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.

Matt Diaz was hurt most of last season and it showed in his stat line. But, he’s back healthy this season and he’s ripping the baseball for the Braves. Diaz has played in 117 games for the Braves this season and he is 110 for 343 (.321 avg, .896 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 12 homers, 53 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. The Braves should really consider letting Diaz play full time next season instead of platooning him.

37-year old switch hitting 3B Chipper Jones is considering retirement after a extended slump. He has played in 131 games this season for the Braves and he is 121 for 447 (.271 avg, .832 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 17 homers, 68 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Jones has been the heart and soul of the Braves since he got to Atlanta and it would be a huge loss for them if he calls it quits. Jones has played in 2,154 games for the Braves and he is 2,398 for 7,784 (.308 avg, .949 OPS) with 1,450 runs scored, 425 homers, 1,442 RBIs and 142 stolen bases.

27-year old lefty swinging outfielder Nate McLouth has played well since coming over from the Pirates. He has played in 72 games for the Braves this season and he is 81 for 291 (.278 avg, .806 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 9 homers, 32 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. The Braves love his all out style so he will be a player they try to build around in the future.

The Braves know that Adam LaRoche is a slow starter who finishes strong and that’s why they jumped at the opportunity to acquire him from the Red Sox. All they had to give up to get him was Casey Kotchman! Amazing! LaRoche has played in 40 games for the Braves since arriving from Boston and he is 52 for 148 (.351 avg, 1.072 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 12 homers and 30 RBIs. Expect him to finish this season strong.