Five Players to Watch in Braves Camp

Spring Training is in the air.

This year, the Atlanta Braves have some old faces returning for yet another spring at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex: Chipper Jones, Jeff Francoeur, and Brian McCann just to name a few.

Joining the old faces are some experienced new faces; Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, and Kenshin Kawakami come to mind when you are talking about experience.

Then, there are the guys who are trying to put their names out there for their managers and coaches to know.  This article will profile five of those players.

1. Tommy Hanson

This 6'6" righty impressed in the Arizona Fall League.  Let me rephrase that: Tommy Hanson dominated the AFL.

He struck out 49 in 28 2/3 innings pitched.

Because of his potential and performance against the best prospects in baseball, the Braves were unwilling to surrender this prospect to the Padres for Jake Peavy.

That says a lot.

The Oklahoma native hasn't pitched above AA yet, so I don't expect him to make the team straight out of Spring Training.  However, I definitely expect to see him wearing a big "A" on his hat before August.

Who knows though?  He may just pull a Jair Jurrjens and make the team.

2. Jordan Schafer

Schafer, at least if you believe David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has matured a lot over the past year.

I guess a 50-game suspension can make you grow up pretty fast.

I remember last year Jon Sciambi and Joe Simpson were talking about his "cockiness," strutting around the locker room like he was the man, which he was (remember, last year he was the No. 1 prospect in the Braves organization).

This year, he has a legitimate shot at making the team out of Spring Training, competing with Josh Anderson and Gregor Blanco for the starting center field spot.

Honestly, if Jordan is patrolling Citizens Bank Park's center field on Opening Night, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

3. Stephen Marek

Marek came over last year with Casey Kotchman in the Mark Teixeira trade.

In 60 2/3 innings last year, he struck out 68, posted a pretty good K/9 rate, and walked only 27.

Marek is going to be 26 this September and is still a "prospect."  This Spring, he should have some extra incentive to perform.  I think he could make the team and serve as a middle reliever until Peter Moylan is ready to come back.

4. Jason Heyward

The Braves decided to bring up some of their young prospects.

One guy is top prospect Jason Heyward.  He'll turn 20 in August, but he has already proved to have great patience in the minors and has shown why the Braves drafted him in the first round a few years ago.

Do I expect him to make the team?  No.  That's a ridiculous thought.

However, I am excited to see him play and look forward to seeing him in Atlanta in 2010.

5. Freddie Freeman

Freddie is the same age as Heyward, and they are both stud prospects.

Freeman had 24 home runs last year between Rookie League and A-ball and displayed patience at the plate similar to Heyward's.

Once again, I don't expect to see Frederick make the team, but I do look forward to seeing him perform during the Spring.

The Future...

is bright for the Braves.  They have many good prospects that are getting ready to break into the Majors.

Baseball hasn't seen a youth movement like this since the late-'80s and '90s Braves.  We can expect a lot from the Braves in the next few years, as long as at least some of these prospects approach their potential.

Watch out NL East; the Braves farm system is producing again.