The Atlanta Braves may not have been the most active team on the free-agent market over the winter, but extending their young core players has been a completely different story.

The Braves announced they have come to terms on a four-year contract extension with closer Craig Kimbrel on Sunday, making him the fourth player in the last two weeks to reach agreement on a multi-year deal with the club.

According to Jayson Stark of ESPN, Kimbrel will make $42 million over the course of the deal, which includes a $13 million club option for 2018, his age-30 season. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports Kimbrel can also earn $3.5 million worth of incentives based on performance, which could bring the total value of the contract to $58.5 million over five years.

“We are very excited to agree to terms with Craig, who we feel is the best closer in Major League Baseball,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said in the team release. “He is one of the key pieces of our pitching staff and we are happy to keep him in a Braves uniform for at least four more years.”

The deal allows Atlanta to avoid arbitration with the only one of its players to be scheduled for a hearing. Kimbrel’s case was due to be heard on Monday, but the new long-term extension will help both sides avoid the arbitration table for good.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports provided the salary breakdown for the deal. Kimbrel will receive a $1 million signing bonus, followed by salaries of $7 million in 2014, $9 million in 2015, $11 million in 2016 and $13 million in 2017. As mentioned, the fifth-year team option is worth $13 million as well and carries a $1 million buyout.

Kimbrel, who turns 26 in May, was the 2011 National League Rookie of the year and is already a three-time All-Star as well. He has compiled 139 saves in 154 save opportunities to go along with a 1.39 ERA and 381 strikeouts in 231 career appearances. He is poised to become the franchise leader in saves, needing just 16 to surpass John Smoltz’s current record of 154.

He has built a reputation not just for recording saves at a high rate, but the manner in which he does it. Kimbrel holds a 15.1 SO/9 through his first 227.1 innings.

This latest stroke by Wren comes after signing Jason Heyward to a two-year, $13.3 million deal to avoid arbitration, locking up Freddie Freeman to a franchise-record eight-year, $135 million extension last week and, most recently, signing Julio Teheran to a six-year, $32.4 million deal on Friday.

As the Braves prepare to move into their new Cobb County home in 2017, Wren had stated the new ballpark would supply additional revenue streams which would allow the club to execute a “comprehensive plan” designed to keep the young core together over the coming years.

That has clearly been the case, demonstrated by committing what could be $251.2 million worth of extensions to Freeman, Heyward, Kimbrel and Teheran.

Atlanta has several players who could very well be locked up for the foreseeable future. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons as well starters Mike Minor and Kris Medlen could be next in line.  Simmons will not be arbitration eligible until 2016, while Minor has two years of team control remaining and Medlen just one.

Grant McAuley covers the Braves for Sports Radio 92.9 The Game. You can follow Grant on Twitter.

The Atlanta Braves agreed to a six-year extension with right-hander Julio Teheran on Friday. The deal runs through 2019 season and includes an option for 2020.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Teheran will make $32.4 million over the first six years, while Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports the option for 2020 is worth $12 million and includes a $1 million buyout.

“We are excited to sign Julio to a long-term contract,” Braves General Manager Frank Wren said in the team release. “He is one of the best young pitchers in the National League and one of our core of players we expect to be together for a number of years.”

Teheran, 23, who had long been viewed as one of the premier pitching prospects in the game, enjoyed a stellar 2013 season in which he went 14-8 with a 3.20 ERA in 30 starts. He struck out 170 hitters while walking just 45 in 185.2 innings and finished fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting.

Prior to reaching agreement on this extension, Teheran was slated to become a free agent following the 2018 season. It pays him an average $5.4 million over the first six seasons and allows the Braves to buy out the first two years of Teheran’s free agency if the option is exercised.

Atlanta signed the 16-year-old out of Columbia for $850,000 in the summer of 2007. Even at a young age, Teheran already flashed the tools that would make him so effective, commanding the zone with his fastball, curveball and changeup combination.

This is the third multi-year deal Wren has brokered this month, all aimed at keeping the core of the team together as the team move into its new home in Cobb County for the 2017 season. Atlanta signed Freddie Freeman to an eight-year, $135 million and outfielder Jason Heyward to a two-year pact worth $13.3 million last week.

Grant McAuley covers the Braves for Sports Radio 92.9 The Game. You can follow Grant on Twitter.

ATLANTA – Atlanta Braves held a Wednesday press conference to announce their eight-year extension with first baseman Freddie Freeman. Running through the 2021 season, Freeman receives the most lucrative contract in franchise history.

The deal is worth $135 million in total. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Atlanta will pay Freeman a $2.875 million signing bonus. followed by salaries of $5.125 million in 2014, $8.5 million in 2015, $12 million in 2016, $20.5 in 2017, $21 million in both 2o18 and 2019 and $22 million in the 2o20 and 2021 seasons.

The team announced the deal in a press release on Tuesday evening, but did not reveal the financial terms at that time. Multiple sources had confirmed that the two sides had reached an agreement earlier in the afternoon, though the Braves did not issue a statement until just before 8 p.m. as they worked to finalize the terms.

“When you look at what Freddie has accomplished in his first three years here, there was no doubt in our mind that we had found our first baseman not only of the present but of the future.” said Braves general manager Frank Wren. “He’s turned into one of the best young players in the National league… and he just continues to get better.”

Freeman, 24, enjoyed a break-out campaign in 2013, placing fifth in the National League MVP voting. He batted .319/.396/.501 with 23 homers, 109 RBI and 89 runs scored in 147 games, setting career-highs in virtually every offensive category.

“For them to believe in me with this kind of contract, it’s truly and honor and humbling,” said Freeman. “For it to happen this young, I never thought that would be even possible or imagined that.”

At just 24 years old, Freeman becomes Atlanta’s highest paid player in both overall contract value and average annual salary. He surpasses the six-year, $90 million extension that Chipper Jones signed in August of 2000, following his MVP season of 1999.

The salaries will rise incrementally over the eight-year span of the extension, while both sides are able to avoid any further arbitration worries. Freeman’s first significant jump during the contract is 2017, when he goes from $12 million up to $20.5 million. That is the same season he would have been eligible for free-agency as well as the year that the Braves move into their new stadium.

Freeman’s $16.875 million average moves him ahead of B.J. Upton for largest yearly salary in club history. Upton became Atlanta’s highest paid free-agent acquisition just last winter after signing a 5-year, $75.25 million contract ($15.05 million per season).

“[The Braves] gave me a chance when I was 20 years old, called me up to the big leagues and it’s been the greatest three years plus change,” said Freeman. “This is a team that I want to play for for a long time.

Wren added on Wednesday that this move begins what the club hopes to be a series of deals to retain the services of its talented young nucleus for years to come. This vision coincides with the Braves’ upcoming move to a new ballpark located in Cobb County for the 2017 season.

Freeman’s extension was just the first step.

“We were looking at a comprehensive plan,” said Wren. “It wasn’t focused on keeping one player; it was focused on keeping a team, and keeping a competitive team that we could go forward into Cobb County and beyond.”

The team surprised many last November by announcing it had struck a deal to move to suburban Smyrna, leaving behind Turner Field and the city of Atlanta in the process.

“I think the great attribute that Cobb County gives us is that it helps us stay competitive,” added Wren. “It gives us the revenues and the additional ability to stay competitive within our division and that’s an important aspect of it, but this is a comprehensive plan. It’s not just about Freddie, although this is one of the first big steps.”

When it comes to market value, it’s worth noting that this deal is for substantially more than some of Freeman’s first base contemporaries of  similar age and service time have signed in the past 12 months.

Last March, the Arizona Diamondbacks signed Paul Goldschmidt to a five-year, $32 million extension that includes a $14.5 million club option for another season. Goldschmidt, 26, was runner-up for the NL MVP in 2013, batting .302/.401/.551 and leading the NL with 36 homers, 126 RBI, 332 total bases and a .952 OPS.

Not long after the ink had dried on Goldschmidt’s deal, the Chicago Cubs inked Anthony Rizzo to a seven-year, $41 million extension in May. The deal also includes a pair of $14.5 million options for 2020 and 2021 which could bring the overall value to 9-years, and upwards of $70 million including incentives. Rizzo, 24, struggled after the announcement, finishing the year with a .233/.323/.419 line to go with 23 homers and 80 RBI in 160 games.

The Braves may have locked up their young first baseman for more than some clubs, but the deal is for substantially less than the likes of the Reds Joey Votto, Prince Fielder of the Rangers and, of course, Albert Pujols of Angels.

Freeman has proven himself to be one of the best young hitters in the game. Atlanta nabbed him in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft. That was the same year the Braves acquired first baseman Mark Teixeira from the Texas Rangers for a slew of prospects, only to trade him away the following summer for little return.

While that series of moves may be met with universal displeasure in hindsight, the Braves did not compound it by moving heaven and earth to keep the now declining and oft-injured Teixeira around for anything remotely close to the eight-year, $180 million offer he received to join the Yankees prior to 2009.

Instead of making their investment in the 29-year-old Teixeira that winter, the Braves rebuilt from within and used their funds this winter to retain a 24-year-old Freeman for roughly $45 million less over the same eight-year pact.

In all fairness, the funds to extend Teixeira and satisfy his agent Scott Boras were likely not available when the decision was made to deal the first baseman away in 2008, but the fallout from Teixeira’s time with the Braves may finally be in Atlanta’s favor.

At least, in a manner of speaking.

Teixeira’s recent injury history and rapid decline make him one of worst contracts in baseball. He played just 15 games in 2013 and 138 over the past two seasons, batting .240/.325/.460 combined while making $45 million during that time.

And the Yankees will be paying him $22.5 million over the next three seasons as well.

Though the Braves employ a “file and trial” policy with arbitration eligible players who fail to reach agreement prior to the deadline, Wren did not let that deter him from exploring long-term deals.

Atlanta also announced a two-year pact with outfielder Jason Heyward on Tuesday morning. That deal is worth a reported $13.3 million and includes performance bonuses. [More on Heyward]

One arbitration case remains on the docket, however. Closer Craig Kimbrel has requested $9 million, with Atlanta countering with $6.55 million salary offer. Kimbrel’s hearing is set for Feb. 17.

Grant McAuley covers the Braves for Sports Radio 92-9 The Game. Follow Grant on Twitter.

ATLANTA – It won’t be long until the moving trucks will be departing from Turner Field bound for the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. But before the exhibition games begin, the Atlanta Braves and several key players have some business to attend to.

Arbitration hearings loom for first baseman Freddie Freeman, outfielder Jason Heyward and closer Craig Kimbrel. The trio will have their salaries for the upcoming season determined at some point during the next three weeks.

Prior to Tuesday’s snowfall and subsequent traffic debacle, Freeman and Heyward were among several players and coaches who took part in the Braves Country Caravan stop at Clarkdale Elementary School.

After visiting with the students, it was time to address the excitement of a new season as well as the mindset going into the final stage of the arbitration process.

Though long-term extensions could happen at some point, the Braves are a “file and trial” club. In short, they allow the hearings to determine the yearly salary figures in the event that no agreement is reached prior to the deadline (January 17) to avoid arbitration.

Freeman is coming off an MVP-caliber season. He finished fifth in the voting for the award after setting career-highs in virtually every offensive category. Freeman batted .319/.396/.501 with 23 homers, 109 RBI and 89 runs scored in 147 games.

He has asked for a $5.75 million salary, with the team offering $4.5 million. A hearing will take place in St. Petersburg, Fla., on a date yet to be determined between February 1-21.

“When it happens, it happens,” said Freeman of the hearing. “It’s my agents’ stuff [and] I let them deal with it. I’ve just got to get ready for the season. If I have to go down there whenever my hearing is, I’ll go down there and then we’ll get ready and whatever happens, happens.”

The Braves enter the upcoming season as one of the most talented young squads in the game, but watched several key veterans depart via free agency.

Starter Tim Hudson joined the San Francisco Giants rotation, while reliever Eric O’Flaherty opted to take up residence across the bay with the Oakland Athletics. Both were big pieces of the Atlanta staff in recent years and leave behind voids to fill.

“I think losing Huddy and O’Flaherty is big, but that’s the name of the game,” said Freeman. “Every team goes through [free agency], we just have to pull together and get through it. Hopefully we can come out on top. We’re a young group and we’re going to be fun to watch.”

The biggest adjustment will come at position that has been a source of strength since 2005. Catcher Brian McCann left to sign a five-year, $85 million deal with the New York Yankees. Following that move, manager Fredi Gonzalez indicated that he would entrust the majority of the time behind the plate to Evan Gattis.

“Our main group is very young and we’re still all together,” said Freeman. “Everybody saw what Gattis can do last year with the bat. He only got better learning from [veterans] at the catching position.”

With no time to linger on the personnel changes, Freeman added the NLDS loss to the Dodgers to the list of things that won’t be crossing his mind again anytime soon.

“I haven’t thought about it,” he said. “Once we lost, I went home and sat in my room for two days then went and started working out again. I don’t dwell on that.”

It will no doubt serve as some sort of motivation for Freeman as he seeks to build on his success from 2013, but his off-season regimen certainly didn’t need any fine tuning.

“I was in really good shape last year and just wanted to keep [my routine] the same,” said Freeman. “My weight stayed the same all off season. I’ve been working out five times a week. Everything is good. I feel great. I’m just getting the itch and ready to go back.”

Heyward is heading for a hearing despite being just $300,000 apart from his request of $5.5 million and the team’s $5.2 million offer. It is one of the narrowest of differences in this year’s arbitration class.

Of the 146 players to file (full list here), there are 29 set to be scheduled for hearings. Only two of those men – Andrew Cashner of the Padres and Josh Tomlin of the Indians (both $125,000 away with their respective clubs) – are heading there separated by less money than Heyward with Atlanta.

Heyward shares Freeman’s stance on the matter, realizing this is the business side of the game.

“That’s just part of baseball,” said Heyward. “You expect it, understand it, [get] caught up to speed and then after that, it’s ‘play ball.’”

When it comes to getting back on the field, Heyward anticipates no setbacks from an injury-riddled 2013 campaign in which he underwent an emergency appendectomy and suffered a broken jaw.

“It’s better. More solidified,” said Heyward of his surgically repaired jaw. “Got the doctor’s blessing to be cleared for whatever.”

Heyward found a new home atop the Braves batting order last season. His work out of the leadoff spot energized the team before being struck in the face with a pitch on August 21 against the Mets. After working hard to return in late September and be part of Atlanta’s playoff run, Heyward feels confident that he will not be affected by it going forward.

“Freak injuries happen. Clearly,” he joked. “But I still had fun, still was able to come back and clinch the division with my teammates and have some fun in the playoffs as well. It’s all experience, being young in the game. [You] try to take it, go forward and improve.”

Heyward has spent the first four years of his career trying to live up to the lofty expectations that come with being a first round pick in the city you grow up in. His impressive physique and well-rounded skill set will be counted on more than ever in 2014.

Health was obviously an issue last season, but the 24-year-old’s best days lay in front of him. If anything, Atlanta realized just how much Heyward can impact the game with the bat and in the field.

When the decision is reached in arbitration, he’ll be ready to turn the page and put the focus back where it belongs. That means letting the future take care of itself.

“I think for me, I just need to be on the field of play,” said Heyward. “If I do that, then I feel like I’m doing my part and then some. And I know I mean a lot to this team whether I’m around playing or not, but most certainly playing on the field. As far as what anybody else does, the front office or anything, that’s out of my hands.”

Grant McAuley covers the Braves for Sports Radio 92-9 The Game. You can follow Grant on Twitter and Instagram.

The Atlanta Braves avoided arbitration with four players on Friday, but the team still has more work to do.

Among those to reach agreement were pitchers Kris Medlen and Mike Minor, third baseman Chris Johnson and outfielder Jordan Schafer. That leaves Atlanta with three major pieces of its squad yet to agree to deals for 2014.

Friday carried a 1 p.m. deadline for teams and their arbitration-eligible players to exchange salary-arbitration figures or come to terms for 2014.

The team issued an official release for the players who agreed to deals. It did not include first baseman Freddie Freeman, outfielder Jason Heyward or closer Craig Kimbrel.

Clubs and players still have the opportunity to reach agreement after the deadline, though the Braves have not made a practice of doing so. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Friday night that the Braves will have no further negotiations with Freeman, Heyward and Kimbrel according to general manager Frank Wren and will instead go to hearings.

Arbitration hearings will take place February 1-21 for those unable to come to agreement on Friday. At that time, the player will either be awarded his request or the team’s offer rather than a figure in between.

Medlen, 28, showed he belonged in the Atlanta rotation by following up his stellar run late in 2012 with another good campaign last season. A slow start and spotty run support contributed to his 15-12 record, but Medlen finished strong to lead the starting staff with both a 3.11 ERA and those 15 wins. He’ll earn $5.8 million this season, a significant raise from his 2013 salary of $2.6 million.

Minor, 26, continued his evolution into a solid front-end starter with a more than respectable 2013 season. The lefty went 13-9 with a 3.21 ERA. He led the team with 32 starts, 204.2 IP and 181 strikeouts, all personal bests. Minor’s 2014 salary of $3.85 million represents a nice jump from the $505,000 he made last season.

Johnson, 29, was the less-heralded part of Atlanta’s big trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks last winter, but he certainly proved himself to be more than just a throw-in. Taking over for Chipper Jones at third base, Johnson hit .321/.358/.457 while vying for the NL batting title. The two sides agreed to a $4.75 million deal for 2014, more than double his $2,287,500 salary from 2013.

Schafer, 27, hit .247/.331/.346 with 22 stolen bases in 94 games in 2013, but missed significant time in the middle of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot. After returning from the disabled list, Schafer batted just .170 in his final 33 games. He will make $1.09 million in 2014.

A very talented trio is ticketed for arbitration hearings. Regardless of which side wins in each case, the Braves are projected be paying tidy raises to each man.

[More on the salary projections here]

Freeman, 24, set career bests in most offensive categories in 2013. He batted .319/.396/.501 with 23 homers and 109 RBI to earn NL All-Star honors. After finishing fifth in NL MVP voting, Freeman was first time arbitration-eligible and will see his salary jump noticeably from the $560,000 he made last season. He was seeking $5.75 million, while the Braves offered $4.5 million.

Heyward, 24, had much of his 2013 season derailed by injury, but emerged as a catalyst at the top of the Atlanta lineup in the second half. While his .254/.349/.427  line in 104 games may seem run-of-the-mill, Heyward batted .322/.403/.551 with 31 runs scored in 30 games out of the leadoff spot. After making a $3.65 million salary last season, Heyward asked for $5.5 million. The team countered with a $5.2 million figure, putting them just $300,000 away.

Kimbrel, 25, has quickly built a reputation as the best closer in baseball. After piling up a career-high 50 saves in 2013, Kimbrel now has 138 over the past three seasons. Add in a 1.39 ERA and 15.1 SO/9 to his eye-popping career totals, and it’s easy to see how Kimbrel will become the highest paid first-time arbitration-eligible closer (surpassing a record of $6.25 million paid to Jonathan Papelbon by the Boston Red Sox in 2009). Kimbrel submitted a $9 million request, while Atlanta was prepared to pay $6.55 million.

The baseball world was set abuzz by the announcement that Yankees star third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been suspended for the entire 2014 season (including the postseason). It is the largest suspension ever handed out for involvement with performance enhancing drug use. While the ramifications of the impending legal battle to follow are yet to be known, MLB has sent its loudest, clearest message about PED’s in the sport.

On the premiere episode of the “Around the Big Leagues Podcast,” Grant McAuley looks at how A-Rod arrived at a one-year ban and where all parties go from here.

The Atlanta Braves clinched the National League East on Sunday, but that is only the first of four champagne celebrations they hope to have by the time the 2013 season comes to a close.

One final week remains before the postseason picture comes completely into focus, but the Braves are in position to enjoy the majority of their October baseball at Turner Field. They can secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs by holding onto the NL’s best record.

A handful of teams are chasing Atlanta (92-63) for that prize, but time is running out for all of them to make a move. The Braves own a major league-best 52-22 record at home, making this final seven-game push of added importance.

While the West champion Los Angeles Dodgers (90-66) have been baseball hottest team for the better part of three months, they have cooled in September and were overtaken in the race for best record by the Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals (91-65).

The NL Central has been the most hard-fought of the three divisions in the senior circuit, if not all of baseball. Only two games separate the Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds (both 89-67). It’s a race so close that all three of those teams remain in the discussion for a division title, wild card berth(s) and perhaps even the best overall record in the league.

Strength of schedule…

Atlanta: The Braves’ lead for best record in the NL and home field advantage currently stands at 1.5 games ahead of the Cardinals,  2.5 games up on the Dodgers and 3.5 games on both the Pirates and Reds.

Only two series remain for Atlanta, and both are against under .500 teams. They’ll open this final homestand with a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers (69-86) before welcoming the Philadelphia Phillies (71-84) for four games. That makes the Braves the only playoff team that has seven games remaining on the schedule.

A pair of opponents with losing records looks favorable on paper, but Atlanta has just a 9-9 combined mark against Philadelphia and Milwaukee this season. With the division already in hand, it will also be interesting to monitor exactly how Fredi Gonzalez uses his pitching staff and lineup down the stretch.

St. Louis: The Cardinals just took 2-of-3 from the Brewers over the weekend, but now head home to face the Washington Nationals (84-72) for the next three days. This will be just the second time the two clubs have met this season, with St. Louis having swept the prior series (April 22-24).

The Nationals may well be the hottest team in the NL as their Wild Card aspirations remain barely alive. It’s unlikely Washington will be able to pull it off and make it into October, but playing spoiler against St. Louis – the team that knocked them out of the 2012 postseason – would suit the Nats just fine.

While they do get to close the season with three games against the Chicago Cubs (65-91), from whom they have won 9-of-16 this season, the Cards have a slightly more challenging final week than Atlanta.

Los Angeles: The Dodgers will begin a three-game set with the San Francisco Giants (72-84) on Tuesday. No doubt the memory of San Fran’s recent three-game sweep (September 13-15) is fresh on their mind as they face Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum this time around.

From there, L.A. closes its season at home against the Colorado Rockies (71-86) for the final three games. While they get to square off against the two bottom teams in the NL West, it’s worth noting that the Dodgers are just 7-9 against the Giants and 8-8 against the Rocks.

Like the Braves, there is a very real possibility that Don Mattingly will use the next week to rest some players and ease the workload of his pitching staff. We’ll see how that impacts the race for home field advantage.

Pittsburgh: The Pirates were holding onto 1st place when September began, but have gone 9-10 in the month of September while the Cardinals pulled in front by going 13-8 this month. With no opportunity to play the Cardinals again in the regular season, it makes the path to Pittsburgh’s first division title since 1992 a bit more perilous.

Now they find themselves tied for the NL Wild Card lead with the Reds, with one head-to-head showdown on the slate to close the season. Before that takes place, the Pirates have a three-game series with a Cubs team they’ve gone 10-6 against thus far.

Pittsburgh has an 8-8 record against Cincinnati this season, but just dropped 2-of-3 in at home to the Reds over the weekend. Additionally, all six of the Pirates’ remaining games will be on the road. This makes their final week perhaps the toughest of all the NL clubs vying for the postseason.

Cincinnati: The Reds will have three games with the New York Mets (71-84) before they host the Pirates to close the season. Cincinnati brings the momentum from taking 2-of-3 from the Pittsburgh in the aforementioned weekend series into what appears to be a climactic final encounter between the two teams.

The stage is set in the Central, and the Pirates and Reds are in the unique position of holding their postseason destiny in their respective hands.
At worst, the One Game Wild Card appears to be the consolation prize for two of the three teams involved in this pennant chase. While Cardinals proved last year that it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, one of these three teams will be on the outside looking in when the NLDS begins.

Tie-breakers…

This could have been a longer and more complicated process, but Atlanta already owns all of the tie-breaker scenarios with every other NL playoff hopeful. While some have questioned the Braves’ credentials because of their high standing in a weaker division, the head-to-head records show that they are capable of beating the other contenders.

Braves Head-to-head:
vs. LAD     5-2
vs. STL      4-3
vs. PIT       4-3
vs. CIN      4-3

All of that is well and good when it comes to getting an indication of how things played out between Atlanta and its playoff-bound rivals, but the momentum each team could gain going into October renders the regular season records largely irrelevant. The framework for each series will be built on current personnel and ultimately decided by current circumstances and performance.

If the Braves maintain the best overall record, they will meet the winner of the Wild Card game on October 3 for Game 1 of the National League Division Series. The format has returned to 2-2-1, so the host team gets the first two games before going on the road for the next two and returning home if a decisive 5th game is necessary.

All times are still TBA. For a full release and schedule click here.

A hitting coach’s job is seldom easy. Just ask Greg Walker of the Atlanta Braves.

His club sits in first place in the National League East by a comfortable seven games, yet the offense has yet to fire on all cylinders this season. With a nice mix of righty and lefty bats, it seemed entirely possible that the Atlanta batting order may require very little tinkering.

That has simply not been the case.

A trio of Braves hitters have been under scrutiny this season after slow starts turned into prolonged slumps.

Make no mistake, however, these are three very different players. B.J. Upton was Atlanta’s marquee free-agent signing over the winter. Jason Heyward is the youthful face of the franchise. Dan Uggla is a power-hitting middle infielder in need of a bounce-back season.

Their slumps are a major reason why there have been so many moving parts on the lineup card. Those struggles could be because, in some cases, there are so many moving parts to their swings.

“They’re working,” said Walker. “Some of them have gotten in some bad mechanical habits that we’re trying to get out of. This team is an extremely physically talented team. They have talent. Some of them have really complicated swings with a lot of moving parts.”

Juggling multiple cases comes with the territory for Walker and assistant hitting coach Scott Fletcher, and there are two opposite ends to the spectrum.

Walker and Fletcher are charged with helping no less than 13 different hitters maintain their current success or comfort level, or find a way to help certain hitters fix what is broken.

Taking an inventory of what has gone right for the Braves offense, there are several things worth highlighting. Atlanta leads all of baseball with 88 home runs. The Braves have scored 286 runs, good for fourth in the NL, while their 228 walks and .416 slugging percentage rank second in the league.

On the flip side of that coin, the Braves are in the middle of the pack or bringing up the rear in several other categories, including an NL-leading 583 strikeouts.

“We haven’t been consistent but we’ve done some real dynamic things,” said Walker. “We’ve hit with a lot of power and we’ve taken our walks, which I think has kind of gone unnoticed.”

That walk total is crucial considering the high strikeout rate. It has helped a club that is batting a collective .245 to post a .321 on-base percentage.

“The strikeouts are a big story, but overall we’ve scored runs,” said Walker. “It hasn’t been pretty but the production is there. We’re trying to get better, cut our strikeouts down and retain our production.”

Case in point, Heyward seems to have turned the corner in June after the worst two months of his career. Not only were his extra-base hits hard to come by, but he also missed more than three weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy on April 22.

Through 30 games in April and May, Heyward batted just .146/.290/.243 in 125 plate appearances. He scored 17 runs, but had just two home runs and eight RBI.

Poor performance in the top two spots of the order has robbed Justin Upton and Freddie Freeman of numerous RBI chances. However, Heyward’s injury actually made it possible for rookie Evan Gattis and resurgent reserve outfielder Jordan Schafer to see more playing time.

Heyward is making up for that lost time in June. After turning in just four multi-hit games in the first two months, he has cranked out six multi-hit nights during his current nine-game hitting streak. All of those hits have helped Heyward raise his batting average from .142 on June 1 to .208 on June 11.

Another department that has seen vast improvement for Heyward has been strikeouts. He was called out on strikes 24 times in his first 106 at-bats, but has fanned just four times in 38 at-bats during the hitting streak.

Despite the struggles and the injury, Heyward never lost the perspective needed to find his swing again.

“It’s going to take at-bats, it’s going to take feedback, it’s going to take doing it, it’s going to take screwing up sometimes, but the only way to get better at it is to play,” said Heyward.

His approach and work ethic have led Heyward to find his way out of the dark and back into the light when it comes to on-field results.

The elder Upton has also shown signs of life in late May and early June. To say that April and May were the worst two months of his career would be putting it lightly.

New team, new league, big contract and the sibling comparison all seemed to coincide with Upton’s woeful start. He looked lost at the plate at times, piling up an alarming 63 strikeouts in his first 159 at-bats.

“The one thing I think we’re fighting with some of the new guys [like Upton] is just not being around them enough to help manage their game, but that’s going to get better,” said Walker.

Hours in the film room and in the cages have led Walker and Upton to get a better understanding of what changes could benefit the speedy center fielder.

“B.J. Upton’s swing—there’s a lot of different things going on there. We’re trying simplify it and get it down to just a few things. We think we’re getting real close. B.J. feels better about his swing right now than he has at any point this season and when he gets going, he’s going to be real hungry and push it.”

The process of taking the work from batting practice and film sessions and then applying those adjustments to the game is still ongoing, but results have started to show.

Turner Field boo-birds were silenced when Upton stroked a walk-off single in a 2-1 victory over  the Washington Nationals on June 1. He followed it up with a go-ahead home run the very next day.

Those key hits seemed to help put the fans back in Upton’s corner, something his manager took note of.

“It was nice for him to get some kind of reward for all the hard work and that two and a half weeks or three weeks of getting beat up pretty good,” said Atlanta skipper Fredi Gonzalez.

“Sometimes a bloop-single, or a game-winning RBI or a solo home run will get you going, and we’re hopefully getting him going in the right direction.”

After settling in the eight spot of the order, things have started to turn around for Upton, who has batted .258/.410/.484 with a pair of home runs this month.

“I’ve always been confident,” said Upton. “Going up to the plate, I feel like I’m going to get a hit every time and obviously that wasn’t happening, but [I’m] just starting to see some results and that’s the big thing.”

Perhaps a sign of better pitch selection, Upton has already drawn eight walks in 10 games in June after walking just seven times in 22 games in May.

As Upton presumably moves up in the order, his opportunities to steal bases will return as well. He has just three steals in six attempts through 65 games so far, and has gone 50 games between stolen bases. That drought began on April 8 and is easily the longest of his career.

Being able to use all the different facets of the game to beat opponents is something Upton realizes Atlanta is capable of doing.

“We’re a good all-around ball club,” said Upton. “I think the power kind of [makes people] overlook everything else, but we have the ability to beat you any way. We know we can do it, and we just have to keep doing it.”

That leaves Uggla, who has put together some better numbers this month as well.

In his third season with Atlanta, Uggla’s struggles have been a constant conversation. A 33-game hitting streak and career-high 36 home runs highlighted his 2011 season. That gave way to a career-low 19 home runs and .220 batting average in 2012.

It became clear that no stone should be left unturned when it came to making the necessary adjustments to get him back to form. With that in mind, Uggla and Walker ventured back seven years into the tape library to recreate some past magic.

“We went back to ’06 when Danny was a really good all-around hitter,” said Walker.

“He’s using those mechanics now and he’s starting to get comfortable with it. So we’ve just got to keep moving forward with him. He’s got [13] home runs already and has driven in some big runs for us. Hopefully, he’s trending up.”

After going 0-for-7 with five walks in his first three games this month, he hit safely in six of his next eight games. Uggla cranked two home runs in an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 9, his first multi-homer game since June 5, 2012.

Through 11 games in June, Uggla is leading the club with both a .422 OBP and .500 SLG for the month. He has drawn a team-high 11 walks, while his seven RBI are second only to Freeman’s 10.

While the batting averages of Heyward, Upton and Uggla are not close to the desired level, or even career norms, there is no doubt that positive strides have been made of late.

That leads to optimism that the Braves lineup is finally coming together.

“We’ve got enough talent and power and speed—a lot of different things that we’ll start using and become more efficient and create more runs,” said Walker.

“I know at times it’s been real ugly this year, but I’m still encouraged. I think everybody is moving forward. Their arrow is pointing up instead of down, so we feel good about that and we’re healthy. We’re encouraged and we’re in first place and we’re really young and we should get better.”

If Atlanta’s entire starting lineup starts clicking at the same time, it could be a dangerous proposition for opposing pitching staffs.

Grant McAuley covers the Braves for Atlanta Sports Radio 92.9 The Game. You can follow Grant on Twitter.

The 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft is just days away, and teams are busy narrowing down candidates and finalizing draft boards. There is a certain amount of strategy and luck that goes with the draft, especially for a team like the Atlanta Braves.

Predicting who will be available by the time the 31st overall pick comes around is an inexact science to say the least, but therein lies the fun when it comes to mock drafts and projections.

Dozens of draft experts and self-proclaimed “prospect junkies” have been in their element over the past few weeks to navigate the ever-changing landscape of draft hopefuls as they attempt to sculpt a list of possibilities that caters to positional value, individual talents, projectability and team needs.

The first round can be tricky, especially in the early picks. Does a team simply draft the best player available or do they select the most talented player they believe they can sign?

For example, the Mets decided to take Steve Chilcott over Reggie Jackson in 1966. More recently, the Rays selected Tim Beckham over Buster Posey (among others) in 2008.

Given a later selection, Braves general manager Frank Wren and company do not have to deal with that exact set of variables or that kind of pressure. However, they will have to study the player pool for a quality young talent to bolster what has traditionally been one of the best farm systems in all of baseball.

The MLB draft is unlike its professional counterparts. Players selected in baseball are almost certainly destined for some amount of seasoning in the minor leagues, with very rare exceptions.

That means that gauging the results of the draft will take months and even years in some cases. How well will a given front office do? The answer will only come in time.

Below is a list of expert picks gathered from various sites over the past few weeks. While the MLB draft is impossible to predict, consider this a collection of highly educated guesses when it comes forecasting Atlanta’s top target.

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Analyst	Organization	Selection
Mike Rosenbaum	Bleacher Report	Marco Gonzales, LHP, Gonzaga
Adam Wells	Bleacher Report	Marco Gonzales, LHP, Gonzaga
Jim Callis	Baseball America	Hunter Green, LHP, Warren East HS (KY)
Jonathan Mayo	MLB.com	Travis Demeritte, 3B, Winder Barrow HS (GA)
Dave Perkin	SI.com	JP Crawford, SS, Lakewood HS (CA)
Matt Garrioch	Minor League Ball	Hunter Green, LHP, Warren East HS (KY)
John Sickels	Minor League Ball	Bobby Wahl, RHP, University of Mississippi
Chris Crawford	MLB Draft Insider	Aaron Blair, RHP, Marshall
Jim Vassallo	Rule 4 Draft	Eric Jagielo, 3B/OF, Notre Dame

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Pitching is always a focus for each team on draft day and beyond. Atlanta has been an organization built on pitching for the better part of two decades, so it is no surprise to see a higher percentage of the various experts leaning that way in 2013.

While this panel is mixed on high school or college as well as pitcher or position player, the Braves will be looking to execute a plan that nets the most valuable pieces at the right times in order to continue stocking an already impressive player development system.

The Braves have not been able to sustain the success they enjoyed over the first two weeks of the season. It’s perfectly understandable that a 10-game winning streak right out of the gate would have a way of raising the overall expectations on a team.

Unfortunately for Atlanta, there have been individual slow starts, injuries and overall inconsistencies that have kept the team from being able to settle into a rhythm over the past four weeks.

A series of unfortunate events…

Atlanta is 9-14 since starting off the season 13-2. Despite a rough stretch of baseball that began after the 10-game winning streak (from April 4 – April 13), the Braves have only lost three series this season. The most recent was dropping 3-of-4 to the Giants. Atlanta was swept by the Detroit Tigers to close out a prior 10-game road trip – one which began with losing 3-of-4 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Additionally, since their season long winning streak was snapped, the Braves have won back-to-back games just four times in their last 25 contests.

With all of that said, the Braves are still on pace to go 94-68 in 2013.

No team in Major League Baseball has played more road games than the Braves (24) this season, and only six teams in the entire National League have even played 20 or more away games through May 13.

Of those six NL teams, only two teams – the St. Louis Cardinals (14-7) and Pittsburgh Pirates (11-9)  – have better road records than Atlanta (13-11). The Phillies (10-11), Rockies (9-11) and  Marlins (6-16) are the other clubs to play 20 or more games away from home thus far in 2013.

It’s also worth noting that the Braves will have a slight home field advantage in the second half, with 35 of those 67 games taking place at Turner Field. This includes the final seven contests (3 vs. Brewers & 4 vs. Phillies) to close out the regular season.

What do these strikeouts mean, really?

Manager Fredi Gonzalez has gone on record as saying he is not worried about the quantity of the strikeouts his offense is piling up, but rather the situation in which they are occurring.

The general tone when answering the incessant questions about strikeouts will likely reach a higher level of frustration for both Gonzalez and the players as the season rolls on.

However, the strikeouts simply aren’t going to go away. And neither are the questions.

Atlanta has struck out 351 times, a total that is second only to Houston (389) in all of baseball. The offense has 16 contests in which it has fanned 10 or more times and  is averaging 9.2 SO/G this season.

Let’s take this a step further and look at the strikeout numbers in key situations. After all, this is what Gonzalez is stressing.

How many of these strikeouts are taking place when the Braves have run scoring opportunities?

Through 38 games this season, the Braves have struck out 79 times in 255 at-bats with runners in scoring position. That is the highest strikeout total with RISP in the National League.

As a result, Atlanta (104) has produced the fourth fewest amount of runs scored by any NL team with RISP. Only the Dodgers (98), Pirates (98), Cubs (95) and Marlins (86) have cashed in fewer times with RISP. In case you’re wondering, league average is 112.

It gets a little worse with two outs and RISP. Ranking them against just their 14 Nation League opponents, the Braves are hitting .180 (14^th) with 34 runs (12^th) with 46 strikeouts – the most in the league.

Even if one was looking solely at the situational stats when it comes to strikeouts, it leaves Atlanta hitters with some work to do.