The Braves have outstanding relievers in righty closer Craig Kimbrel and top lefties Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty. The rest of the bullpen spots will be up for grabs this spring. Here is a look at the Braves’ bullpen as of right now:

Closer: Craig Kimbrel: 23-year old righty closer Craig Kimbrel was the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 2011, as he was flat out dominant. He pitched in 79 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 4-3 with 46 saves, a 2.10 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Kimbrel has now pitched in 100 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 8-3 with 47 saves, a 1.75 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. The sky is the limit for Craig Kimbrel as he is downright nasty and almost unhittable when he’s on his game….which is almost all of the time!

Set-Up Man: Jonny Venters: 26-year old lefty Jonny Venters would be the closer on most teams. He pitched in 85 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 6-2 with 5 saves, a 1.84 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Venters has now pitched in 164 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Braves and he is 10-6 with 6 saves, a 1.89 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. No team in the majors can tout a better 1-2 punch in the bullpen than the Braves can….period!

Righties: Christhian Martinez: 29-year old Christhian Martinez proved to be a late bloomer for the Braves. He pitched in 46 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 1-3 with a 3.36 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Martinez has now pitched in 79 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 2-4 with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Martinez is likely to make the Braves’ bullpen again in 2012, and I expect that he will pitch well again.

Anthony Varvaro: 27-year old Anthony Varvaro looked good for the Braves last year. He pitched in 18 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 0-2 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Varvaro has now pitched 22 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 0-3 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He will have a good shot of making the Braves’ opening day bullpen with a solid spring.

Kris Medlen: 26-year old Kris Medlen had Tommy John Surgery in August of 2010, but he worked his way back to the Braves in September of 2011. He pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.43 WHIP. Medlen has now pitched in 70 games (18 starts) in his first three years with the Braves and he is 9-7 with a 3.85 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. A healthy Medlen will give the Braves a nice boost in 2012.

Arodys Vizcaino: 21-year old Arodys Vizcaino has a nice upside. He pitched in 17 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 1-1 with a 4.67 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Vizcaino also pitched in 26 games (17 starts) in A+AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 5-5 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He will have a good chance to make a permanent jump to the majors this spring.

Cory Gearrin: 25-year old Cory Gearrin pitched in 18 games (0 starts) in his first taste of the majors last year and he was 1-1 with a 7.85 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. He also pitched in 35 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 4-1 with 4 saves, a 1.80 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Gearrin will have to step up this spring if he wants to make the Braves’ opening day bullpen.

Peter Moylan: 33-year old Peter Moylan is a side-armer coming off of rotator cuff surgery last October. He pitched in 13 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. Moylan has now pitched in 287 games (0 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 19-9 with 3 saves, a 2.60 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He will likely start the 2012 season a little late, but be a big asset for the Braves at some point in 2012.

Jairo Asencio: 27-year old Jairo Asencio pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 0-0 with a 6.97 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP. He also pitched in 47 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 3-2 with 26 saves, a 1.81 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He has now pitched in 9 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Braves and he is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. Asencio will likely start the 2012 season in AAA.

Adam Russell: 28-year old Adam Russell pitched in 36 games (0 starts) for the Rays last year and he was 1-2 with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. He has now pitched in 85 games (0 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 8-3 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. Russell has a big time arm, so he could be a late bloomer for the Braves.

Buddy Carlyle: 34-year old Buddy Carlyle pitched in 8 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last year and he was 0-1 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He has now played in 112 games (27 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 11-12 with a 5.58 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Carlyle is a big time longshot to help the Braves in 2012.

Lefties: Eric O’Flaherty: 27-year old Eric O’Flaherty has turned into a dominating reliever for the Braves. He pitched in 78 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 2-4 with a 0.98 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. O’Flaherty has now pitched in 212 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Braves and he is 7-7 with a 2.02 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He has now pitched in 290 games (0 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 14-9 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Look for O’Flaherty to continue to dominate in 2012. Venters and O’Flaherty give the Braves the best lefty reliever 1-2 punch in all of baseball.

Dusty Hughes: 29-year old Dusty Hughes had a really hard time in 2011 for the Twins. He pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Twins last year and he was 1-0 with a 9.95 ERA and a 2.13 WHIP. Hughes has now pitched in 80 games (1 start) in his first three years in the majors and he is 2-5 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2012: A