The Braves have handed the starting shortstop job to 25-year old righty swinging Yunel Escobar. Escobar played in 94 games for the Braves last season and he was 104 for 319 (.326 avg, .836 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 5 homers, 28 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Escobar only made 4 errors in 53 games at shortstop for the Braves but he showed below average range. Look for Escobar to make the Braves’ front office look good in 2008.

26-year old righty swinging Omar Infante will be the Braves’ primary backup at shortstop. Infante played in 66 games last season with the Tigers and he was 45 for 166 (.271 avg, .662 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 2 homers, 17 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Infante played in 14 games at SS for Detroit last season and he made 2 errors while showing poor range. His defense is what got him sent to the minors by manager Jim Leyland.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B

The Braves were very happy with 26-year old lefty swinging Kelly Johnson at 2B last season. He was a converted outfielder so he had some rough edges on defense. He made 14 errors in 133 games at 2B last season while showing below average range but the Braves think he will get better. Johnson played in 147 games last season for the Braves and he was 144 for 521 (.276 avg, .832 OPS) with 91 runs scored, 16 homers, 68 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Look for those numbers to improve some this season.

24-year old righty swinging Martin Prado keeps waiting for a chance to prove himself. He played in 28 games for the Braves last season and he was 17 for 59 (.288 avg, .662 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Prado had a solid season in AAA in 2007 as he played in 103 games and he was 125 for 395 (.316 avg, .794 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 4 homers and 41 RBIs. Prado showed outstanding range for the Braves in 10 games at 2B but he made 3 errors.

Omar Infante will also get some time at 2B but he’s a natural shortstop. He can also help out in the outfield and at 3B.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B-

25-year old lefty starting pitcher Anthony Lerew will miss the entire 2008 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Lerew started 3 games last season for the Braves and he was 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. He also started 5 games in AAA last season and he was 1-0 with a 1.37 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. It will be interesting to see how Lerew responds to the surgery to his elbow as he was once one of the higher ranked pitching prospects in the entire Braves system.

The Atlanta Braves will be without 30-year old lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez until at least June as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. When Gonzalez returns he will likely be the top lefty out of the bullpen setting up for Rafael Soriano. He has pitched in 186 games in his major league career and he is 9-9 with 30 saves, a 2.29 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. The Braves will have an outstanding bullpen when Gonzalez is ready to return as he is just plain nasty just like Soriano is.

28-year old switch hitter Mark Teixeira is entering his prime and he should have a great season for the Braves as long as he can stay healthy. He played in 132 games last season for the Braves & Rangers and he was 151 for 494 (.306 avg, .963 OPS) with 86 runs scored, 30 homers and 105 RBIs. Look for those numbers to improve this season as he played much better with the Braves than he did early in the season with the Rangers. It also took him a while to get in a groove at the plate as he missed a chunk of last season due to injury. Teixeira has averaged 92.8 runs scored, 34 homers and 111 RBIs per season in his five year major league career so expect monster numbers out of him in 2008.

26-year old lefty swinging Scott Thorman was supposed to be the Braves first baseman of the future as they handed him the job last season. But, he didn’t play that well and he will now have to fight just to make the team. He played in 120 games last season for the Braves and he was 62 for 287 (.216 avg, .652 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 11 homers and 36 RBIs. Don’t expect much from him in 2008.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A