2010 for the Atlanta Braves can be a promising season. With a full season from Tim Hudson and a return of Derek Lowe, Jair Jurjjens, Tommy Hanson and Kenshin Kawakami their rotation is solid. The bullpen of Takashi Saito, Erik O’Flaherty, Peter Moylan, Jesse Chavez and Billy Wagner to close games out is also very solid. Their pitching will keep games close and present other teams matchup problems in the latter innings.
Their lineup has some questionmarks however. Nate McLouth batting leadoff with an OBP of .352 must get on base more. He did have laser surgery to correct his vision in the off season, so maybe he’ll become that guy they need to get on base. Chipper Jones can still contribute with the bat…when he’s on the field. You know their will be stretches this season that he will be nursing some injury and I dont know if the Braves can afford his absences. The projected cleanup hitter, Troy Glaus also missed practically the entire ’09 season and the Braves are hoping he’ll return to the 30+ home run hitter he has been along with switching from third base to first. Otherwise the bottom half of their lineup is quite good with Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar, Matt Diaz. Rookie Jayson Heyward is expected to make the team and play rightfield and bat eighth,as the Braves say bye-bye to Ryan Church who has never been the same following two concussions in a small period of time in 2008 with the Mets.
If Jones and Glaus remain healthy…look out! This team will be a force to reckon with. A solid full season from Hudson, a strong finish from Lowe and no sophomore jinx for Hanson will help this team contend to the end.
Projected Finish: 2nd Place NL East (88-74)**** National League Wild Card****
Metblogfever 
The Braves, in my opinion, have always had a great starting rotation. The faults of the line up is nothing new. Every team has them and that’s the problem with all the teams. Looking forward to this season!!
-Holly
http://irishsoxkid19.mlblogs.com
LikeLike
Braves are counting on a older key players who are either coming off injuries or underperformed in 2009.
Underperformed: Chipper and Lowe
Rebounding from injuries: Wagner, Hudson, Glaus
Watch List: Kawakami, Saito
Looks like Jurrjens (though not older) has a minor inflamation to his pitching shoulder. We’ll see if the inflamation nags him this season.
LikeLike
I think you’re a bit upside down there!
Until Jones and Glaus show they are ready to return to past success McCann, Escobar, Prado, McClouth, Diaz and hopefully Heyward will lead this lineup.
That being said, I strongly believe that Glaus and Jones could be huge contributors. Glaus has had no issues beside the shoulder, so if it is fixed, (which modern medicine seems pretty good at), there is no reason why he shouldn’t return to 30HR form, (he hit 27 while the shoulder was injured).
This teams lineup will be fine!
In spite of the disasters by Frenchy, Johnson, Jones, and Norton last year they still won 86 games, and with a little more timely hitting could have won another 10 or more. If you think I’m exaggerating then you didn’t watch the games! I’ve been watching baseball since the 50’s and I have never seen a club squander opportunities like the 2009 Braves.
Projected Finish: 1st Place NL East (98-74)
LikeLike
Lol, i see you got the position right and there record was 3 games better than my prediction and 7 games worse than yours….
LikeLike
Oops i got the positions right too!
LikeLike
Correction:
Projected Finish: 1st Place NL East (98-64)
LikeLike
I like your heart micg99! and anything can happen, especially with the Braves pitching…i do expect the Braves to make it to the playoffs if healthy, but also you can say that every team may have won more games if they didn’t strand men on base…we will see what the new year brings!
LikeLike
Man, i was almost dead on with this prediction in February and the rest of the NL East aligned themselves, exactly where they deserved to be…Good Luck to all the postseason teams this fall!
LikeLike