1. 2B Kelly Johnson
Kelly hit .276 last year. I know he can improve on that. In fact, he must or else we'll see Kotsay up top and Kelly moved to #8. He hit well against righties from the lead off position last year and it seems like Bobby is liking him at the top of the lineup based on where he's been batting so far this Spring. He's just solid. He'll give you 15-20 HRs and a good number of doubles. It seems like he would disappear at times last year and time would tell if one more year in "the show" is all he needed to get comfortable and start raking. A nice improvement would be to see Kelly strikeout fewer than 115 times.. especially if he's leading off.

2. SS Yunel Escobar
Alright, here we go. This is who I'm excited about. Yunel, who is Cuban, is the closest thing to the Braves having a brotha in the lineup so I'll be happy to see him do well. Escobar is very aggressive at the plate. He can afford to bring his aggressiveness back a bit hitting in front of Chipper.. especially knowing that he's going to see a ton of good pitches to hit. He doesn't fear anyone, but he rides the fine line between fearless and being overly anxious to attack the ball. He's the reason that Edgar Renteria was able to be traded for all that pitching. He can hit for average and is a doubles machine. It seems like he has a power streak in him also. If you don't contain this kid, you're in deep trouble for the rest of the lineup.

3. 3B Chipper Jones
Larry is back to serve up another MVP-like season. Plain and simple, Chipper is the current face of the franchise and with his consistency, you can't be mad at that. Everyone knows he's a switch-hitter and everyone is afraid of this guy (especially the Mets). He can truly do it all... power, average, RBI... Say no more. Health is the key for Chipper. Let's see if he can play more than 145 games this year.

4. 1B Mark Teixeira
Dangerous. When you have two switch-hitting power hitters back to back in the middle of the lineup, it creates the ultimate nightmare for any pitching staff. It's rare that you can find a slugger that is as patient as Teixeira. It seems like he's more comfortable hitting on a two strike count than early in the count because that's just scary. He works the pitcher into minimizing their selection of pitches so that he can feast on what he decides to sit on. There was no transition time from when he left the Rangers to when he joined the Bravos. He's a Yellow Jacket (woot woot) so he fit in great with the city from the jump. He hit over .400 with the Braves last year with runners in scoring position. He's in his last year of a contract and the Braves should be able to resign him with the moving on of Andruw Jones and the renewing of Francoeur's low-money deal (somewhere around $450,000K for the year). I don't see contract talks in the middle of the season distracting this guy. He's totally focused.

5. RF Jeff Francoeur
Frenchy is back (of course) but let's hope he's happy. He's saying all the right things, but deep down he knows he wanted a new lucrative contract before the season started. He's bulked up over the summer because he claims that he hit several balls that should have gone for dingers last year. Whatever floats his boat... The Braves need him to continue to show his improved discipline at the plate from last year. If Jeff can continue to cut down on his strikeouts and not try to pull every pitch, then he'll be a great asset to this lineup. From what I've seen so far this spring, he still likes to offer at the first pitch with Paul Bunyon hacks... but he's also being more cerebral at the plate and taking pitches to the opposite field. You can pretty much count Jeff to give the Braves 100+ RBI, but can he break .300 this year and give the Braves 25+ HRs? Time will tell. I think the answer lies in how he handles the frustration when he hits a cold streak. Luckily for the Braves, his defense will never suffer and he'll lead the NL in outfield assists again this year.

6. C Brian McCann
Behind Russell Martin, McCann is my favorite catcher in the NL. McCann is an All-Star caliber player offensively but he's still young defensively. He mentioned that he worked on his footwork (along with yoga and pilates) and his throw to second over the summer, so that's good. He does a great job dealing with veteran pitchers for sure.. and really, a catcher mainly has to be a good psychologist at times to be effective defensively. Anyway, back to McCann's offense... he represents a nice power stick from the left side of the plate. He started off hot last year but tailed off as fatigue got the best of him. He's spent his summer working on his stamina, so it's safe to assume that he's more ready for the grind of a full time catcher in the league. I predict .286, 22 HRs, and 97 RBI. Let's hope that a fountain-of-youth-finding Javy Lopez backing him up will both provide him motivation to play well (I know his job is safe) and give him a solid #2 to give him a break during the year every so often.

7. LF Matt Diaz
The ultimate professional hitter. Diaz' (who likes to have his name pronounced Die-Azz for some very odd reason) discipline at the plate and offensive production is the result of a dude that has probably mastered all the techniques taught in those AAU baseball tutorial videos that Fred McGriff endorses with that wack ass generic ball cap. I've never seen this guy nervous or off his square at the plate. It's really tough to find a weakness in this Braves lineup; and all the National League teams KNOW that just because this guy might hit seventh in lineup, that he's definitely not a chump at the plate. Watch out because you'll often find Diaz apart one of those crazy Braves offensive rallies that the recent Braves are known for (too bad the Braves bullpen of recent have always blown those leads).

8. CF Mark Kotsay
There's a very small chance that Bobby Cox will bring Kotsay to the top of the lineup. This is guy is gritty and brings a totally different vibe and personality to the table than Andruw (but a lot less talent). Kotsay is one of those "heart" players that are good for the dugout and the clubhouse, but are often so reckless in their play that they are always one play from being on the DL. He's coming over from Oakland with some back issues, so time will tell if Kotsay will be healthy enough to be one of the positive aspects of this Braves lineup. On the low, Braves fans are itching to see the young phenom Jordan Schafer take over in center.

Overall Grade: A-
There is a considerable lack of speed in this lineup. The Braves have never been a big base stealing team, but I think some wheels somewhere in the lineup would be nice and put this lineup over the top. The Braves makeup for the lack of speed with very consistent hitting, above average power, and great RBI guys. The one true weak spot that I foresee is Mark Kotsay and his potential for low production and health issues. Time will tell if Kelly Johnson can handle hitting at the top of the lineup. The Braves hope that he doesn't turn into another Marcus Giles.

-Craft

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