Manager Bobby Cox is calling it quits after this season for the Atlanta Braves. No matter what happens this season, Cox has been outstanding for the Braves. Cox led the Braves to a 86-76 (53.1%) record last season despite not having much of an offense. The Braves should be better hitting the ball in 2010 so a return to the playoffs is not too far fetched. Cox is 2,058-1,638 (55.7%) in his 24 years with the Braves winning 5 National League Pennants and 1 World Series. Cox has now compiled a 2,413-1,930 (55.6%) in his 28 years as a major league manager. Look for him to finish his last season with more than 2,500 wins in his career which will get him into the Hall of Fame.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE MANAGER IN 2010: A

The Braves will go with a older look late in games in 2010. 38-year old lefty Billy Wagner will be the Braves’ stopper in 2010. He pitched in 17 games (0 starts) for the Red Sox & Mets last season in which he was 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Wagner missed most of last season while recovering from major surgery but he finished it with a bang whiffing 26 batters and only allowing 8 hits in 15 2/3 innings. That was enough for the Braves to ink him over the winter. Wagner has pitched in 782 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 40-38 with 385 saves, a 2.39 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Wagner will do a solid job as the closer for the Braves in 2010 as long as he can stay healthy.

40-year old righty Takashi Saito will be the Braves’ set-up man in 2010. Saito pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 3-3 with 2 saves, a 2.43 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. In his four years in the majors, Saito has pitched in 236 games (0 starts) in which he is 15-10 with 83 saves, a 2.05 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP.

31-year old righty Peter Moylan is the workhorse of the Braves’ bullpen. He pitched in 87 games (0 starts) last season and he was 6-2 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Bobby Cox has a ton of confidence in this guy and there is no reason to think that he won’t run him out to the mound 80+ in 2010 as long as he remains healthy.

25-year old lefty Eric O’Flaherty is also a guy that gets a ton of work for the Braves. He pitched in 78 games (0 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Look for O’Flaherty to get into 70+ games in 2010 for the Braves.

26-year old righty Jesse Chavez was acquired in a deal with the Rays over the winter (for Rafael Soriano). He pitched in 73 games (0 starts) for the Pirates last season in which he was 1-4 with a 4.01 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Chavez has good stuff so look for the Braves to coach him up in 2010.

28-year old righty Manny Acosta will have to pitch better than he did in 2009 if he wants to get in a lot of games for the Braves this year. Acosta pitched in 36 games (0 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 1-1 with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. Don’t look for Acosta pitching in any intense situations for the Braves in 2010.

24-year old Kris Medlen will likely be the long man in the pen for the Braves in 2010. He pitched in 37 games (4 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 3-5 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He whiffed 72 batters in 67 2/3 innings last season so he does have pretty good stuff. Medlen can also make a spot start if needed.

33-year old righty Scott Proctor will probably continue rehabbing in the minors when the season starts. He last pitched in 2008 with the Dodgers before having a major surgery. Proctor has pitched in 262 games (1 start) in his major league career and he is 16-10 with 1 save, a 4.42 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Look for him to be on of the first pitchers called up by the Braves if they need help in the pen.

24-year old lefty Michael Dunn was a key part of the Javier Vazquez trade over the winter. He will start the season in AAA and get a call as soon as the need arises. Dunn pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. He also pitched in 38 games in AA+AAA-ball last year in which he was 4-3 with 2 saves, a 3.31 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2010: B+

The Atlanta Braves have a nice collection of veterans (Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson) and dominating youngsters (Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens) for the starting rotation which will give other N.L. teams fits in 2010. 34-year old righty Tim Hudson will likely go into the season as the Braves’ #1 starter. He missed most of last season rehabbing from surgery but he was sharp when he returned starting 7 games for the Braves in which he was 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He his 5 years with the Braves, Hudson has pitched in 128 games (127 starts) in which he is 56-39 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. If Hudson stays healthy all year in 2010 I see no reason that he couldn’t win at least 15 games for the Braves.

24-year old righty Jair Jurrjens had a breakout year in 2009 for the Braves and that is why he will likely be slotted #2 in the rotation. Jurrjens started 34 games for the Braves last season in which he was 14-10 with a 2.60 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. I’m not so sure that he will have another ERA like he did in 2009 but I have little doubt that ,like Hudson, he will win around 15 games in 2010 for the Braves.

23-year old righty Tommy Hanson was the Braves’ top prospect heading into last season and you saw why when he got to the show. Hanson started 21 games for the Braves and he was 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. In 127 2/3 innings for the Braves last season he only allowed 105 hits while whiffing 116 batters. Hanson was also outstanding in the minors before his promotion to the bigs as he started 11 games in AAA-ball in which he was 3-3 with a 1.49 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. He only gave up 40 hits in 66 1/3 AAA innings while whiffing 90 batters showing just how nasty of a pitcher he really is. I see his trophy case having at least 1 Cy Young Award in it in the next five years and it could be in 2010.

36-year old righty Derek Lowe is back and he will serve as the #4 starter for the Braves in 2010. Lowe started 34 games for the Braves last season and he was 15-10 with a 4.67 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Lowe might not have been at his best last season but I think he will rebound somewhat in 2010. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2002, Lowe has compiled a 121-85 record so he is a horse.

34-year old righty Kenshin Kawakami got bumped from the rotation last year when Tim Hudson came back but he will be the #5 starter for the Braves in 2010. Kawakami pitched in 32 games (25 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 7-12 with 1 save, a 3.86 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. I look for Kawakami to win at least 10 games as he will be one of the better #5 starters in all of baseball in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2010: A

The Braves will likely go into the 2010 with 31-year old righty swinging Matt Diaz sharing RF with 31-year old lefty swinging Eric Hinske. That could change if the Braves think that top prospect Jason Heyward is ready for the show. Diaz is a solid professional baseball played. He played in 125 games for the Braves last season and he was 116 of 371 (.313 avg, .878 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 13 homers, 58 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Diaz made 2 errors in 66 games in RF last season while showing poor range. But he did have two assists so he has the arm to handle RF.

Eric Hinske played in 93 games for the Yankees & Pirates last season and he was 46 of 190 (.242 avg, .780 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 8 homers and 25 RBIs. Hinske is a good power hitter but it would be a reach to expect him to hit over .260 in 2010. Hinske didn’t make any errors in 35 games in RF last season while showing average range. He has a good arm for RF as he had 3 assists there in 2009.

The future in RF for the Braves is 20-year old lefty swinging Jason Heyward. Heyward played in 99 games in A+AA+AAA ball last season and he was 117 of 362 (.323 avg, .963 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 17 homers, 63 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He has now played three years in the minors appearing in 238 games in which he is 279 of 876 (.318 avg, .899 OPS) with 164 runs scored, 29 homers, 125 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. The Braves shouldn’t rush Heyward unless they are absolutely sure that he is ready for the show.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: C+

The Braves look really deep in center field for the 2010 season. It all starts with 28-year old lefty swinging Nate McLouth who will be the starter in 2010. McLouth played in 129 games for the Pirates & Braves in which he was 130 of 507 (.256 avg, .788 OPS) with 86 runs scored, 20 homers, 70 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. The Braves hope to get at least 20 more games out of McLouth in 2010. McLouth only made 1 error in 129 games in CF last season while showing average range. McLouth has a great throwing arm too as he had 9 assists last season. Look for McLouth to have a great year for the Braves in 2010.

25-year old switch hitting Melky Cabrera will be the starting LF for the Braves but he can handle CF if the need arises. Cabrera didn’t make any errors in 103 games in CF for the Yankees last season. He showed slightly below average range in CF last season and he had 2 assists.

23-year old lefty swinging Jordan Schafer got his first taste of the majors last season and it wasn’t pretty. He played in 50 games for the Braves last season and he was 34 of 167 (.204 avg, .600 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers, 8 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Shafer was overmatched most of the time as he whiffed 63 times for the Braves last season. Schafer played well defensively for the Braves last season as he didn’t make any errors in 50 games in CF. Schafer showed above average range and a strong throwing arm as he had 4 assists. Schafer needs to get his bat back into gear or he will soon lose his prospect status.

26-year old lefty swinging Gregor Blanco also had a year to forget for the Braves in 2009. Blanco played in 24 games for the Braves last season and he was 8 of 43 (.186 avg, .488 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 RBI and 2 stolen bases. Blanco has now played in 168 games in his career with the Braves and he has a .245 career batting average with a .659 OPS so he is a better hitter than he showed last year. Blanco didn’t make any errors in 9 games for the Braves in CF last season while showing slightly below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: B+