2011 wasn’t all bad for the Braves as they played good baseball from April through the end of August. They finished with a 89-73 record, which was good for second place in the A.L. East, 13 games behind the Phillies. They also lost the Wild Card by 1 game to the Cardinals. Here is a look at the things that stood out to me in 2011:

TEAM MVP: 23-year old righty closer Craig Kimbrel was plain nasty for the Braves in 2011. 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 only gave up 48 hits in 77 innings last year while whiffing a stunning 127 batters! He did walk 32 batters last year, but that’s nitpicking.

BEST PITCHER: 36-year old righty starting pitcher Tim Hudson was a lifesaver for the Braves’ pitching staff. He pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Braves in 2011 and he was 16-10 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He was a horse in the rotation as he constantly was working late in games to save the bullpen a little wear and tear every five days.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: 22-year old lefty swinging rookie 1B Freddie Freeman turned in a very solid year in 2011 for the Braves. He played in 157 games for the Braves in 2011 and he was 161 for 571 (.282 avg, .795 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 21 homers, 76 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: 22-year old lefty swinging RF Jason Heyward put up a very solid rookie year in 2010. They thought he was going to build on that success in 2011, but he went into the tank instead. Heyward played in 128 games for the Braves in 2011 and he was 90 for 396 (.227 avg, .708 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 14 homers, 42 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. He is going to have to bounce back in 2012 to restore the organization’s confidence in him.