Braves Team Report - March 3

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Spring training is only a week old and anything can happen, including weather. Not to mention that John Smoltz is livening up camp by honing his latest experimental pitches by throwing simulated innings to minor-leaguers on the back fields of the Braves’ spring training complex at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.

Nevertheless, it is not too soon to speculate who might be the Braves’ Opening Day starter.

Fortunately, for purposes of this guessing game, the Braves get two high-powered openers: inaugurating the Nationals’ new home park on Sunday night, March 30, then racing back to Atlanta to host the Pirates for the Braves’ home opener the following night.

There are three candidates for two honors: Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Tim Hudson. All three refer to the others as the aces of the staff. Glavine, alone of the three, says he no longer views himself as a No. 1 guy, which is one reason he said he wasn’t comfortable exercising the option he had with the Mets, who would have paid him as though he still were one.

It is not uncommon for Atlanta’s weather at the end of March to settle into the 30s, although it seems more realistic to expect that the weather in D.C. will be colder and windier.

One would think colder and windier would rule out Glavine, who suffered some circulation problems in his hands last season. So pencil Smoltz in for the Washington start.

And while Hudson may be the better pitcher than Glavine now, Glavine is the returning favorite son, which would lead one to believe manager Bobby Cox will send Glavine out for the home opener.

Notes, Quotes

• LHP Mike Hampton’s two-season rehab notwithstanding, manager Bobby Cox says, “We have high hopes for him” as one of the Braves’ five starters. In his first Cactus League outing Sunday, Hampton held a Houston split squad scoreless over two innings.

• RF Jeff Francoeur is doing exactly what manager Bobby Cox hopes he will do at the plate this season: hit to the gap in right-center.

• 3B Chipper Jones says the magic number for him is 150, as in the number of games he is counting on playing this season, after two years in which he had to deal with freak injuries. However, perhaps Sunday was a bad omen: He was scratched with a sore right hamstring, and he is expected to miss a few games.

• In early spring training games, manager Bobby Cox was batting CF Mark Kotsay sixth, behind RF Jeff Francoeur and ahead of whoever was playing left field, either Matt Diaz or, in a tryout, rookie Brandon Jones.

• RHP John Smoltz is working at his own pace on his own selection of pitches in simulated innings on the minor league fields at the Braves’ spring training complex at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.

• The Braves agreed to terms with 20 of their players with less than three years of major league service time, including SS Yunel Escobar, INF Martin Prado, OFs Josh Anderson, Gregor Blanco and Brandon Jones; RHPs Buddy Carlyle, Jair Jurrjens, Chris Resop, Charlie Morton and Phil Stockman; LHPs Jo-Jo Reyes, Jeff Ridgway and Chuck James; and C Clint Sammons.

By The Numbers: 21—Viable candidates for the 12 spots on the pitching staff.

Quote To Note: “Pitching, pitching, pitching. That’s what it’s all about.” —3B Chipper Jones.

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.