The Braves are sending OF Jason Heyward, 2B Martin Prado, C Brian McCann, IF/OF Omar Infante and P Tim Hudson to the All-Star Game. Rookie outfielder Jason Heyward was elected by the fans so he will be one of the starting outfielders if his thumb is o.k. He has played in 71 games for the Braves this season and he is 64 of 255 (.251 avg, .821 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 11 homers, 45 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. 26-year old righty swinging 2B Martin Prado will replace Utley in the starting lineup. Prado has played in 81 games for the Braves so far this season and he is 116 of 346 (.335 avg, .854 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 7 homers, 36 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. This is Prado’s first All-Star Game and he definitely deserves to start the game. 26-year old lefty swinging catcher Brian McCann will be a reserve this season despite playing far better than the guy the fans picked (Yadier Molina). McCann has played in 70 games this season for the Braves and he is 62 of 234 (.265 avg, .830 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 10 homers, 34 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. McCann will be making his fifth All-Star appearance. Omar Infante was a shocking pick for the All-Star Game as he’s not a full time starter for the Braves. Infante has played in 57 games for the Braves this year and he is 51 of 165 (.309 avg, .717 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 1 homer, 22 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Infante can play everywhere but pitcher, catcher and 1B and that versatility likely is what got him on the All-Star Team for the first time in his career. 34-year old righty starting pitcher Tim Hudson is rewarding the Braves for their faith in him. He has started 17 games for the Braves this year and he is 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has only given up 90 hits in 114 1/3 innings this season as he has come back strong from injury. This is Hudson’s third All-Star Game appearance. Look for the Braves to have a big say in which team has home field advantage in the World Series.

27-year old righty swinging shortstop Yunel Escobar finished in a tie with Mark Reynolds for 20th in the N.L. MVP voting. Escobar played in 141 games for the Braves last season and he was 158 for 528 (.299 avg, .812 OPS) with 89 runs scored, 14 homers, 76 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He has now played in 371 games in his three years with the Braves and he is 410 for 1,361 (.301 avg, .801 OPS) with 214 runs scored, 29 homers, 164 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Escobar is one of the players the Braves will be building around in the near future.

33-year old righty Javier Vazquez finished fourth in the voting for the N.L Cy Young Award. He started 32 games for the Braves last season and he was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He only allowed 181 hits in 219 1/3 innings while whiffing 238 batters showing just how nasty he was. Vazquez has now pitched in 387 games (385 starts) in his major league career and he is 142-139 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. The Braves should absolutely not trade Vazquez over the winter as he has really improved with good coaching.

Bobby Cox finished fourth in the voting for the National League Manager of the Year Award in the N.L. He led the Braves to a 86-76 record (53.1%) with a strong surge late in the year that almost got the Braves into the playoffs. Cox has now been the manager of the Braves for 24 seasons now in which he is 2,058-1,638 (55.7%) during the regular season. The Braves were smart to bring Cox back for another year as he still has it as a manager.

23-year old righty starting pitcher Tommy Hanson finished third in the voting for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. He would have easily won it if he would have made the pitching staff of the Braves out of spring training. Hanson pitched in 21 games (all starts) for the Braves last season and he was 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He only allowed 105 hits in 127 2/3 innings for the Braves last season while whiffing 116 batters which gives you a glimpse of how nasty this guy really is. So what if he didn’t win the Rookie of the Year Award as he will be a frontrunner for the Cy Young Award next season as long as he stays healthy.