Bravo! Five Atlanta Braves Who Deserve a Standing O

It's been a while since Atlanta Braves fans have had much to cheer about. Long gone are the days of Maddox, Glavine, and Smoltz. The Jones boys broke up after 2007. The streak of 14 consecutive NL East Championships ended five seasons ago. The 1995 World Series is but a distant memory.

We all knew that their reign atop the NL East couldn’t last forever. Still, it’s been hard to watch the Bravos struggle through four seasons of mediocrity while the Phillies have won three straight division titles and have been to back-to-back World Series— winning it in 2008.

Granted, the Braves’ misfortunes pale in comparison to… the Chicago Cubs.

As they say, “There’s always next year.” This year, my friends, is that year.

The Braves are 37-27 and in first place in the NL East. They’re on pace to go 94-68— the most wins since they went 96-66 in 2004. It would also be the first time the Braves won more than 90 games since the division titles streak ended in 2005.

Why have the Braves been able to turn it around so far this season?

It’s easy to say that it’s been a team effort, and that’s true. However, I’ve identified five Braves who deserve a little extra attention for their contributions in 2010.

Let’s start with…

5. Martin Prado

Prado is the spark at the top of the Braves lineup. He's batting .332 and is projected to score 115 runs and drive in 75 more.

Prado's batting average is second-best on the Braves. His 47 runs and 18 doubles lead the team. His 29 RBI are good enough for third.

Typically, a leadoff hitter should have speed and a threat to steal bases. So far, he's only stolen one base in four attempts.

That being said, the job of the leadoff man is to get on base in front of the big hitters and score runs. Prado does both.

4. Billy Wagner

Wagner is fifth on the all-time saves list with 396.

I was skeptical when the Braves signed Wagner this December. I thought his best days were behind him.

He was an All-Star in 2008 with the Mets when he saved 27 games in 34 chances.

However, he only pitched in 17 games for the Mets and Red Sox last year after missing most of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

It's hard to predict how a pitcher will respond after Tommy John. I was also nervous about Wagner's age as he'll be 39 in July.

However, Wagner has saved 11 out of 13 games for the Braves this season. He has a 4-0 record with 38 strikeouts in 25 innings.

He’s proving me and all of the other doubters wrong.

3. Jason Heyward

This goes without saying, but Jason Heyward is definitely deserving of some props. Thus far, he's proven to be as good as advertised, if not better.

He's in the top five among rookies in runs, hits, doubles, homeruns, total bases, walks, and RBI. He’s also second on the Braves in runs (35), RBI (43), walks (39), and homeruns (10).

Considering the hype that surrounded Heyward this season, one has got to be impressed with how he's handled it and the numbers he's put up thus far.

2. Tim Hudson

The ace of the Braves’ pitching rotation. Hudson is coming off an injury-shortened 2009 campaign in which he pitched in only seven games.

Hudson is 6-2 with a very strong 2.43 ERA through 13 starts in 2010. His 85.1 innings pitched is most among Braves pitchers. He has logged 11 quality starts so far this season.

With Hudson anchoring the pitching staff, the Braves have reason to remain optimistic for the remainder of the season.

1. Troy Glaus

Yet another signing I had my doubts about.

Most people believed Glaus had already seen his best days. He had very productive seasons from 2000 to 2002, as well as in 2005 and 2006. However, his production had slowed since then.

Glaus' rollercoaster career was halted in 2009 due to a shoulder surgery that only allowed him to play in 14 games. Prior to that, he posted two seasons of sub-par numbers in 2007 and 2008. In those campaigns, Glaus failed to score 70 runs, hit 30 homeruns, or drive in 100 runs.

For his career, Glaus is only a .257 hitter and has 1,333 strikeouts compared to only 825 walks. He does have 317 homeruns and over 1,300 hits over 12 plus seasons.

So far this year, he is tied for second on the Braves in runs with 35 and is first on the club with 49 RBI and 13 homeruns.

In addition to that, Glaus has made the transition to first base quite nicely. He’s committed only five errors and has a .991 fielding percentage.

With Chipper Jones struggling at the plate this season, the Braves needed someone to step up.

So far, Glaus has answered the bell.