[ThePundit]

Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - Last year the Braves' streak of 14 straight division titles ended, as did the myriad of postseason appearances. But never count out Bobby Cox and the Atlanta Braves to make a run into October. The Braves finished third in the National League East last season behind New York and Philadelphia, their worst finish since placing sixth in the NL West in 1990. General manager John Schuerholz pretty much has the same roster as last season with only a few minor changes, as second baseman Marcus Giles is now in San Diego and first baseman Adam LaRoche landed in Pittsburgh via trade. The Braves, though, will rely on the usual suspects this season in Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Jeff Francoeur and a trio of veteran pitchers.

Andruw Jones has a huge incentive to play well since he is in the last year of his contract. Starting pitcher and No. 1 in the rotation John Smoltz, who also is in his last contract year, is back for his 19th season in the majors and will lead the hurlers, while Tim Hudson has the potential to bring home a Cy Young every year. Mike Hampton is banged up after suffering a left oblique strain during batting practice in spring training, and may be out for two months. Hampton is also recovering from Tommy John surgery, but is expected to help the club in a big way when healthy. Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell will have his work cut out for him with the rest of the young staff, including Kyle Davies and Chuck James. The two came on strong in 2006 before the Braves fizzled out of postseason contention. McDowell, though, has a stronger bullpen which could be the best in the NL.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2007 edition of the Atlanta Braves, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2006 FINISH (79-83) - Third Place (NL East)

KEY OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: RP Mike Gonzalez, RP Tanyon Sturtze, RP Rafael Soriano, INF/OF Chris Woodward, INF/OF Craig Wilson, LHP Mark Redman

KEY OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: 1B Adam LaRoche, 2B Marcus Giles, SP Horacio Ramirez, RP Danys Baez, SP John Thomson, 1B Daryle Ward, RP Chris Reitsma

PROJECTED LINEUP: Kelly Johnson (2B), Edgar Renteria (SS), Chipper Jones (3B), Andruw Jones (CF), Brian McCann (C), Jeff Francoeur (RF), Scott Thorman (1B), Ryan Langerhans (LF)

PROJECTED ROTATION: John Smoltz (RHP), Tim Hudson (RHP), Mike Hampton (LHP), Chuck James (LHP), Kyle Davies (RHP)/Mark Redman (LHP)

PROJECTED CLOSER: RHP Bob Wickman

MANAGER: Bobby Cox

INFIELD

Chipper Jones is the veteran of the infield and will take care of business at the hot corner. The third baseman, though, has battled through injuries over the last few years and is expected to be in excellent shape for 2007. In 110 games out of a 182-game schedule, Jones batted .324 with 26 home runs and 86 RBI. Not too shabby for missing 72 contests, but the Braves would have done better had Jones played at least 150 - 160 games. Now that second baseman Marcus Giles is off with his brother, Brian, in San Diego, the Braves will go with Kelly Johnson as a replacement. Johnson, who hasn't played second base at any level in his career, missed all of last season due to injury. Johnson's fielding ability will be the main focus but he worked on his skills during the offseason in order to win the vacant spot. In 2005, Johnson batted .241 with nine homers and 40 runs batted in through 87 games.

Shortstop is not a question of concern for the Braves, who have Edgar Renteria manning the position. Renteria was an All-Star last year and hit .293 with 14 home runs and 70 RBI over 149 games. Renteria faded off after the mid-season classic, which did not bode well for Cox and Co. After dealing first baseman Adam LaRoche to Pittsburgh, the Braves are relying on Scott Thorman to take over. Thorman has big shoes to fill after LaRoche collected a .285 batting average, 32 homers and 90 RBI last season.

Behind the plate is a promising youngster in Brian McCann, who was an All-Star last year in just his second season. McCann, perhaps the best catcher in the NL, belted 24 homers with a .333 batting average and 93 runs batted in for Atlanta last season. McCann is a nice piece to build around and is expected to put up better numbers this season.

OUTFIELD

The Braves have, perhaps, the best outfield in the National League, especially with five-time All-Star Andruw Jones roaming center field. The nine-time Gold Glove Award winner is in his last year under contract, but will most likely sign a big deal later in the season or afterwards. Jones batted .262 with 41 home runs and 129 runs batted in last season. Jones will have to put up similar or better numbers this year if he expects to make the kind of money Alfonso Soriano or Vernon Wells rakes in.

Right field is not a problem for the Braves since Jeff Francoeur is at the position. Francoeur is coming off an excellent year in which he played all 162 games, recording 29 home runs, 103 RBI and a .260 batting average. He is entering his third season in the majors and is on his way to an All-Star season. Ryan Langerhans rounds out the trio of outfielder at the left field spot, and hit .241 with seven homers and 28 RBI in 131 games last season. Langerhans is often criticized for his selection at the plate, but the team has nobody better to replace him in left.

STARTING ROTATION

Atlanta's starting rotation will be anchored by a pair of veteran hurlers in Smoltz and Hudson. Smoltz is the ageless ace of the rotation and the 39-year- old right-hander is showing no signs of wearing down. Smoltz went 16-9 last season with a 3.49 ERA in 35 starts last season. The 16 wins were tied for the most in the National League, while his 211 K's were third-highest in the league. Hudson, meanwhile, is coming off a less-than-stellar season in which he compiled a 13-12 record with a career-worst 4.86 earned run average in 35 starts. The right-hander hasn't been the same since joining the Braves from Oakland a few years ago, but has recorded double-digit win totals in each of his eight seasons in the bigs. Hudson should lower his ERA this season with the addition of third starter Hampton.

Hampton, though, will miss a few months with an oblique injury suffered while taking batting practice in spring training. There's no doubt Hampton can hit, but McDowell needs to see if the lefty can still pitch. Hampton, who joined the club in 2003, missed all of last season after undergoing ligament replacement surgery (Tommy John). In 2005, he was limited to 12 starts and recorded a 5-3 record with a 3.50 ERA. As a safety precaution, the Braves signed lefty Mark Redman to a minor league deal with hopes of him cracking the rotation. Redman was the Kansas City Royals' lone All-Star representative a year ago, but was just 11-10 with a 5.71 earned run average. Over the last five seasons (2002-06) he has averaged 30 starts and 186 innings pitched per season.

Left-hander James and righty Davies will also battle for spot in the rotation, and have an edge since they are both young. James went 11-4 with a 3.78 ERA in 25 games (18 starts) last year, while Davies missed some time with a groin injury. Davies went 3-7 with an 8.38 ERA in 14 games. Atlanta has the third- best rotation in the NL East behind Philadelphia and New York, but anything can happen over the course of the season.

BULLPEN

The Braves' bullpen was disastrous last year and notched a league-leading 29 blown saves over 67 opportunities. Closer Bob Wickman came over from Cleveland during the season to sure up the pen, and posted 33 saves with the Indians and Braves. Wickman must revert back to his 2005 form when he owned 45 saves in 64 games with the Tribe. With Kenny Ray gone, Wickman will be aided by newcomers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez, who were both acquired in the offseason. Gonzalez was acquired from the Pirates in the LaRoche deal and will have to stay healthy in order to be effective. He went 3-4 with a 2.17 earned run average in 54 games with the Bucos. Soriano came over from Seattle for pitcher Horacio Ramirez. Soriano missed some time last season after getting hit in the head by a line-drive off the bat of Angles slugger Vladimir Guerrero. Soriano missed a month because of a concussion, and went 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA over 53 appearances. Lance Cormier, Oscar Villarreal, Macay McBride, Tyler Yates, Tanyon Sturtze and Chad Paronto sure up one of the strongest bullpens in the National League East Division.
Atlanta Braves 2007 Preview - MLB - Atlanta Braves
ThePundit's prediction: 3rd in NL East. The backend of the rotation is shaky.

[Lefty Noob]

Their pitching situation is no shakier than NY's or Philly's. Trust me, they'll win the East.

[azrael492]

I don't see them winning the East. It is the Phillies to lose.

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by azrael492

I don't see them winning the East. It is the Phillies to lose.

Why is everyone so high on the Phillies this season? I just don't see it.

[azrael492]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Why is everyone so high on the Phillies this season? I just don't see it.

They have a very strong lineup. I like what thye did with their pitching. They revamped their starters, and Hamels should be better this year. They have an OK pen with a proven closer. What more could you ask for?

Now, the starters, have all had very bad years before. This could be a bad pick if they don't pan out. I just think they are going to play well. I think Garcia will have a great year coming to the NL.