference allowed manager Jim Leyland to discuss his newly revamped team. Tigers fans should certainly be in high hopes come this spring.

Otherwise, it was a slow day in the lobby. Several teams packed up early and were gone by late afternoon. Braves GM Frank Wren spent some time this afternoon discussing the state of the union but there was really nothing further to report.

The day ended with a somewhat familiar bang though. Reports have surfaced now that Andruw Jones has agreed to a 2-year $36 million deal with the LA Dodgers. San Diego and Kansas City may have shown the most interest other than the Dodgers, who will plug Jones into center for the next two seasons. Juan Pierre will likely slide to left and Matt Kemp will more than likely be given the right field job.

Jones stays in the NL and embarks on a new chapter in his career, one that will include the familiar face of former teammate Rafael Furcal. The Braves will not recieve compensation for Jones new LA contract because the team did not offer him salary arbitration. The deal could be announced as early as tomorrow, but nothing is certain.

More on that and the final day of the meetings tomorrow.

Till then,

G-Mc

Well for your money’s worth, it doesn’t get much bigger than the trade that went down on Tuesday between the Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins. When you think of the term "blockbuster" this deal surely qualifies.

Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis head to Detroit in exchange for top prospects, namely starter Andrew Miller and outfielder Cameron Maybin. Florida will also recieve catcher Mike Rabelo and pitchers Eulogio De la Cruz, Dallas Trahern and Burke Badenhop (according to ESPN’s Peter Gammons).

Detroit has paid a big price in prospects this off-season, having already sent two more of their top prospects (Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez) to Atlanta in exchange for Edgar Renteria on the day after the World Series.

There is no question that these deals have given Detroit a serious head of steam in the American League Central race. Cleveland will have their hands full as Jim Leyland’s club brings a powerful line-up and a strong rotation to the battlefield next summer.

Atlanta was busy on Tuesday, beginning with a mid-morning swap of players with the Chicago Cubs. Frank Wren sent righty Jose Ascanio to the Cubs in exchange for infielder/outfielder Omar Infante and lefty Will Ohman. The move satisfies the Braves hunt for both a back-up shorstop and another left-hander for the bullpen, but by no means does it mean that Wren is finished with his shopping here in Nashville.

Ohman, 30, had all kinds of trouble pitching in Wrigley Field (where he posted an ERA of 8.66 in 27 games) but was quite the opposite on the road (1.45 ERA in 29 games). Due to the fact that the Cubs play half of their games at Wrigley, Ohman would definitely benefit from a change of scenery.

Chicago had just acquired Infante in exchange for Jacque Jones in mid-November. Infante, 25, is under control of Atlanta for three more seasons and should provide both versatility and some power off the bench.

Wren seems to have more on his agenda for the meetings. The Braves will be working to sign or trade for a back-up catcher. Damian Miller was rumored earlier in the day but, as always, Wren was tight-lipped about the possibilities that the Braves are persuing.

More tomorrow,

G-Mc