The Braves wanted to sign a manager who they were comfortable with to replace the legendary Bobby Cox. So they signed 48-year old Fredi Gonzalez to take over as manager. He was a coach for the Braves before he got his big shot to manage the Marlins. He was fired by the Marlins last year after they got off to a 33-36 (47.6%) start to the 2010 season. Gonzalez compiled a 275-279 (49.6%) record in his four years with the Marlins which was pretty impressive when you consider that he was operating with a very low payroll. I have a feeling that Gonzalez is going to do a very solid job for the Braves in 2011.

22-year old righty Craig Kimbrel and 26-year old lefty Jonny Venters will likely share the closer’s job for the Braves in 2011. Kimbrel comes into this season as the Braves’ #5 overall prospect. He pitched in 21 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 4-0 with 1 save, a 0.44 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He only gave up 9 hits while whiffing 40 batters in his first 20 2/3 innings of his major league career, which is amazing! But, he also walked 16 batters which is way too many. Kimbrel also pitched in 48 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 3-2 with 23 saves, a 1.62 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.

Jonny Venters burst onto the scene in 2010 with the Atlanta Braves. Venters pitched in 79 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 4-4 with 1 save, a 1.95 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He only gave up 61 hits in 83 innings pitched, while whiffing 93 batters as he was awesome! Kimbrel & Venters will likely save 40 games between them in 2011.

32-year old righty Peter Moylan is a workhorse. He pitched in 85 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 6-2 with 1 save, a 2.97 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Moylan has now pitched in 274 games (0 starts) in his first five years with the Braves and he is 17-8 with 3 saves, a 2.58 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Moylan will likely pitch in the most games for the Braves in 2011 if he can stay healthy.

26-year old lefty Eric O’Flaherty really pitched well for the Braves last year and he will have a key role again in 2011. He pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. O’Flaherty has now pitched in 134 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Braves and he is 5-3 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. O’Flaherty will be the Braves’ go-to situational lefty this year.

34-year old righty Scott Linebrink will likely be the graybeard of the bullpen in 2011. He pitched in 52 games (0 starts) for the White Sox last year and he was 3-2 with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Linebrink has now pitched in 543 games (6 starts) in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 38-27 with 7 saves, a 3.50 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. I look for him to rebound with a good year as he has pitched his best ball in the N.L.

33-year old lefty George Sherrill had a year to forget in 2010. He pitched in 65 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers last year and he was 2-2 with a 6.69 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP. Sherrill has now pitched in 389 games (0 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 16-16 with 56 saves, a 3.76 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Sherrill is a good bet to get his career going back in the right direction in 2011 for the Braves.

34-year old righty Scott Proctor pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 0-0 with a 6.35 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He has now pitched in 268 games (1 start) in his first six years in the majors and he is 16-10 with 1 save, a 4.46 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Proctor is a longshot to help the Braves much in 2011.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BRAVES BULLPEN IN 2011: B+

The Braves have a nice blend of experience and youth in the starting rotation for 2011. 35-year old righty Tim Hudson will likely be the #1 starter for them once again in 2011. Hudson started 34 games for the Braves last season and he was 17-9 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has now pitched in 162 games (161 starts) in his first six years with the Braves and he is 73-48 with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Hudson was better than ever last season so I look for him to turn in another strong year in 2011.

24-year old righty Tommy Hanson is a pitcher on the rise for the Braves. Hanson started 34 games for the Braves last season and he was 10-11 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He has now pitched in 55 games (all starts) for the Braves in his first two years with the team and he is 21-15 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Hanson has a huge upside and this year could be the won where his win/loss record more reflects his talent.

37-year old righty Derek Lowe always hears his name come up in trade rumors but the Braves still like him because of his dependability. Lowe started 33 games for the Braves last season and he was 16-12 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He has now started 67 games in his first two years with the Braves and he is 31-22 with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Expect Lowe to have a heavy workload for the Braves in 2011 to help protect the bullpen.

25-year old righty Jair Jurrjens battled injuries most of last season and it hurt his stats. Jurrjens started 20 games for the Braves last season and he was 7-6 with a 4.64 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. He has now pitched in 85 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Braves and he is 34-26 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. The Braves hope that a return to full health will spur Jurrjens to have a good year in 2011.

23-year old lefty Mike Minor comes into this season as the Braves’ #4 prospect according to Baseball America. Minor pitched in 9 games (8 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 3-2 with a 5.98 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He also pitched in 21 games (all starts) in AA+AAA-ball in which he was 6-7 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Minor only gave up 93 hits in 120 1/3 innings in the minors last season while whiffing 146 batters, showing just how nasty he can be. He is the favorite to open the 2011 season as the Braves’ #5 starter.

24-year old righty Brandon Beachy will challenge Minor for the #5 job this spring. He comes into this year as the Braves’ #8 prospect according to Baseball America. Beachy started 3 games late last year for the Braves and he was 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. He also pitched in 35 games (13 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 5-1 with 2 saves, a 1.73 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Beachy only gave up 93 hits in 119 1/3 innings in the minors last season while whiffing 148 batters! The most impressive thing about Beachy though, is that he only walked 28 batters in the minors.

35-year old righty Rodrigo Lopez is also in camp trying to win the #5 job for the Braves this spring. He started 33 games for the Diamondbacks last year and he was 7-16 with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Lopez gave up 37 homers (the most in major league baseball) in 200 innings last season! He has now pitched in 227 games (199 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 75-82 with a 4.85 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.

35-year old righty Kenshin Kawakami is likely going to be trade bait for the Braves. He pitched in 18 games (16 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 1-10 with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Kawakami has pitched in 50 games (41 starts) in his first two years with the Braves and he is 8-22 with 1 save, a 4.32 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.

25-year old righty Kris Medlen might be able to return to the Braves late in 2011 as he continues his rehab from Tommy John Surgery. Medlen pitched in 31 games (14 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 6-2 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has now pitched in 68 games (18 starts) in parts of two years with the Braves and he is 9-7 with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BRAVES STARTING ROTATION: B+

21-year old lefty swinging Jason Heyward will try to improve his game in his sophomore year for the Braves and that could get scary for the rest of the N.L. Heyward played in 142 games for the Braves last season and he was 144 of 520 (.277 avg, .849 OPS) with 83 runs scored, 18 homers, 72 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Heyward walked 91 times last season which showed pretty good discipline for a player his age. I’m thinking that Heyward is going to crank at least 25 homers in 2011 with around 100 RBIs. He played in 140 games in RF last season and he made 6 errors while showing poor range. Runners challenged him a lot last season as he only had 5 assists in RF. The Braves hope that Heyward’s defense improves in 2011.

25-year old righty swinging Wilkin Ramirez will likely start the season in AAA-ball but he could get called up if the Braves need help in the outfield. Ramirez played in 121 games in AA+AAA-ball last season and he was 105 of 448 (.234 avg, .763 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 23 homers, 70 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BRAVES IN RF IN 2011: A

29-year old lefty swinging Nate McLouth is going to start the 2011 season as the Braves’ full time CF. How long he keeps the gig will be up to him. McLouth played in 85 games for the Braves last season and he was 46 of 242 (.190 avg, .620 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 6 homers, 24 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He has a career batting average of .252 with a .775 OPS in his first six years in the majors and the Braves would be happy if he hits to his career norms. McLouth had 2 errors and only 1 assist in 71 games in CF for the Braves last season and he showed awful range. The Braves need McLouth to also rebound defensively in 2011.

28-year old right swinging Joe Mather will battle 24-year old lefty swinging Jordan Schafer for the right to back up McLouth in 2011. Mather played in 36 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 13 of 60 (.217 avg, .525 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has a .233 career batting average with a .702 OPS in two years in the majors so he’s likely a better hitter than he showed last year. Mather didn’t make any errors in 14 games in CF last season but he showed awful range.

Jordan Schafer was once one of the hottest prospects in all of baseball. But, one failed drug test later and the shine has come of his prospect status. Schafer played in 76 games in A+AA+AAA-ball last season and he was 55 of 274 (.201 avg, .524 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 1 homer, 14 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. He played in 50 games for the Braves in 2009 and he was 34 of 167 (.204 avg, .600 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers, 8 RBIs and 2 stolen bases while whiffing 63 times. Schafer needs to straighten out soon for the Braves or they are going to give up on him.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BRAVES CF IN 2011: D