Wild Home Opener Ends In Pittsburgh's Favor

PITTSBURGH 12, ATLANTA 11, 12 INN.

Strange occurences, frantic rallies and lead changes ended in the Pirates' favor, as they pulled out a 12-11 win in 12 innings.

The game started out innocently enough. Tom Glavine pitched five innings and despite allowing seven hits and two runs, one unearned, he left with a 4-2 lead. Ian Snell pitched six innings and allowed seven hits and four runs. In the eighth, with the game tied 4-4, thanks to Yunel Escobar's errant throw that Teixeira couldn't dig out, Nady led off the inning with a solo homer that just cleared the right field wall and McLouth added on a three-run homer later. Both came off of Braves reliever Manny Acosta, who is not known for giving up home runs. The Pirates added another run in the ninth to make it 9-4.

Then came the bottom of the ninth.

Damaso Marte entered the game for the Pirates and couldn't throw a strike, walking Mark Kotsay to lead off the inning. Matt Diaz struck out, but pinch hitter Ruben Gotay walked as well. New Pirate manager John Russell, who caught for the Braves once upon a time in 1989, called on closer Matt Capps to finish the game. Normally, Capps has impeccable control, but he couldn't find the strike zone either. He walked Martin Prado to load the bases and then walked Yunel Escobar to force in a run to make it 9-5. Chipper Jones then laced a single to right and drove in two to make it 9-7. Mark Teixeira then flew out to center to make it two out. Brian McCann then hit a soft fly ball to left field and slammed his bat in disgust. The ball traveled out to left and Jason Bay and Nate McLouth started to jog in and then the ball plopped in right between them. Escobar scored and Chipper got around from first to score the tying run.

Both sides battled on and then Xavier Nady smashed a three-run homer in the 12th off of Blaine Boyer that ended up being what the Pirates needed. In the bottom of the frame, Francoeur hit a solo homer, off of Franquelis Osoria, to left field and Mark Kotsay followed that with a double. Matt Diaz scored him with a single up the middle. But pinch hitter Corky Miller flied out to center, though, and the Braves came up on the losing end of the duel.

Kelly Johnson had to leave the game in the fourth inning with a strained knee. He'll be listed as day to day.

More news: It was announced during the game that the Braves signed Scott Spiezio to a minor league contract in hopes that he is over his addiction problems and he'll be able to shore up the bench with his versatility and decent power.

W - Franquelis Osoria (1-0)
L - Blaine Boyer (0-1)
HR - PIT - Xavier Nady 2 (2)
Nate McLouth (1)
ATL - Brian McCann (1)
Jeff Francoeur (1)

THREE STARS
Gold - RF Xavier Nady, PIT - 4-7, 2B, 2 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI
Silver - CF Nate McLouth, PIT - 3-5, HR, BB, 2 R, 4 RBI
Bronze - SS Yunel Escobar, ATL - 3-4, 3B, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 RBI

After Pitching Battle, Zimmerman Walks Off For Nats

WASHINGTON 3, ATLANTA 2

Ryan Zimmerman hit a 1-0 pitch to center field off of Braves reliever Peter Moylan in the bottom of the ninth to win the Nationals' first game at Nationals Park 3-2. The game was a pitching duel from the start.

Washington struck first in the opening inning when Cristian Guzman singled. Tim Hudson's throwing error allowed him to go to third. With two out, Nick Johnson doubled Guzman home and Austin Kearns singled him home. Braves starter Tim Hudson held Washington hitless for the next six innings. Nationals starter Odalis Perez allowed just four hits in five innings and Saul Rivera supported him with two scoreless frames.

Chipper Jones hit a solo home run to make the score 2-1, but the Braves didn't score again for a while. Ray King walked Brayan Pena, but he and Luis Ayala kept pinch runner Gregor Blanco at first.

In the ninth, Jones led off the inning with a liner, but reliever Jon Rauch, who came in to close, snared it with a flick of his wrist. Mark Teixeira then launched a ball to right field, missing a home run by inches. He ran to second with a double. After Martin Prado pinch ran for him, Jeff Francoeur grounded to second and that allowed Prado to move to third. With Brian McCann batting, Paul LoDuca couldn't corral a slider and Prado scampered home with the tying run. McCann then flied out to left field.

In the ninth, Peter Moylan continued his work from the eighth. He got Guzman to strike out looking and Ronnie Belliard to ground out to Chipper at third. That made it 24 straight Nationals set down since the first inning. Then Zimmerman used his bat to say "Good night, folks" and sent the home crowd happy.

The Braves will fly back to Atlanta to face Pittsburgh for their home opener.

W - Jon Rauch (1-0)
L - Peter Moylan (0-1)
HR - ATL - Chipper Jones (1)
WAS - Ryan Zimmerman (WO, 1)

THREE STARS
Gold - 3B Ryan Zimmerman, WAS - 1-4, WO HR, R, RBI
Silver - P Tim Hudson, ATL - 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
Bronze - P Odalis Perez, WAS - 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

The Braves' Roster Before The REAL Opening Day!

( ) - denotes players on 15-day DL
(( )) - 60-day DL

Starting Lineup

C - Brian McCann
1B - Mark Teixeira
2B - Kelly Johnson
3B - Chipper Jones
SS - Yunel Escobar
LF - Matt Diaz
CF - Mark Kotsay
RF - Jeff Francoeur

Bench

C - Corky Miller
C/CI/LF - Brayan Pena
IF - Ruben Gotay
IF - Martin Prado
OF - Gregor Blanco
(IF - Omar Infante)

Rotation

(SP - John Smoltz)
SP - Tim Hudson
SP - Tom Glavine
SP - Jair Jurrjens
SP - Mike Hampton
SP - Jeff Bennett
(SP - Chuck James)

Bullpen

CL - Rafael Soriano
RP - Peter Moylan
RP - Will Ohman
RP - Manny Acosta
RP - Royce Ring
RP - Chris Resop
RP - Blaine Boyer
(RP - Mike Gonzalez)
((RP - Anthony Lerew))

Looks good to me except for the bench. That is one thin bench; it's just a bunch of singles hitters. Maybe there will be another move today. I certainly hope so.

Yeah, The Motivation Hasn't Been There

I think the blame lays on Super Smash Bros. Brawl. ;)

But, don't worry. I'll be here for every regular season game that I can. I'm going to do the Braves Stars thing again this season because I had a lot of fun doing it last season. For each game, three players will be given a Gold Star, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star. The tally will be kept the entire season. At the end of the year, we'll see who has a lot of the best performances. At least, in my perspective. ;)

Braves Claw Back, But Astros End On Top

The Braves scored five runs in the eighth inning to tie the game against the Houston Astros 7-7, but the Astros scored a run off of Buddy Carlyle in the bottom of the frame and held off Atlanta for an 8-7 win.

W - Wesley Wright (1-0)
L - Buddy Carlyle (1-1)
S - Doug Brocail (1)
HR - Miguel Tejada (1)
Hunter Pence (3)

Three Stars
RF Hunter Pence - 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
SS Miguel Tejada - 4-4, HR, R, 2 RBI
P Shawn Chacon - 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

Hampton Very Solid, But Cards Beat Braves

Mike Hampton pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed just one run, walking three and striking out three. Anthony Reyes, though, pitched four shutout innings and the Cardinals got more runs first, beating Atlanta 4-2. Rick Ankiel drove in two runs with a double.

W - Russ Springer (1-0)
L - Blaine Boyer (1-2)
S - Kyle McClellan (1)

Three Stars
P Anthony Reyes - 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
P Mike Hampton - 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
RF-CF Rick Ankiel - 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI

The Rest Of The Bench; Glavine In Command, Frenchy Hurt But OK

I've decided to consolidate the rest of the potential benchies into this one post. I'll take pitchers two at a time in a post in order to finish the previews before the season starts.

#26 OF/1B Joe Borchard

Borchard is attempting to force the Braves' hand. He leads the team with seven doubles this spring. It's quite possible that he could usurp Scott Thorman's job on the bench.

#4 OF/IF Omar Infante

Infante is out for the spring while his hand, which was broken in winter league action, heals. He'll have a backup infielder and emergency outfielder spot ready for him when he returns.

#26 OF Brandon Jones

Jones just about played himself out of a platoon spot this spring, batting below the Mendoza Line and looking clumsy on the field. However, he does have eight walks this spring, which is second on the team (Gregor Blanco has nine.). So, all is not bad news for Jones.

#68 IF/CF Brent Lillibridge

Surely, he'll get a new number if he makes the big club. So far, Lillibridge leads the team in strikeouts at the plate, but he can still prove to be a capable backup infielder if handed the job. He'll likely spend most of the season at Richmond unless Yunel Escobar hits a wall.

#8 C Javy Lopez

Lopez, who hasn't played baseball professionally since 2006, is most likely going to be the backup catcher because he's the resident veteran. It's not such a bad idea; Lopez has displayed this spring that he can get ahold of a pitch or two. He has also been working on his defense a whole lot this past off-season and spring.

However, it ultimately doesn't matter who gets the backup catcher job. Clint Sammons, Corky Miller and Javy Lopez would probably have the same level of production. :)

#1 IF Martin Prado

Brought up in trade rumors because there seems to be no place for him, Prado made a splash in the International League last year when he was in the race for the batting title. Unfortunately, that kind of "success" hasn't translated to the major league level. Prado is a serviceable backup, but that's all he'll probably ever be.

#20 1B/LF Scott Thorman

Rumored to be on the move after Borchard's showing this spring, Thorman is the kind of guy who blasts the ball a long way when he connects, but he REALLY misses all the other times. I must say, one of my favorite home runs that I've ever seen was his first-pitch SMASH off of Francisco Cordero to tie a ballgame against the Brewers. I just laughed and laughed at it because I didn't expect it to happen. We'll see what happens with him.

In today's game, Tom Glavine allowed two runs in five innings and that's all the Braves allowed, winning 3-2. Chipper Jones (solo homer) and Yunel Escobar's two-run homer provided all the offense for the Braves.

There was a scary moment in the second inning as Jeff Francoeur was hit in the face by a pitch. Fortunately, X-rays were negative and there was no damage to his teeth or jaw. He should be back in action soon.

W - Tom Glavine (1-0)
L - Todd Wellemeyer (0-1)
S - Royce Ring (1)

Three Stars
P Tom Glavine - 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
SS Yunel Escobar - 1-3, HR, R, 2 RBI
3B Chipper Jones - 1-3, HR, R, RBI

Braves Drop Both Sides of Split Squad

The Braves lost both sides of a split squad game, losing to the Houston Astros 15-6 and the Tampa Bay Rays 11-10.

John Smoltz made his spring training debut after a much ballyhooed session where he worked on refining pitches on the side. He was great for four innings, but the Rays touched Smoltz for five in the fifth, including a two-run shot by Carlos Pena. Roy Oswalt had a great outing, allowing no hits. Corky Miller hit a grand slam in his time against the Astros.

W - Calvin Medlock (1-0)
L - Blaine Boyer (1-1)
HR - TB - Carlos Pena (2)
ATL - Corky Miller (GS, 1)

Three Stars
P Jason Hammel - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
2B Martin Prado - 2-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI
PH-C Corky Miller - 1-2, GS HR, R, RBI

W - Roy Oswalt (1-0)
L - Jair Jurrjens (2-1)
HR - Lance Berkman (3)

Three Stars
P Roy Oswalt - 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO
SS Edwin Maysonet - 2-5, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI
CF Jose Cruz, Jr. - 1-2, 3 BB, 3 R, RBI

Escobar Slams, Thorman Blasts, Braves Win 9-1.

Yunel Escobar hit a grand slam and Scott Thorman hit a three-run homer as the Braves won 9-1 over the Philadelphia Phillies. Escobar's slam came with two out in the second and Thorman hit his home run in the third. The Braves pitchers combined to hold the Philies to one run.

W - Royce Ring (1-1)
L - Victor Rosario (0-1)
HR - ATL - Yunel Escobar (GS, 1)
Scott Thorman (2)
PHI - Greg Dobbs (1)

Three Stars
SS Yunel Escobar - 1-2, GS HR, R, 4 RBI
1B Scott Thorman - 1-3, HR, R, 3 RBI
P Dan Smith - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

#60

OF Gregor Blanco

It's unlikely that Blanco is going to make the team at this point, so I guess I'll just make mention of the fact that he's with the team in spring. He's a singles hitter with good speed and a good defensive reputation. Some may have preferred putting him or Anderson in center over Kotsay, but that's life.

#22

OF Josh Anderson

Acquired from the Astros for Oscar Villarreal in November of last year, Anderson was originally slated to take over in center field after Andruw Jones left in free agency to the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, with Mark Kotsay imported from the A's, Anderson is probably slated for a backup outfielder spot. There is some schools of thought that say Anderson is going to platoon with Matt Diaz, but that is very unlikely.

All through his career, people have raved about Anderson's speed. He'll bring that with some outfield reputation. However, he won't have much power, no matter how much he plays.

Note: Anderson's ratings will be based on his entire 2007 season for some things, so they could be sweked.

AVERAGE - 6 - Anderson has decent batting skills; his .358 BA in 75 plate appearances outshone his .273 BA in 564 PAs at Round Rock by a wide margin.

POWER - 3 - Let's face it; Anderson has doubles power and not much homer power. He hit 20 doubles total last year (three in Houston), but only had three homers at Round Rock.

BASERUNNING - 7 - Anderson swiped 40 bases at Round Rock and was only thrown out eight times. It's possible for his raw speed displayed here to translate well to the majors if he has some baserunning skills.

THROWING - 6 - Anderson had 8 assists in his Pacific Coast League season. It is unknown how well he'll be in the majors.

FIELDING - 4 - Anderson made nine errors in the minors, unfortunately. That doesn't bode too well.

TOTAL - 26 (C) - Anderson seems to be a bench player through and through, but he can still be very serviceable. Hopefully, that's what he provides with Atlanta.

BP: .266/.310/.332, 0 HR, 16 RBI
BJH: NONE
RW: .266/.304/.323, 1 HR, 25 RBI
SN: NONE

Obviously, Anderson isn't looked upon favorably by anyone.

Sam: .275/.320/.348, 1 HR, 18 RBI

Braves Tie Tigers; Lillibridge Drives In Three

In spring training action on Thursday, Atlanta tied with Detroit 6-6. Brent Lillibridge, playing short, drove in three runs. Joe Borchard had two extra base hits for Atlanta. Gary Sheffield hit a two-run home run for Detroit, Magglio Ordonez had three hits and Placido Polanco had two RBIs and two runs.

Three Stars
DH Gary Sheffield - 1-2, HR, 2 BB, R, 2 RBI
2B Placido Polanco - 2-2, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI
LF Joe Borchard - 2-3, 2B, 3B, 2 R, RBI

Braves Ride Nine-Run Fourth To Victory, Beat Indians

Atlanta put a nine-spot on the board in the fourth to re-take the lead and they eventually defeated Cleveland 11-4. Four homers were hit in the game; three were solo homers for Cleveland. Mark Teixeira had three hits and Brian McCann hit his first homer of the spring. Blaine Boyer had two innnings of shutout relief with three strikeouts, making his case for a bullpen spot.

W - Blaine Boyer (1-0)
L - Aaron Fultz (0-1)
HR - CLE - Asdrubal Cabrera (1)
Brad Mills (2)
Grady Sizemore (3)
ATL - Brian McCann (1)

Three Stars
C Brian McCann - 2-3, 2B, HR, R, RBI
1B Mark Teixeira - 3-3, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI
P Blaine Boyer - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO; 1-1, R, RBI
1B Mark Teixeira -

Hanrahan Steals The Show For A While; Game Ends In Tie

Washington's Joel Hanrahan struck out eight of the nine Braves that he faced to preserve the Nationals' lead.

However, the game ended in a 2-2 tie. The Braves were down nearly the entire game with Washington getting an unearned run off of Tom Glavine and another run off of Zach Schreiber. However, in the bottom of the ninth, Luis Ayala was touched for two runs, and that's how the game ended. Joe Borchard drove in two runs. Tom Glavine allowed just two hits in four innings, walking and striking out two. He allowed one run.

Three Stars
P Joel Hanrahan - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO
LF Joe Borchard - 1-4, GT single, 2 RBI
P Tom Glavine - 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

#7

RF Jeff Francoeur

Well, I was right about Frenchy having an improved season. At first, I didn't particularly care for his improvement last season. I thought he didn't do enough to improve the way I originally wanted. However, I then realized that the fact that he improved is still a good thing. His average rose and his plate discipline improved. Francoeur got his Gold Glove because of his arm, but his arm is already one of the best in the game, so I'll let it slide.

The best part is that Jeff is 24 years old and he's getting better. Here's to him putting everything he has learned all together for 2008.

AVERAGE - 7.5 - Francoeur improved his average by focusing less on power and more on contact (.337 BABIP, a 53 point increase from 2006).

POWER - 8 - Playing a full season with his improved batting, he had 40 homers and 19 home runs. At 23 years of age, that is pretty impressive.

BASERUNNING - 3.5 - Although Francouer doesn't steal many bases at all, he is a little agressive in trying to take bases. He was 10-28 in going from first to third, 12-20 from second to home and 2-5 from first to home. However, he was out advancing once and doubled off twice.

THROWING - 10 - He has one of the best arms in the majors already. Enough said.

FIELDING - 8 - Francouer gets to a lot of balls, and whatever errors he occurs, it is usually due to being unable to field a ball cleanly. Fortunately, he doesn't do that too often.

TOTAL - 37 (B+) - Just think, if Francoeur was able to run the bases better, he would rate just as well as Chipper or Teixeira. ;)

BP: .283/.330/.473, 22 HR, 86 RBI, 8 SB
BJH: .288/.333/.475, 22 HR, 98 RBI, 5 SB
RW: .297/.335/.486, 25 HR, 107 RBI, 4 SB
SN: .279/.314/.451, 22 HR, 100 RBI, 4 SB

Sam: .285/.336/.479, 27 HR, 105 RBI, 7 SB

Jair Jurrjens Sharp; Braves Beat Cardinals Again

Jair Jurrjens, the Braves' potential fourth or fifth starter, pitched very well yesterday. He gave up just two hits in four innings of work as the Braves won 3-1. Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals' starter, gave up two runs in five innings and took the loss. Ryan Drese had two innings of shutout relief. Jordan Schafer went 1-2 with a double and Javy Lopez hit a solo homer, his second of the spring.

On a side note, why do people insist on misspelling Jair's name "Jurrgens"?

W - Jair Jurrjens (2-0)
L - Adam Wainwright (0-1)
S - Jorge Campillo (1)
HR - Javy Lopez (2)

Three Stars
P Jair Jurrjens - 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
LF Jordan Schafer - 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, R
C Javy Lopez - 1-1, HR, BB, R, RBI

Braves Pound Cardinals

The Braves simply beat the Cardinals down 12-5. Tim Hudson had an all right start; he allowed just three hits and two walks and allowed two unearned runs. Matt Diaz had three hits, including a double, while Scott Thorman hit a three-run homer. Josh Anderson drove in three runs with two hits, including a double. Chris Resop had two innings of shutout relief.

W - Tim Hudson (2-0)
L - Clayton Mortensen (0-1)
HR - Scott Thorman (1)

Three Stars
RF Gregor Blanco - 2-2, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB, RBI
1B Scott Thorman - 1-4, HR, BB, R, 4 RBI
CF Josh Anderson - 2-5, 2B, 3 RBI

#11

CF Mark Kotsay

Kotsay has been a sore spot among most Braves fans that I know. It has been said that Kotsay is not needed; that Gregor Blanco or Josh Anderson could do just as well. It has been said that Joey Devine and Jamie Richmond has been too high a price for Kotsay. It has been said that Kotsay will just get hurt again because back problems are something that linger.

Well, it's all moot right now. Kotsay is here to stay for 2007. At his best, Kotsay is able to make contact and hit for average and the occassional double and home run.

Although he may have lost a step thanks to the back injry, Kotsay is stull fine definsively. He won't be Andruw Jones, but he'll do. If Jordan Schafer gets the experience he needs to thrive, then all should be well.

AVERAGE - 6 - I'm going to use a mix of 2005 and 2006 for these rankings. Kotsay makes good contact and when healthy, he has put up BABIP in the .300s for most of his career. Even in his subpar 2006, he still had a .294 BABIP. My conclusion from that is that he can be serviceable.

POWER - 5 - Kotsay hit 35 doubles and 15 homers in his last healthiest season in 2005. I think we can expect some more of the same if he can stay on the field.

BASERUNNING - 3.5 - In 2006, Kotsay didn't move from first to third very often (6-24), but he did go from second to home half the time (12-24) and from first to home two out of five times. He was out advancing four times. Even running for stolen bases doesn't do much for him (6 out of 9 in 2006).

THROWING - 7 - Kotsay has had a great reputation for his throwing arm. However, he hasn't had too many assists to show for it recently, due to injuries.

FIELDING - 7 - Despite all of the injuries, there's no reason to believe that Kotsay's fielding has slipped too much.

TOTAL - 28.5 (C+) - Kotsay isn't the complete package, like McCann, but if he can do what he is capable of, he is what the Braves need.

BP: .258/.326/.358, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 3 SB
BJH: .275/.339/.396, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 4 SB
RW: .259/.317/.376, 6 HR, 43 RBI, 3 SB
SN: NONE

Sam: .269/.340/.401, 12 HR, 48 RBI, 4 SB

Braves Drop Both Split Squad Games

Atlanta played in two different places and they lost in two different places. The Reds defeated them 13-8 and the Astros won 7-4.

W - Mike Lincoln (1-0)
L - Jeff Bennett (0-1)
HR - ATL - Diory Hernandez (1)
CIN - Brandon Phillips (2)

Three Stars
2B Brandon Phillips - 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI
1B Scott Hatteberg - 3-3, 2B, 2 R
3B Diory Hernandez - 1-3, HR, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI

W - Wandy Rodriguez (1-0)
L - Royce Ring (0-1)
S - Brian Moehler (1)
HR - Brandon Hicks (1)

Three Stars
RF Hunter Pence - 2-4, 3B, BB, 3 RBI
P Wandy Rodriguez - 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
P Blaine Boyer - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

#23

LF Matt Diaz

He may be jsut a platoon outfielder, but he's OUR platoon outfielder. Diaz played about the same amount as he did in 2006, but he had to endure having Willie Harris as a platoon partner, so Diaz stayed on the bench while Harris put up a .190/.288/.335 for the rest of the year after he had six hits in one game. Diaz did make the most out of his bench role by being a pinch-hitter, which he was all right with. Diaz batted .338/.368/.497 last season in his roles and he also had 14 pinch-hits in 51 plate appearances.

There is no gaurantee that Diaz is going to get a full-time starting role. There are three players who are battling for a left-handed platoon spot: Brandon Jones, Josh Anderson and Joe Borchard. Yes, Joe Borchard. That doesn't seem like a good idea, as he has never established himself as any kind of talent in the majors. I'd rather have Anderson or Jones be the ones to "take away at bats" from Diaz. At least they have some upside.

Wait, why haven't I been talking about Diaz? Well, the fact is that Diaz is going to do what he does; hit a lot of singles and some doubles and homers with his free-swinging ways and that back bend of his.

AVERAGE - 10 - Diaz can simply rake the ball, even if it's just for a lot of singles. He'll succeed with his batting in any role that he's put in.

POWER - 7.5 - In his part-time role, Diaz hits a lot of line drives with his powerful swing, and a few of them add up to his doubles and homers.

BASERUNNING - 4.5 - Diaz stole four bases without being caught once, so he can run when the opportunity calls for it. He rarely moved from first to third (4-20), but he did go from second to home a lot (11-18). He was thrown out advancing twice.

FIELDING - 7.5 - Diaz may run around like a chicken with its head cut off out there, but he rarely makes a mistake out in the field. I don't put too much emphasis on routes to the ball. All that matters to me is that a fly ball is caught in the outfield.

THROWING - 5 - Diaz doesn't have too much of an arm, but it's not terrible. That's all I can really say.

TOTAL - 34.5 (B) - Diaz isn't the best left fielder in the league, but he is certainly the best one the Braves have had since Chipper went back to third. And all it took to get him was Ricardo Rodriguez.

BP: .296/.338/.465, 11 HR, 55 RBI, 5 SB
BJH: .330/.364/.505, 13 HR, 57 RBI, 5 SB
RW: .313/.341/.477, 11 HR, 41 RBI, 4 SB
SN: .295/.325/.459, 14 HR, 62 RBI, 5 SB

Sam: .309/.340/.479, 12 HR, 59 RBI, 5 SB