The Braves need to keep the soon to be 35 year old switch hitting Chipper Jones healthy because he’s still a dominant force for them. Chipper was an awesome hitter when he played last season as he hit .324 with 87 runs scored, 26 homers, 86 RBIs and a 1.005 OPS in only 110 games! Chipper has only played in 219 games the last two seasons and the Braves need him to play at least 135 games if they are to be a serious threat to win the N.L. East this season. Jones had an awful season defensively as he made 18 errors and didn’t show much range last year. Maybe a return to health will be all he needs to be at least an average defender and that’s all the Braves need him to be the way he swings the bat.

31 year old Chris Woodward could be Jones’ back up as he played in 11 games at the hot corner and didn’t make an error. 27 year old Pete Orr also could be Jones’ caddy as he played 10 games at third and didn’t make an error.

The Atlanta Braves stole Edgar Renteria from the Boston Red Sox as they only gave up Andy Marte for him. Renteria enjoyed his return to the N.L. with a fine season. He played in 149 games last season and he hit .293 with 100 runs scored, 14 homers, 70 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and a .797 OPS. He also rebounded on defense as he only made 13 errors after making 30 of them in 2005 with the Red Sox. His range was a little bit below average but he didn’t hurt the team at all. Look for Renteria to have another good season for the Braves this year.

31 year old Chris Woodward is probably going to be Renteria’s back up this season. He played 13 games there last season for the Mets and only made 1 error, but his range was a little below average.

26 year old Tony Pena will also get a shot to win the back up job. He is a good defensive shortstop as he only made 1 error in 22 games for the Braves last season and he showed great range for them. He’s not much of a hitter though as he only hit .227 with a .602 OPS for the Braves last season. He played in 81 games at AAA for the Braves and he hit .282 with a .671 OPS. It looks like Pena’s ceiling is as a back up in the majors.

Left handed swinging 24 year old Kelly Johnson will try to convert to 2B from the outfield. He injured his elbow last Spring and missed the entire season after having surgery on it in June. He hit .241 with a .731 OPS, 9 homers and 40 RBIs in only 290 at bats in his rookie season (2004). If he can handle the position defensively the Braves will probably start him there as their OF is kind of full. He has the best potential bat of the competitors.

Switch hitting 24 year old Willy Aybar will also have a good shot of winning the second base job for the Braves. He played in 15 games at second base last season and only made one error and showed really good range. Aybar has had 329 at bats in his career and he has hit for a .292 batting average and a .803 OPS. He could be a top of the order hitter because he has a very good eye at the plate. Don’t expect much power from him but I think he would hit .275 or better next season if he starts at 2B for the Braves.

23 year old righty swinging Martin Prado will also get a chance to compete at second base. He got a cup of coffee with the Braves last September and he hit .262 in 42 at bats. Prado is a hacker at the plate as he rarely walks. He hit .281 in the minors last season but he doesn’t have a lot of pop. He showed decent range at 2B and made 1 error in 11 games. I see him beginning next season in the minors.

29 year old lefty swinging Willie Harris only hit .156 in the majors last season, but he only batted 45 times. His main asset is his speed and you can’t steal first base. His career average is .238 with a .600 OPS, so he faces an uphill battle to win a job with the Braves.

28 year old lefty swinger Pete Orr will also get a chance. He hit .253 last season with a .621 OPS, but he has poor plate discipline as he had a hard time getting on base. He does have a career average of .276 so he likely will make the Braves as a reserve.

31 year old righty swinging Chris Woodward also could get a shot at significant playing time at second base. He plays all over the field so his varsatility is his greatest asset. He played 39 games at second base, but he didn’t play that well defensively there as he made 4 errors. He had a poor year for the Mets last season and is trying to rebound. He only hit .216 with a .600 OPS in 222 at bats. He’ll have a good chance to make the team, but very little chance to win the starting job at second base.

In the off season the Braves traded Adam LaRoche to the Pirates for much needed bullpen help. They then annointed 25 year old Scott Thorman the new starter. It is possible that first base could wind up a platoon situation for the Braves if Thorman has trouble with left handed pitching. Thorman hit .234 with 5 homers, 14 RBIs and a .711 OPS in Atlanta last season. He does appear to have decent power and has always been a good hitter in the minors. He hit .298 with 15 homers, 48 RBIs and a .868 OPS in AAA for the Braves last season. Thorman played decent on defense at first base for the Braves last season as he only made 1 error in 118.1 innings in the field.

The day after the Braves traded Adam LaRoche….they signed Craig Wilson. The 30 year old righty swinger could win up winning the first base job, platooning at first base or playing some in the outfield. He only hit .251 last season with the Yankees and Pirates, but he smacked 17 homers and knocked in 49 runs in 359 at bats. Wilson has good power and will get at bats probably splitting his time between first base and the outfield. Wilson did play pretty well on defense last season as he only made three errors at first base in 588.1 innings in the field.

23 year old left-handed hitter Brian McCann exploded on the scene in his first full season in the major leagues. He hit .333, with 24 homers and 93 RBIs in only 442 at bats. McCann had an amazing .960 OPS which is incredible for a catcher. McCann hit 18 homers in the second half of the season which is strange for a catcher, because they usually wear down in the second half. He just smashed right handed pitching as he hit .351 with 21 homers against them. He also hit an outstanding .246 with runners in scoring position last season. He will likely bat fifth again and provide great protection in the line-up for the surging Andruw Jones. McCann has to work a little bit on his defense as he made 9 errors and had 5 passed balls last season. He threw out 22% of would be base stealers last season.

25 year old switch hitter Brayan Pena will likely be the backup for McCann this season. He hit .302 with a .714 OPS in AAA for the Braves last season. He also batted 41 times for the Braves and hit .268 for them. Pena might be able to hit for a decent average for the Braves but he won’t hit for much power as he only has hit 9 homers in 6 seasons in the minor leagues.

31 year old Corky Miller will likely be an insurance policy in the minors for the Braves. He hit .260 in AAA last year with 13 homers and 36 RBIs. Miller has been a horrible hitter in the majors as he has a career batting average of .190 with a .595 OPS. The Braves are in deep trouble if this guys plays at all for them.