Atlanta Braves 2003 Finish: 101-61, 1st NL East	Select Team Angels Astros Athletics Blue Jays Braves Brewers Cardinals Cubs Devil Rays Diamondbacks Dodgers Expos Giants Indians Mariners Marlins Mets Orioles Padres Phillies Pirates Rangers Red Sox Reds Rockies Royals Tigers Twins White Sox Yankees

Chipper Jones Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Batting Order
SS	Rafael Furcal Had 16 homers before '03, 15 last season.
2B	Marcus Giles He and Brian may be majors' best brother duo.
LF	Chipper Jones Average dropped by 22 points in '03, but he still produced.
CF	Andruw Jones Boy, did Tom Glavine miss him in New York.
RF	J.D. Drew Now's the time to prove he was worth the hype.
1B	Julio Franco Which Franco will retire first, John or Julio?
C	Johnny Estrada That Millwood trade may work out after all.
3B	Mark DeRosa Ivy Leaguer (Penn) gets chance to start.
Rotation
RHP	Russ Ortiz Has issued 524 walks over last five years.
LHP	Mike Hampton A good hitter, he homered twice in '03 but hit just .183.
RHP	John Thomson Career highs in wins, losses, IP, strikeouts in '03.
LHP	Horacio Ramirez Led NL rookies with .750 winning percentage.
RHP	Bubba Nelson Braves may give him a chance despite inexperience.
Bullpen
RHP	John Smoltz Winning Series ring as closer could lift him to Hall of Fame.
RHP	Jaret Wright Will he reinvent himself as power bullpen arm?
LHP	Armando Almanza Strikeout pitcher limited by shoulder trouble in '03.
RHP	Kevin Gryboski 1.98 ERA after the All-Star break.
RHP	Will Cunnane 50 K over last 46.1 ML innings.
RHP	Antonio Alfonseca Former closer had career-worst season in '03.
Prospects
3B	Andy Marte Braves' 3B of the future is only 20 and has power potential.
OF	Jeff Francoeur Gifted athlete with speed and power.
RHP	Bubba Nelson Thrived as a starter at Class AA and as a reliever at AAA.

The Braves took a body blow to their core during the offseason, letting Greg Maddux, Javy Lopez and Gary Sheffield leave as free agents. They patched the holes, but their star power and firepower are lacking. Still, these are the Braves, and through all of their changes, they have reeled off 12 consecutive division titles. Don't count them out.

Starting pitching has been the cornerstone of the Braves' success, and for the first time since 1993, there will be no Greg Maddux. But Russ Ortiz blossomed under pitching coach Leo Mazzone, winning 21 games in his first season in Atlanta. His ERA has increased each of the past three seasons -- from 3.29 in 2001 to 3.81 in '03 -- but he has more wins (62) since the 2000 All-Star break than any other National League pitcher. Lefty Mike Hampton reestablished himself as a strong starter after two horrific seasons in Colorado. He went 11-3 with a 3.26 ERA over his final 17 starts last season. Rookie Horacio Ramirez, a 12-game winner, was a nice surprise, and free agent John Thomson will have his first real chance to pitch for a winner after a solid season for the Rangers. The fifth spot is up for grabs, with rookie Bubba Nelson a possibility.

John Smoltz may never admit to loving the bullpen, but over two-plus seasons, he has proven to be one of the nastiest closers in baseball. Smoltz joined the Dodgers' Eric Gagne as the first two relievers in history to post 100 saves over a two-year period. But getting to Smoltz could be a problem. The Braves have lost a host of setup men the past two offseasons, and the remaining relievers are mostly shaky. Kevin Gryboski has had two good years in a row, and the Braves hope they can harness the life in Jaret Wright's arm. Lefty Armando Almanza and righty Antonio Alfonseca were plucked off the scrap heap but are only a year or two removed from success. Alfonseca, who spent the past two seasons with the Cubs, saved 45 games (in 49 chances) for the Marlins in 2000. Almanza struggled in Florida last season but did strike out 49 batters in 50.1 innings.

Rafael Furcal made a career-high 31 errors, the most among major league shortstops. But he had a terrific offensive season, with 60 extra-base hits and a .292 average. He was caught stealing just twice in 27 attempts. His double-play partner, Marcus Giles, has become one of the majors' best-hitting second basemen, and was recognized as such with an All-Star nod by the fans last season. Giles could not make the start because of the concussion he suffered when he collided with the Cubs' Mark Prior on the bases. But Giles shook off the injury and batted .349 through the end of the season.

In Mark DeRosa's first five seasons, he shuffled back and forth between the majors and minors. He arrived to stay last season, playing six positions. This season, the Braves may install him at third base, after letting Vinny Castilla sign with Colorado. He is a .273 career hitter but has just 24 home runs in 2,044 at bats. Across the infield, the Braves can use sweet-swinging rookie Adam LaRoche, a left-handed hitter and the son of former major league pitcher Dave LaRoche, or the ageless Julio Franco, who started his pro career the year before LaRoche was born. Franco, who has batted .290 since resurrecting his career with Atlanta in 2001, accepted a minor league deal in January with the understanding that barring any unforeseen events, he'll be on the Braves' Opening Day roster.

As long as the Braves have Chipper and Andruw Jones in the outfield, they probably will be legitimate contenders. There may be no more consistent player in baseball than Chipper Jones. His power has slipped the past two years, but he consistently walks more than he strikes out and is a virtual lock to hit .300, score 100 runs and drive in 100, too. Andruw Jones is the best center fielder in baseball. His ability to run down almost anything is one reason the Braves' pitchers always do so well. At the plate, he has cut down on his strikeouts, but he almost never steals bases anymore, has never topped 36 homers and has hit over .280 just once. Still, he is a dangerous and productive hitter, and has realized far more of his potential than J.D. Drew, the Braves' new right fielder. Drew gets a fresh start in Atlanta, hoping to stay healthy and prove he can be the special player he was billed to be when first drafted out of Florida State.

Lopez was a mainstay of the Braves' championship era, but he had such a good season, the Braves chose to let Baltimore reward him on the free agent market rather than pay up themselves. Atlanta will go with Johnny Estrada, the switch-hitter acquired from the Phillies for Kevin Millwood after the 2002 season. Estrada put up strong numbers at Class AAA and played well in brief stints with the Braves last season.

Catcher Eddie Perez returns to the team he once starred for in the postseason, and outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. moves on again, looking to harness the potential he flashed a few years ago. The versatile Eli Marrero, who came over in the Drew trade, can catch, play first or in the outfield. And Franco, assuming he makes the team, will get his share of at-bats.

Longtime Braves president Stan Kasten quit after last season, and with Time Warner mandating a tighter ship, general manager John Schuerholz has felt increasing pressure to cut costs. The Braves could not afford to risk having to pay their stars salary arbitration, as they did for Maddux last year, so they got nothing for Maddux, Lopez or Sheffield. But Schuerholz's track record is impeccable, and he enters his 14th season in Atlanta as the longest-tenured GM in baseball. Bobby Cox is ninth on the all-time list in victories as a manager and may wind up in Cooperstown.

There seemed to be no way the Braves could adequately replace the players they lost, and it is doubtful they have. Estrada is no Lopez, Thomson is no Maddux and Drew is no Sheffield. But they should be at least capable replacements, and the Braves' front office has shown the ability to make bold and surprising moves when it needs to. Expect the Braves to at least stay in contention and improve as the year goes on.

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