<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Inside Pitch Right-hander John Smoltz is nothing if not the definition of the crafty veteran. And he isn?€™t waiting for the regular season to start before the hocus pocus begins. Right now in spring training, Smoltz is devising his own preparations, which he is inclined to carry out on the minor league fields rather than Grapefruit League game situations. He wants to work on some things away from prying eyes, and he wants to work at his own pace, which is even less taxing than the typical spring schedule. And if that is going on now, one can imagine that during the upcoming season, Smoltz will do even more to marshal his resources than he did during the 2007 season. As he got deeper into the season and as injuries to the rotation made it clear Smoltz was the savior of the staff, he stopped throwing side session between games while icing, heating, stimulating and massaging his body to an unprecedented (for him) degree. Smoltz has been talking about working on a two-seam fastball, but one cannot help pondering what he may come up with now that he is back talking pitching on a daily basis with left-hander Tom Glavine. Glavine adapted a changeup to bring his pitching back to where it needed to be. Smoltz is a lot less stubborn than Glavine and has had to experiment more over the past few seasons to be able to continue to pitch with nagging injuries�"both as a reliever and a starter. Smoltz will probably refuse to talk about this at first, but if he adopts something radically different and it works, he will not be able to contain his cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. But we might have to wait for the end of this season to hear the particulars. Where, When: Champion Stadium at Disney?€™s Wide World of Sports, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. First exhibition game against a major league opponent is Feb. 28 against the Dodgers in Vero Beach, Fla. Top Candidate To Surprise: C Javy Lopez is back and he looks great, thanks to a dedicated offseason workout program with bench coach Chino Cadahia. Cadahia undertook that project as a favor to bullpen catcher Eddie Perez, Lopez?€™s former teammate, and only because Lopez is determined to concentrate on defense. Top Candidate To Disappoint: It can?€™t help but be LHP Mike Hampton, unless he wins 20 games. That is not reasonable to expect, coming off two years of injuries, surgeries and rehab. A strained right hamstring aborted his winter ball campaign, and while he is said (through pitching coach Roger McDowell) to be recovered from that, that still puts him behind. Authority Figures: Manager Bobby Cox (career record 2,176-1,681; Atlanta record 1,900-1,471) is entering his 27th season as a major league manager, his 19th consecutive season with the Braves. Cox also managed the Braves from 1978-81 and the Toronto Blue Jays from 1983-85. Since musing out loud last year about possibly retiring following this season, Cox has seemed to enjoy baseball even more, if that is possible. He has certainly been chipper leading up to spring training, with the exception of an autograph signing session in the rain and chill at a minor league ballpark. His entire staff returns this season: bench coach Chino Cadahila, pitching coach Roger McDowell, hitting coach Terry Pendleton, first base coach Glenn Hubbard, third base coach Brian Snitker and bullpen coach Eddie Perez. Notes, Quotes ?€? RHP Chris Resop said he started throwing this offseason a whole month earlier�"before Thanksgiving�"to build up his arm strength. ?€œI?€™ve got to win a job, so I don?€™t have time to get ready. I?€™ve got to be ready,?€? he said. Resop was claimed off waivers from the Angels in October after missing the last two months of the 2007 season following right elbow surgery. ?€? LHP Mike Hampton won?€™t rush things, no matter how thrilled he is about the way his arm feels. He made 12 starts in 2005 and hasn?€™t been healthy enough to pitch in the majors since. ?€? RHP Peter Moylan worked on a changeup in the offseason, and is eager to try it out against major league hitting in spring training. ?€? 1B Scott Thorman will get a look in the outfield during spring training; he is out of options. ?€? For once, the Braves did not have visa issues prevent anyone from reporting to camp on time. By The Numbers: 242�"Wins among LHP Tom Glavine?€™s 303 that he earned as a Brave. Quote To Note: ?€œHe?€™s a great hitter, a great center fielder, and he?€™s a great team leader. That?€™s one thing you can?€™t put a price on.?€?�"RHP Tim Hudson on CF Mark Kotsay. Roster Report Last spring the Braves seemed tense after failing to make the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons. Now they?€™ve missed the playoffs for the last two seasons, but they are anything but tense. The combination of pitching depth, the chance to have 1B Mark Teixeira for an entire season, and the lift injected by the return of LHP Tom Glavine has everybody loose. Arrivals: RHP Jair Jurrjens (trade with Tigers), RHP Chris Resop (waiver claim from Angels), OF Josh Anderson (trade with Astros), LHP Tom Glavine (free agent from Mets), LHP Will Ohman (trade with Cubs), INF Omar Infante (trade with Cubs), OF Mark Kotsay (trade with A?€™s.) Departures: SS Edgar Renteria (traded to Tigers), RHP Oscar Villarreal (traded to Astros), RHP Jose Ascanio (traded to Cubs), CF Andruw Jones (free agent, signed with Dodgers), OF Willie Harris (non-tendered free agent, signed with Nationals), RHP Chad Paronto (released, signed with Astros), LHP Ron Mahay (free agent, signed with Royals), RHP Joey Devine (traded to A?€™s), RHP Lance Cormier, (released, signed minor league deal with Orioles), RHP Octavio Dotel (free agent, signed with White Sox), INF Willy Aybar (traded to Rays), INF Pete Orr (free agent, signed minor league deal with Nationals), INF Julio Franco (free agent, unsigned), INF Chris Woodward (free agent, unsigned). Spring Focus: Manager Bobby Cox?€™s first order of business is playing mix and match in the outfield. Well, center and left fields; Jeff Francoeur was firmly established in right even before he earned his first Gold Glove. Cox expects Mark Kotsay to be healthy from the start, and Matt Diaz improved in left the more he played there last season, but Cox will be looking for the most effective backups for center and left. That could be the same person, or that spot could be filled by a versatile infielder. Projected Rotation: 1. RHP John Smoltz 2. RHP Tim Hudson 3. LHP Tom Glavine 4. LHP Mike Hampton 5. RHP Jeff Bennett or LHP Chuck James Only the first three are guaranteed jobs, in some order. The last two spots in the rotation are up for grabs. But manager Bobby Cox, general manager Frank Wren and pitching coach Roger McDowell are confident there are more than enough arms in the system to make a strong rotation. Projected Bullpen: RHP Rafael Soriano (closer) RHP Peter Moylan LHP Will Ohman RHP Tyler Yates RHP Manny Acosta RHP Chris Resop LHP Royce Ring Remember how giddy the Braves were about the bullpen last season when they started out with a trio of closers: Soriano, LHP Mike Gonzalez and RHP Bob Wickman? Well, that blew up in a hurry; Gonzalez was felled by elbow surgery and Wickman by blown saves. A year later, the Braves are happy to pin their closing hopes on Soriano, who proved his mettle last season. And they look forward to Gonzalez?€™s return from Tommy John surgery some time in June. Projected Lineup: 1. SS Yunel Escobar 2. CF Mark Kotsay 3. 3B Chipper Jones 4. 1B Mark Teixeira 5. RF Jeff Francoeur 6. C Brian McCann 7. LF Matt Diaz 8. 2B Kelly Johnson Manager Bobby Cox will be moving his outfielders and Johnson up and down in the batting order throughout the spring as he ponders where Kotsay fits best. But Jones and Teixeira will stay right where they are. Projected Reserves: OF Brandon Jones OF Josh Anderson INF Omar Infante INF Scott Thorman or INF Martin Prado C Javy Lopez or C Clint Sammons Cox and general manager Frank Wren have several ways to go as they construct the club, thanks to the versatility of several players. If C Javy Lopez wins the backup catcher?€™s job, his would be a nice bat to have on the bench. Top Rookies: Here, too, the Braves believe they have quality candidates not too far off, and certainly capable of filling in for a week or two when injuries strike. Brent Lillibridge, 24, is ready to play outfield, third base, shortstop and second base, and that versatility could well earn a spot for him on the Opening Day roster, depending on how well INF Scott Thorman and INF Martin Prado perform. In 87 games at Richmond, Lillibridge hit .287 with 10 homers and 41 RBIs while chalking up 28 stolen bases in 33 attempts. Jordan Schafer, 21, is the heir apparent in center field, and he could get some time with the club as early as this season if injuries strike. After posting a .294 batting average with 10 homers and a .354 on-base percentage at Class A Myrtle Beach, he hit .324 and drove in 16 runs in 26 games in the Arizona Fall League. Medical Watch: LHP Mike Gonzalez (Tommy John elbow surgery in May 2007) is not expected to be ready to pitch until after the All-Star break. RHP Anthony Lerew (Tommy John elbow surgery in July 2007) won?€™t be ready for the start of the 2008 season. INF Omar Infante (broken left hand) may miss a bit of action at the start of the season.</div> link Well, seems like Yahoo has a very different projected lineup than you, blackadder. I'm looking forward to see what Esco, Glavin, and Hampton could do...and am crossing my fingers in hope that the latter 2 stay healthy. Wow, this team is so different that I thought it would be at the end of last season...so many guys gone that I thought would still be here, and guys on the roster I never thought would be here. This season should be an interesting one, to say the least.
Healthy is the main key. First season is quite sometime without Jones. Hopefully we can make a great run.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs)</div><div class='quotemain'>Well, seems like Yahoo has a very different projected lineup than you, blackadder.</div> I'm betting that I'm right. I ca n focus specifically on the Braves while Yahoo is a bunch of Yahoos. McCann will have the #5 hole. He had it last yr and made the all star game. Francouer does fine in the 6th. Kelly J was the #2 man so I expect that to stay once the regular season gets under way. I am surprised they did not resign J Franco. I personally would trade Diaz and move Kelly J back to the OF.
