Kuzul

When the Atlanta Braves took Brian McCann off the DL, they needed to clear a spot on the roster to make room for him. They decided to send infielder Tyler Pastornicky to the minors. I don't understand why no one is talking about this move. While Tyler makes his way back to Gwinnett, let's take a look at the stellar time he spent in Atlanta.He was unable to win the backup infielder position in Spring Training. Braves management preferred the light-hitting Ramiro Pena instead. Even though Pastornicky spent time with Atlanta last year at shortstop and second base, he had to go back to Triple A. He promptly went down and hit .338, but the Braves didn't have room for him to come up.When Jason Heyward suddenly had an emergency appendectomy, he hit the DL and the Braves brought Pastornicky back up. Fans were enthused that this slugger was on ...

The Atlanta Braves (16-9) have all but wrapped up the first month of the 2013 season.Highs include a 10-game winning streak and a sweep of the National League East preseason favorite, Washington Nationals. The low point came over the weekend as the Detroit Tigers swept the Braves.The tough series with the Tigers knocked a few players' grades down a letter.Here's a look at the April edition of every player's' grade in 2013.Begin Slideshow

Braves right fielder Jason Heyward underwent appendectomy surgery on Monday night, and as a result the Braves will need to find a short-term replacement in their lineup.The timetable for his return is unknown as of now, but he shouldn't be out more than a couple weeks at the most. Matt Holliday and Adam Dunn both underwent appendectomies in 2011, with Holliday missing nine games and Dunn missing seven (h/t CBSSports), so that gives at least some idea of a potential time frame for his return.The Braves have won despite Heyward in the early going, as he's hitting just .121/.261/.259 with two home runs and five RBI, so replacing his production won't be hard.The team is not likely to sign anyone or try to swing a trade, but they do have a handful of in-house options to chose from in the short-term. So here is a look at some potential replacements ...

They were taken in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft. Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman consider themselves best friends on and off the field. They are expected to do big things again for the Atlanta Braves in 2013.Atlanta's two core players helped lead the team to their second playoff appearance since 2005. It was a short stint as they were defeated by the St. Louis Cardinals in the inaugural National League Wild-Card game. Heyward and Freeman have the experience to help take the Braves back to the playoffs this season.  Jason HeywardAfter an abysmal sophomore campaign in 2011, Heyward felt the pressure of having to bounce back with a better 2012 season. At the beginning, the concerns grew as he batted .232 with six home runs and 23 RBI through the first two months of the season, which included a .200 average in May. The concerns reached a boiling point after a Bryce Harper base hit ...

Jason Heyward came to the big leagues in 2010 with a great deal of hype surrounding him. Many people were expecting greatness from a kid who had not even turned 21 years old at the start of his first major league season. When he had a historically great rookie campaign for his age, the hype just continued even though there were some concern about his injury history.Then came an awful 2011 season when he struggled at the plate because of injuries and was unable to make adjustments as pitchers started to figure him out. He struggled badly enough that he was replaced for a time by career minor leaguer Jose Constanza.Heyward rebounded in a big way in 2012 as he not only stayed healthy for the full season, but displayed power, average and speed while playing strong defense in right field.The question to ask now is whether this kid has it ...

The plan was for Turner Field to still be filing in nearly 50,000 Braves fans for the postseason. Unfortunately, the lasting images remembered are the cleanup crews picking up debris from angry Atlanta fans after the infield fly call made by Sam Holbrook and Chipper Jones walking off the diamond for the final time. It wasn't suppose to end that way. Nonetheless, decisions have to be made about the 2013 club. Who will replace Chipper at third? Will they re-sign gold-glove center fielder Michael Bourn? Do Tim Hudson and Paul Maholm fit into their plans next season? Will Martin Prado and Jason Heyward receive long-term contracts? Who are free-agent and trade targets?Those are just a few items on the docket for General Manager Frank Wren this winter. The Braves have nearly $30 million to spend after the contracts of Chipper Jones ($14 million), Derek Lowe ($10 million) and Michael Bourn ($6.8 million) are ...

Almost immediately after news broke that Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton will miss the All-Star Game due to a knee surgery (h/t Joe Frisaro, MLB.com), there was breaking news out that young Bryce Harper will replace Stanton in the game (h/t Dayn Perry, CBSsports.com). This makes Harper the youngest position player to ever become an All-Star, and the third-youngest player overall. While Harper, just age 19, has come up and done a good job for the injury-plagued Nationals to help keep the team in first place, this All-Star selection is a farce. This article takes a look at exactly why Bryce Harper being named an All-Star is a total farce by Major League Baseball. Before I get into this article I just wanted to give a disclaimer that I am personally a fan of Harper and his ability. I've seen him in person and believe he will become a huge star in time. However, ...

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 ...

The Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees swapped Michael Pineda and Jesus Montero Friday night, in a trade that boiled down to a trade of two organizations' most polished future stars.It all began with a tweet, from Jerry Crasnick of ESPN: "The #Mariners are moving closer to a trade for a young impact hitter, two baseball sources confirmed."The details swirled forth relatively quickly from there, but for a few minutes, that left interested parties wondering: To whom could such a tweet refer? Who, in the game today, constitutes a "young impact hitter"?Every source one would consult on the issue might give a different answer, of course, but it seemed safe to assume that player would have some MLB experience, however small an amount, and obviously, that his ceiling would be as a top- or middle-of-the-order batter.Not that many such guys exist, of course; that's what makes Seattle's acquisition of Montero special. Of ...

The Atlanta Braves are currently in second place in the NL East, which I find very impressive, yet they remain five games behind the Philadelphia Phillies. I know the Braves are quite capable of overtaking their first-place rivals—they have only a few obstacles that are keeping them from doing so.In this slideshow, I will explain what these obstacles are and how the Braves can possibly overcome them.Begin Slideshow