Haha so here we are, March 30th and I haven't blogged in quite some time. The Braves didn't sign Adam Dunn and Anthony Grant is in Tuscaloosa. But Spring Training is almost over and the Braves have the second best record in the Grapefruit League at 20-18 and have alot to be excited about. Earlier in the month the Braves signed veteran outfielder Garrett Anderson to fill the whole in left field as well as in the middle of the lineup. Anderson is a career .296 hitter and you can usually count on 15 plus homers and 80 plus rbis. Last year he hit .293 with 15 bombs and 84 ribbies. The Braves traded away prospect Josh Anderson to clean up a crowded outfield and make way for emerging star Jordan Schafer. He is considered one of the Braves top prospects overall and has 20/20 potential. Hes hit .373 this spring with 5 stolen bases. He will man center field to open the season. But maybe the most encouraging news of the spring will have to wait until May or June. Tommy Hanson, the Braves prized pitching prospect will start the year in Triple A. He had a lights out spring and Bobby Cox raves about him. Cox says his slider reminds him of John Smoltz's and Hanson dominated the minor leagues last year and became the first pitcher ever to win the Arizona Fall League MVP. His dominance carried over to this spring and its only a matter of time before the Braves call him up. The Braves open up all of baseball Sunday night on ESPN against the defending World Champion Phillies. Hamels isn't going to start so maybe big game pitcher Derek Lowe can get the Bravos off to a good start and steal a game up in Philly. See you Sunday but be sure to watch Baseball Tonight all season long!

This has nothing to do with the Braves but in recent news Georgia fired their head basketball coach. I strongly urge Mr. Evans to hire Anthony Grant. He is the coach at VCU and would be perfect for Athens and UGA. Can you say Mike Tomlin...

If I were Frank Wren, I would go out and try to get Adam Dunn. Hes an absolute beast at 6'6 and would provide a much needed power bat to the middle of the order. He would also fill the left field void. It only helps that he's left handed and can play both corner outfield spots and first. He strikes out a bit but he's a lock for thirty plus homers a year. He would be a good fit for the Braves.

The Braves opening day lineup for 2009 will look far different from the 08 Braves. Mark Texiera is no longer protecting Chipper Jones and a once promising Jeff Francouer is on life support. Chipper was the only bright spot in the Braves lineup. He had close to a career year, even winning a batting title while fighting injuries. As long as Chipper stays healthy, look for him to remain a professional hitter. Brian McCann battled through injuries much of last season along with rising star Yunel Escobar. Both of them will need to stay healthy if the Braves want to compete. Yunel had what some may consider a disappointing follow up to his rookie year but look for Escobar to bounce back. He has all of the tools to become a great shortstop. Kelly Johnson will play second and looks poised to progress nicely. He and Yunel will bat 1 and 2. Casey Kotchman takes over at first in the trade for Mark Texiera. Kotchman was one of the Angels top minor league prospects for a number of years and don't be surprised to see him hit at least twenty bombs and drive in eighty. The Braves are still looking for a left fielder and maybe Frank Wren can find one before spring training begins. The Braves top prospect Jordan Schafer should compete for a starting spot in the outfield as well. It may be difficult for the Braves' offense to put up numbers like Philly and New York night in and night out, but with a healthy Chipper Jones and Brian McCann and the continued growth of Yunel Escobar, the Braves have some pieces. Jeff Francoeur is essential to the Braves success as well. He will come into this season with something to prove and hopefully he can regain his confidence at the dish.

Unfortunately for the Braves, they are in the same division as the defending World champion Philadelphia Phillies and a much improved New York Mets team. The Mets could have taken the National League East crown if they hadn't choked again. Some may remember this same team blowing a double digit lead in the standings with only two weeks to go the season before. Theres been some talk going around the league that Phillies ace Cole Hamels said the Mets were choke artists and that until they prove otherwise, thats what they will be. I tend to agree with Cole on this one but the Mets on paper look better than the Braves so I'll let Cole do the trash talking. As far as the other two teams in the NL East go, the Marlins are young and talented and scouts rave about thier staff. They also have a perennial all-star in Hanley Ramirez. The Marlins also always seem to find a way to play the Braves tough. Every time the Braves go to Miami, they get spanked. The Nationals are nothing to write home about and hopefully the Braves will be able to handle them this year. They are better managed and have more talent. I project Atlanta to finish third this year in the National League East.

As mentioned before, Frank Wren went out and got three solid starting pitchers. Derek Lowe, Javier Vasquez, and Kenshin Kawakami. Lowe and Vasquez are proven veterans who can give Bobby Cox 200 plus innings. Lowe also brings a fiery competitiveness and grit thats stuck with him since his Red Sox days. His moxie and leadership hopefully will rub off on other Braves in the clubhouse. Vasquez has always had electric stuff and has been a 15 game winner in multiple seasons, but he fell out of favor in Chicago with manager Ozzie Guillen. Guillen later jarred that Javy "Wasn't a big game pitcher." Hopefully Vasquez can deliver. Kenshin Kawakami. a Japanese League veteran of 11 years, is the wild card. The right hander compiled over a hundred wins and and era close to 3.20. But like Japanese imports before him, Kenshin will have to prove that his game is good enough for the major leagues.The Braves may have gotten a steal in Kawakami. With Lowe, Vasquez, and Kawakami heading the rotation, Jair Jurrgens has the fourth slot all but locked up. Longtime Mexican Winter League hurler and rookie surprise last season, Jorge Campillo seems to be the front runner for the fith spot but could be challenged by the Braves best pitching prospect Tommy Hanson. The San Diego Padres wanted Hanson in the Jake Peavy deal but Wren didn't want to part with him. Tom Glavine could also make a splash somewhere down the line and Tim Hudson is expected to be back from Tommy John surgery around August. Regardless of who ends up in the rotation, come opening day, the Braves have the potential to boast a surprisingly formidable rotation.

The Atlanta Braves are a class organization. For more than a decade Atlanta has competed for pennants and World Series titles. Other than the New York Yankees some have considered the Braves to be the team of the 90's. But the glory years of the 90's and early 2000's are long gone and a disappointing 2008 season has left fans wondering how much longer will Bobby Cox manage and could this really be the end of the Braves run? But with Bobby back for another season and second year general manager Frank Wren making some key additions via free agency to strengthen the rotation, the 2009 Braves may help fans forget about 2008.