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Chipper Jones Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Beyond the Box Score Blown Cy? One has to wonder if the Braves bullpen cost John Smoltz a Cy Young last year. He finished with 16 wins but had six late leads blown. Arizona's Brandon Webb won the Cy Young with 16 wins and a 3.10 ERA. Webb pitched 235 innings and struck out 178 while Smoltz threw 232 innings and struck out 211. You have to think that if the Braves would have closed out four of the six leads they had with Smoltz and he had finished with 20 wins, he would have won his second Cy Young. Young arms The Braves made a total of 54 picks in the amateur draft last season, putting a huge emphasis on pitching. They took 37 pitchers and only 17 position players. Of their picks, 26 came from junior college, 21 from high school and six from a four-year college. Voices of the Braves The Braves have scrambled around their announcing teams. Joe Simpson will team with newcomer Jon Sciambi as the broadcast team on FSN South and SportSouth while Chip Caray will head the TBS broadcast team. Veterans Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren will handle most of the games on radio. No Big Mac Speaking of Simpson, the former major league player was asked by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution if he thought Mark McGwire should be in the Hall of Fame. Said Simpson: "If I could vote for him, I would not. Because he had an opportunity to do the right thing before Congress and do the right thing for kids who might follow his lead, and instead he sat on the bench and was a wimp." Wish granted This past offseason, Tim Hudson and his wife Kim took a bunch of kids into a Toys 'R' Us for a shopping spree. The event involved some 75 children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Said Hudson: "To see the smiles on their faces and their parents -- it's good to see the kids interacting and having fun and seeing them run around here and picking up stuff."

These are not the Braves of old. They are a club whose corporate ownership is still in transition, whose payroll is no longer among the highest in the league and whose rotation is no longer dependable. Still, with two of the best young players in baseball in Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann and a fresh look in the bullpen, they can be rather dangerous. "We may not be the team everyone is picking to win it anymore," says veteran third baseman Chipper Jones, whose team last year missed the postseason for the first time since 1990. "That's OK. But understand this is not some type of rebuilding project. We feel we can be there come September."

Rotation

Except for John Smoltz and the surprising Chuck James, the rotation in 2006 was perhaps the most disappointing the Braves have had since they began the now-broken 14-straight division title run in 1991. The main snag was Tim Hudson, who just can't seem to find the velocity that made him so difficult to hit when he was in Oakland. He's back and working hard with pitching coach Roger McDowell, but there is a major concern about his velocity. Smoltz will turn 40 in May but continues to be a warrior; there is no reason to think that he can't turn in another 34 starts, which he has averaged the last two years since moving from the bullpen. James proved last season (winning seven of his final eight decisions) that he has a chance to be one of the league's best lefties. That leaves the two final spots. One will likely go to Mike Hampton, who hasn't pitched since early 2005 and underwent Tommy John elbow surgery. Reports say his arm is strong. The fifth starter should be the young Kyle Davies, who at times has looked great and at others like a minor leaguer There's not a lot of depth here as most of the talented starting arms are more than a year away from the majors.

Bullpen

Since Smoltz moved back to the starting rotation, the Braves have had trouble at the back end of the bullpen. No more. Bob Wickman was brought in last summer and closed 17 of his 18 opportunities, and then the Braves traded for Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano. Gonzalez will get a chance to close if Wickman falters. Also, young relievers Tyler Yates and Macay McBride can handle the duties in the middle while the Braves wait for 2005 first-round draft pick Joey Devine to blossom. Depending on how many pitchers the team keeps, expect a real battle for the final two or three jobs here.

Middle Infield

The Braves didn't miss Rafael Furcal last year. Edgar Renteria came in and did more than enough both at the plate and in the field. Marcus Giles is gone, with the Braves not wanting to pay him more than $5 million in arbitration. Giles didn't give the Braves the numbers they needed at the leadoff spot, and now they will turn to the young Martin Prado at second and in the leadoff role. Prado is a career .299 hitter in the minors, but he has only 12 home runs and 191 RBIs in 1,915 at bats. Another possibility is moving Kelly Johnson in from the outfield and sticking with what scouts call a very natural hitter at the top of the order. Willy Aybar had a strong winter in the Dominican Republic hitting .300 and showing patience at the plate, just what the Braves need in the leadoff spot.

Corners

The good news is that third baseman Chipper Jones finished last season healthy. But how much does Chipper have left? This team continues to live and die with his bat, and despite playing in only 110 games last season, he hit .324 with 26 homers and 86 RBIs. He has gone through a very regimented offseason workout program. The Braves traded Adam LaRoche in late January for Gonzalez, leaving a hole at first base. Scott Thorman, who hit .298 with 15 home runs in 309 at-bats at Richmond last year, will have an opportunity to win the job, though free agent acquisition Craig Wilson figures to get some at-bats, as well.

Outfield

This may be the last season for center fielder Andruw Jones in a Braves uniform, but he continues to prove he is one of the best players in the game. In his walk year, there is no telling what numbers he may put up after collecting 92 homers and 257 RBIs over the last two seasons. In right is Francoeur, who didn't disappoint anyone last year in his first full season, though he is extremely streaky at the plate. At 23, he is the team's best clutch hitter. The weakness in this outfield is left fielder Ryan Langerhans, who is strong defensively but drops off considerably at the plate. Wilson, when he's not playing first base, is an option in left, as well.

Catching

There isn't a better young catcher in the National League than McCann, who won the Silver Slugger Award last year. The coaching staff feels comfortable with the way he handles the rotation and believes that his offensive numbers are only going to improve. Cuban-born Brayan Pena will back up McCann. Pena doesn't have much pop when he is at the plate, but he's steady behind it.

Bench

Matt Diaz gives the club a good bat and someone who can come in and play all the outfield spots. He hit .327 with 32 RBIs in 297 at bats last year. The Braves also signed veteran Chris Woodward, who gives the team stability at any spot in the infield and also can play in the outfield. Johnson and Wilson will play significant roles, either as starters or key reserves.

Management

GM John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox make up one of the top GM-manager combinations in the game and have been doing it together for 17 years. But one has to wonder how much longer they will both be with the club. Schuerholz continued to lose some of his best front office talent last year (assistant Dayton Moore went on to become the GM in Kansas City), and Cox is about to turn 66. Still, they both burn the midnight oil, and no one in the game is better than Cox at keeping his team competitive for 162 games.

Final Analysis

The Mets have taken the upper hand in the division and continued to reload in the offseason, while some believe the Marlins have the youth to make a run at New York. The Braves certainly don't resemble the team that dominated from 1991-2005, but they are faced with a retooling rather than total rebuilding. At least they should be able to finally win games late with a rebuilt bullpen. What may make a difference is if the ownership question (the sale to Liberty Media) can be finalized by midseason, perhaps giving the team more money to spend for a stretch run.

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