Kuzul

Despite Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez’s statement upon the arrival of pitchers and catchers that the final spot in the rotation was wide open, Mike Minor had to be considered the incumbent fifth starter entering spring camp. It appears that his grasp on the final rotation spot has become even more secure after his initial few Spring Training appearances. Including his most recent start on Tuesday, Minor has thrown nine innings of scoreless baseball. He has struck out seven batters and even though he has walked four, his command was better on Tuesday, allowing only one batter to reach base via a free pass. With that last spot in the rotation virtually Minor’s to lose at this point, how will that affect the remainder of the pitching staff?Begin Slideshow

A day after Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Chipper Jones had said “I don’t know if I can make it through this year,” Jones has said he has no immediate intentions of hanging it up.  On Tuesday, Chipper told Mark Bowman of MLB.com that "it was tongue and cheek. I was kidding. I just got done playing eight innings with three at-bats. I was a little tired. I wasn't by any means suggesting I couldn't make it through the season. If I didn't think that I could, I wouldn't be out there."Jones apparently did not make his comments directly to the Braves beat writer and says that, though O'Brien has his direct number, he never called to confirm the quotes or look further into the issue. This according to a series of tweets by Chris Dimino (@chrisdimino), who covers the Braves for Atlanta's 790 The Zone and has a close working relationship ...

The farm system is a vital piece of every organization, as it gives a team hope for the future as well as trade chips to acquire a missing piece in order to make a playoff run. The farm systems of the NL East are pretty loaded, and include the top prospect in the game.This article ranks the farm systems of all teams in the NL East and also continues my series of ranking all areas of the Braves with their competition in the NL East. Outfield and the starting rotation are already complete, with looks at the infield, bullpen and management/coaching staff yet to come.Begin Slideshow

Every year there are sleepers that get so much hype they become overvalued. This year that list includes rookies Matt Moore and Bryce Harper and second-year men Brett Lawrie, Desmond Jennings and Eric Hosmer. In this piece I will try to convince you that you should wait for someone like Freddie Freeman that will give you similar stats instead of overpaying for Eric Hosmer. I like Hosmer as much as the next guy. He helped me claim a fantasy baseball championship last year. He was Baseball America's eighth-ranked prospect heading into 2011 and didn't disappoint when he was promoted in early May. The 22-year-old hit .293 with 19 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 523 at-bats. I think his price tag (ADP of 53 at Mock Draft Central) is high for a first baseman that isn't going to hit more than 25 home runs. Hosmer never hit more than 20 home runs ...

The 1990s were the start of greatness for the Atlanta Braves.It was the start of 14-straight division titles, where the staple for the Braves was pitching.Throughout the decade, the Braves won a total of 925 games.After a dismal 1990 season where they went 65-97, the Braves went worst-to-first in 1991, making it all the way to the World Series where they lost to the Minnesota Twins in seven games.The next year, the Braves saw the same kind of success in the National League, again making it to the World Series. However, the Braves fell again, this time to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games.Many players made their mark on the Braves throughout the 90s. Here's a look at the 10 best.Note: This is the fourth in a five-part series on the best Braves of each decade.Begin Slideshow

This season, Atlanta Braves fans were hoping to see some changes to the offense after the team's historic September collapse in 2011. The one area fans were hoping to see a change made was the outfield, or more specifically left field. As of now no changes were made, as the front office decided they are happy with the outfield for right now. This article takes a look at the other NL East outfields, and where the Braves' group ranks within their division.Begin Slideshow

As the 2011 Major League Baseball trade deadline approached, the Atlanta Braves front office watched as the rival Philadelphia Phillies dealt for outfielder Hunter Pence and chief wild card competitor, the San Francisco Giants, acquired veteran Carlos Beltran.   General Manger Fran Wren patiently waited, knowing the best fit for his Braves wasn’t a corner outfielder. Wren tells Sirius/XM sports radio he wanted a premium center fielder that was a true leadoff hitter at the plate. Enter Michael Bourn. Given a full season, Bourn will attempt to fuel what was at times an anemic offense during 2011. Atlanta finished in the bottom half of the National League in nearly every major category, including runs (10th), RBI (10th), AVG (13th), SB (14th) and Team WAR (13th). Bourn’s top priority as a leadoff hitter is to get on base so he can provide run scoring opportunities for middle of the order hitters ...

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 ...