The Braves are planning on going with 22-year old righty swinging rookie Tyler Pastornicky as the starting SS in 2012. He comes into this season as the Braves’ #7 prospect according to Baseball America. Pastornicky played in 117 games in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 144 of 459 (.314 avg, .773 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 7 homers, 45 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. He has now played in 406 games in his first four years in the minors, he is 422 of 1,516 (.278 avg, .719 OPS) with 241 runs scored, 17 homers, 146 RBIs and 146 stolen bases. Pastornicky will be the starting shortstop on opening day for the Braves unless his spring training is a disaster.

34-year old righty swinging Jack Wilson is the backup plan at SS for the Braves. He played in 17 games for the Braves last year and he was 9 for 41 (.220 avg, .482 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 0 homers and 0 RBIs. Wilson played in 79 games overall last year for the Mariners and Braves in which he was 52 of 214 (.243 avg, .559 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 0 homers, 11 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Wilson has now played in 1,330 games in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 1,282 of 4,819 (.266 avg, .675 OPS) with 561 runs scored, 61 homers, 422 RBIs and 43 stolen bases. Wilson only had 2 errors in 26 games at SS last year and he showed off outstanding range as he has always been a good defensive SS.

30-year old righty swinging Josh Wilson is a longshot to make the Braves’ opening day roster. He played in 60 games for the Brewers & D-Backs last year and he was 19 of 85 (.224 avg, .611 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Wilson has now played in 356 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 211 of 930 (.227 avg, .597 OPS) with 84 runs scored, 9 homers, 67 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Wilson had 1 error in 11 games at SS last season while showing off outstanding range.

26-year old righty swinging Brandon Hicks is still around. He played in 17 games for the Braves last year and he was 1 for 21 (.048 avg, .139 OPS) with 1 run scored, 0 homers and 1 RBI. Hicks also played in 104 games in AAA-ball last year in which he was 91 of 361 (.252 avg, .779 OPS) with 52 runs scored, 18 homers, 50 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Hicks has now played in 33 games in his first two years with the Braves and he is 1 for 26 (.038 avg, .146 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 0 homers and 1 RBI. Hicks played in 3 games at SS for the Braves last year and he had 1 error while showing below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SS IN 2012: C-

31-year old righty swinging 2B Dan Uggla gets paid to hit the baseball. He played in 161 games for the Braves last year and he was 140 of 600 (.233 avg, .764 OPS) with 88 runs scored, 36 homers, 82 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Uggla has now played in 937 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 911 of 3,527 (.258 avg, .824 OPS) with 587 runs scored, 190 homers, 547 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Uggla had 15 errors in 159 games at 2B for the Braves last year and he showed off awful range there. The Braves won’t worry too much about Uggla’s D as long as he is cracking 30+ homers a year.

28-year old switch-hitting Drew Sutton will likely have a good shot of making the team with a strong spring. He played in 31 games for the Red Sox last year and he was 17 of 54 (.315 avg, .807 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 0 homers and 7 RBIs. Sutton has now played in 86 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 41 of 159 (.258 avg, .724 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 3 homers and 24 RBIs. Sutton made 1 error in 7 games at 3B for the Red Sox last year and he showed pretty awful range.

34-year old righty swinging Jack Wilson and 30-year old righty swinging Josh Wilson can also handle playing 2B. Jack Wilson played in 45 games at 2B last year and he had 2 errors while showing outstanding range. Josh Wilson played in 10 error-free games at 2B last year but he showed awful range there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR 2B FOR 2012: B+

22-year old lefty swinging 1B Freddie Freeman burst onto the scene for the Braves last year. He played in 157 games for the Braves last year and he was 161 for 571 (.282 avg, .795 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 21 homers, 76 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Freeman has now played in 177 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 165 of 595 (.277 avg, .784 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 22 homers, 77 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Freeman only had 6 errors in 156 games at 1B for the Braves last year as he is a pretty solid defender. The Braves hope that Freeman continues to improve as a hitter, because the Braves have had some troubles scoring runs lately.

26-year old righty swinging Ernesto Mejia might get his first taste of the majors in 2012. He played in 137 games for the Braves in AA-ball last year and he was 148 for 499 (.297 avg, .906 OPS) with 82 runs scored, 26 homers, 99 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Mejia has now played in 577 games in his first 7 years in the minors for the Braves and he is 604 for 2,142 (.282 avg, .833 OPS) with 334 runs scored, 87 homers, 373 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.

34-year old lefty swinging Eric Hinske can also handle playing 1B. He played in 13 error-free games at 1B for the Braves last year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 1B IN 2012: B

The Braves have a great set-up at catcher with All-Star Brian McCann starting and David Ross backing him up. 28-year old lefty swinging Brian McCann played in 128 games for the Braves last year and he was 126 for 466 (.270 avg, .817 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 24 homers, 71 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 882 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 878 for 3,068 (.286 avg, .844 OPS) with 377 runs scored, 136 homers, 537 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. McCann played in 126 games behind the plate for the Braves last year and he had 5 errors and 7 passed balls. McCann only threw out 22 of 133 (16.5%) base stealers while Braves’ pitchers had a 3.61 ERA with him behind the dish. His bat more than makes up for his defense.

34-year old righty swinging David Ross has turned into one of the better backup catchers in all of baseball in Atlanta. He played in 52 games for the Braves last year and he was 40 for 152 (.263 avg, .761 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 6 homers and 23 RBIs. Ross has now played in 165 games in his first three years for the Braves and he is 110 for 401 (.274 avg, .835 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 15 homers and 71 RBIs. Ross has now played in 596 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 360 for 1,525 (.236 avg, .768 OPS) with 179 runs scored, 75 homers and 225 RBIs. Ross played in 49 games behind the plate for the Braves last year and he had 3 errors and 2 passed balls. He threw out 10 of 33 (30.3%) runner trying to steal against him last year and Braves’ pitchers had a 3.11 ERA with him behind the plate.

32-year old righty swinging J.C. Boscan will likely start the 2012 season in AAA-ball as long as McCann and Ross make it through spring training healthy. Boscan played in 4 games for the Braves last year and he was 3 for 9 (.333 avg, .667 OPS). He also played in 61 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 37 for 203 (.182 avg, .457 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 0 homers and 8 RBIs. Boscan has now played in 5 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 3 for 9 (.333 avg, .733 OPS) with 1 run scored. Boscan played in 3 games behind the plate for the Braves last year and he didn’t have any errors or passed balls. He threw out 1 of 3 (33.3%) runners trying to steal on him last year and Braves’ pitchers had a 4.00 ERA with him behind the dish. Boscan has been in the Braves’ organization a long time, so they are comfortable with him even if he isn’t much of a hitter.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CATCHERS IN 2012: A

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