Kuzul

With this being a weak crop of first-ballot candidates, this year gives some guys who have already been on the ballot previously a little extra boost to their chances.Former Atlanta Braves star Dale Murphy is a player who fits that profile, being a guy who has been on the ballot for a while without making it.This article examines the reasons why Murphy deserves to make the Hall of Fame as well as the reasons he does not and will give my personal opinion on whether he's Hall of Fame material.Begin Slideshow

The Atlanta Braves have been discussing a possible trade with the Colorado Rockies since the very beginning of the offseason.The Rockies originally discussed Martin Prado with the Braves, but are also reportedly interested in Jair Jurrjens.The main Rockies' player the Braves are interested in is Seth Smith.Smith is the Rockies' right fielder, and has an impressive career BA of .275. Last season, he hit .284, with 15 home runs and 59 RBI.However, a straight up trade of Smith for Prado is not going to happen.Prado's BA is higher, and he is much more useful to the Braves.In his career, Prado has hit .293, and he is an accomplished defender at 1B, 2B, 3B, LF, and RF. He also has the ability to play SS and CF.A trade that makes more sense for the Braves is Prado for Tim Wheeler and Smith.Wheeler is one of the Rockies' best outfield prospects, and has ...

It doesn't take much talent to make a boy band, but the Braves couldn't even pull that off. This tone deaf, rhythm-less, group of players couldn't even lip-synch their way to a performance that didn't leave the audience running for exits with blood protruding from their ears.Several prominent Braves decided to share their holiday cheer by butchering "Jingle Bells" into a unrecognizable horror.This performance was impressive for one notable reason: It is hard to imagine anyone doing a worse job.Manager Fredi Gonzalez ends the aural torture by wishing everyone a happy holidays, and telling us that his ballclub "may not be worth a bag of baseballs when it comes to singing, but they sure can play some baseball."So it appears as if the rascally Braves may not have been trying to flex their pipes after all. Perhaps this horror show they masqueraded as singing was all part of the plan?My ...

The Atlanta Braves were in control of their own destiny for 130 games or so. Then, things just fell apart. Of course, sometimes when you look back at things, you realize it just wasn't meant to be. The Braves' numbers indicate that they were not as good as we thought. They traded Derek Lowe in November, but otherwise have done little to nothing so far. That's usually the best way to do things.The Boston Red Sox, on the other hand, had a collective nervous breakdown and completely changed out their front office and dugout management. Of course, time will tell how it will play out, but something tells me the Braves are better off. Now, they can calmly go to work on filling some of those holes.InfieldersIf we notice a theme throughout the infield (counting behind the plate), it is that the Braves are very good offensively at each position ...

I hate to write this article, but Chipper Jones will be 40 years old during the first month of the 2012 season. That means it's time to take a look at five guys the Atlanta Braves could bring in to replace one of their all-time great players, a player with a World Series ring, MVP Award and batting title.Chipper has said he will return for 2012, and has a $7 million club option for 2013 that would become automatic if he plays 123 games in 2012. Since the Braves have limited options right now, there's a good chance he reaches that number of games if he can stay fairly healthy.It's also worth noting that he is still 385 hits away from 3,000 after picking up 125 in 2011, so there's a chance he tries to stick it out through 2014 to reach the magic number of 3,000. Since it's unknown how much ...

The Atlanta Braves are teeming with pitching options.Both Chipper Jones and I have said it in the recent past—the Braves have an embarrassment of riches on the mound.Chipper took it a step further and even suggested that the Braves had more pitching than they know what to do with, and he has a valid point.On top of that, Bleacher Repot reader Lee Killian also recently left a question in one of my articles' comment sections regarding this depth.  With a rotation that is filled to the brim with proven major league pitching, four big time pitching prospects knocking on the door and a bullpen overflowing with quality arms both in Atlanta and Gwinnett, the Braves are in a very enviable position not only at the present moment, but heading into 2012. In the following slides, I will state the 12 pitchers will likely likely consist the most ideal pitching staff in relation ...

Chipper Jones has been a staple in the middle of the Braves' lineup for nearly two decades. He has cemented himself as perhaps the best switch hitter since Mickey Mantle and has a World Series title, an MVP Award and 14 consecutive division titles to boot.Let's take a look back at the five best years in the career of Larry Wayne Jones, Jr.Begin Slideshow

Nate McLouth's frustrating tenure with the Atlanta Braves may finally be over.On the disabled list since July 29, McLouth underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia he had been playing through for most of the season. According to Mark Bowman, McLouth will miss at least six weeks—which projects him for a return in mid-September.However, Bowman also goes on to suggest that the team will likely prepare with the assumption that Nate will not be back with the team.In the following slides, I'll go over three different situations that may come as a result of McLouth's time on the disabled list and how it will impact the team down the stretch.  Begin Slideshow

For the first half of the season, the Atlanta Braves struggled mightily to produce offense, and were carried by their amazing pitching.In this half of the season, so far, their pitching has been declining, and their offense has been surging.This is not necessarily a negative thing; however, it seems it is now the Braves' pitching that needs assistance.Certain hitters have been heating up recently, and producing much more than expected, and certain pitchers have been giving up more runs than expected.For a basic overview of the Braves' performance:Pre All-Star BA—.237.Post All-Star BA—.270.Pre All-Star ERA—3.11Post All-Star ERA—4.11.Obviously, there has been a change in performance by the Braves.Their batting average has been raised by an impressive .033, and their ERA has been raised by an unfortunate 1.00.The Braves' offensive surge can in part be credited to the addition of both Michael Bourn and Jose Constanza.The trade for Bourn has certainly helped, and ...

This is now the seventh franchise I have compiled an 'All-Time' team for.  I began this endeavor in July of 2009 and have worked on many different lists and composite articles since then. At this rate perhaps I will have it done by the end of the decade, if the Lord tarries. The Braves are a storied franchise to be sure. They began as the Boston Red Stockings in 1876 and changed their name to the Beeneaters, Doves and Rustlers before settling on the Braves in 1912. For the most part they have just been known as the Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves. They are represented by 11 players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. Only one player played in the all three cities the Braves called home professionally. Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews played in Boston, and Milwaukee before becoming the only Brave in ...