Atlanta Braves

Mark's Take

Scott's Take

Lineup

1) Martin Prado – Better suited as a No. 2 hitter, but unless Nate McLouth finds his old stroke he’s the best option.

2) Chipper Jones – It will be very interesting to see what the Braves do with him. They want him to play well enough to bat here when he plays, but will he be able to? On his off days, slide everyone else up a slot and insert Eric Hinske at the end.

3) Freddie Freeman – Fantasy owners should not buy the hype because his limited power keeps his upside low, but he’s going to be a great asset for the Braves.

4) Jason Heyward

5) Brian McCann

6) Dan Uggla – Tough fathoming their big offseason acquisition this low in the order, but if everything falls right he will and possibly even lower.

7) Nate McLouth – His star has faded fast, but he still has one more shot.

8) Alex Gonzalez

9) Pitcher

Lineup

1) Martin Prado

2) Jason Heyward

3) Chipper Jones

4) Dan Uggla

5) Brian McCann

6) Alex Gonzalez

7) Freddie Freeman

8) Nate McLouth

9) Pitcher

Great lefty-righty balance here. I’m not sold on Heyward near the top, and honestly, I don’t like Prado as a leadoff hitter. How great would it be for the Braves if McLouth regained form, and was a top-of-the-order hitter again, allowing Prado to hit second (where I think he ideally fits)?

Rotation

1) Tim Hudson – Don’t expect a repeat of 2010’s raw numbers, but he will anchor this rotation again.

2) Tommy Hanson – Breakout coming.

3) Jair Jurrjens – I love this injury reclamation project.

4) Derek Lowe – Given all of the arms coming up in the system the Braves don’t need him much longer, but he needs to avoid the cliff for one more year.

5) Mike Minor – I might be a year early, but I think he pieces everything together this year.

Very undervalued rotation. Hudson and Lowe are far from done, Jurrjens was massacred by injuries last year, Minor and Brandon Beachy seem to be floating under the radar, and of all the young top prospects Hanson seems to be forgotten about.

Rotation

1) Tommy Hanson

2) Tim Hudson

3) Derek Lowe

4) Jair Jurrjens

5) Mike Minor

Very underrated rotation here. I have Hanson just above Hudson, because I think this is the year he steps up and becomes the true ace of the staff. Hudson will still hold value, but the true value for fantasy players here rests with Jurrjens. He was miserable last year, but the more I read on him, I’m chalking all of it up to injury. Look for a big bounceback from him. Minor/Beachy will be battling it out for the No. 5 gig, but I think the Braves are going to do everything they can to make sure Minor wins it.

Bullpen

Closer - Craig Kimbrel – His control is still an issue though.

L - Jonny Venters

R - Scott Linebrink

L - George Sherril

R - Peter Moylan

L - Eric O’Flaherty

R - Brandon Beachy - Will either be sent to Triple-A as an injury replacement starter or kept in long relief with the same backup role. He’s a quality Plan B regardless.

DL - Kris Medlen – Watch him closely in his rehab, as he could be clutch come September.

I love this bullpen – much more than the rotation – and I already gushed about how great I think it is. The only question is the ninth inning, but I think Kimbrel and Venters will lock it down and even if Kimbrel can’t keep the ball in the zone there are veteran alternatives.

Bullpen

Closer - Craig Kimbrel

P - Jonny Venters

P - George Sherrill

P - Scott Linebrink

P - Eric O’Flaherty

P - Peter Moylan

P - Scott Proctor

DL - Kris Medlen

Young, power arms are here, and they also have experience.   Sherrill was down big last year, likely as a result of overuse by Joe Torre. Joining him here will also be   Proctor, who had the exact same result from Torre’s overuse. Can they bounce back here? Well, they’re less likely to be counted on daily, with other quality arms at the back of this bullpen. Venters is still likely to stay in the setup role, and Kimbrel’s as dominant as they come.   But can he harness his control?

Most overrated player

Martin Prado. He’s a safe pick, but there’s very little upside at his current price. Where he’s going in drafts you want profit potential and he doesn’t offer it. I feel similarly about Uggla, but I trend more towards safer picks early on so I’m more on board with him … even though I’d pass on him knowing I get the same numbers (from Aaron Hill) several rounds later.

Most underrated player

Wow … take your pick. I’ll roll with Jurrjens, but there’s plenty of gold to mine from this team.

5 Questions

1) Is this a playoff team? Absolutely. Health is the only thing that may hold them back.

2) Is this a division championship team? Call me crazy, but, yes. They’re going to be hard-pressed to beat the Phillies in a ‘best of’ series but this team is better built for the regular season. They don’t have any weaknesses outside of missing a true leadoff hitter and they have much better depth for when injury strikes.

3) Where are the holes on this team? Good luck finding them. The only glaring one can be patched up with a .300-plus hitter with solid plate discipline, some modest power and a little bit of speed. The San Francisco Giants showed last year that you really don’t need a prototypical leadoff hitter to win titles. No reason to fret here.

4) Who to watch on the farm? Julio Teheran is the one everyone will be talking about until his cup of coffee in September, but there’s an army of arms on the horizon. Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy will be up this year, Radall Delgado is the next hot ticket who is due to breakout this year, and Arodys Vizcaino isn’t far behind. The future looks very bright for this organization.

5) Am I a year early to hop on this bandwagon? I usually am, and this year will probably show that too. Lots of youth on this team, but they all appear primed to produce right now.

What this team needs to win

The youth to play to expectations.

Most overrated player

Dan Uggla. Sorry. He’s one of those players that I just never seem to own, and likely never will. I’m not buying the spike in batting average from last year, and I’m not overpaying for him to hit .250.

Most underrated player

Jair Jurrjens. How soon we forget his 2009 season after his miserable 2010. As I’ve stated earlier, I truly believe everything was attributed to his injuries. He’s back healthy, and has lost 15 pounds to ready himself. Buy him late and reap the rewards.

5 Questions

1) Can Chipper Jones be an asset to my fantasy team? To the Braves, yes. To your team? Not so much. Tough to count on a guy who’s at the cliff and can’t stay healthy.

2) Fredi Gonzalez. Can he fill Bobby Cox’s shoes? Don’t ask Hanley Ramirez. The fact of the matter is, no one can. But I’m a believer in Gonzalez, and think that he’ll handle this team admirably.

3) Who’s coming out of camp as the closer? Well, by all accounts, it’s going to be a closer by committee in the early going. However, Kimbrel’s stuff is just too good.   He’ll be closing full time by the end of April.

4) Can Jason Heyward continue to make strides towards the player we think he can be? We’ll see more glimpses of his MVP type talent, but he’ll still be inconsistent. Give him one more year, and he’ll be there.

5) Can this team really compete with the mighty Phillies in this division? Yes. They can, and they will. I think that they push the Phillies to the brink. As a matter of fact, they play the Phillies in Atlanta the last series of the year. I see the Phillies up a game or two, with this series having huge implications. Regardless, I think the Braves are a playoff team that can contend for the National League title.

What this team needs to win

A bounceback year from Jair Jurrjens, and for Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson not to fall off the cliff. Jason Heyward takes a step forward, and the rest of the lineup continues to progress. This could be a special year.