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Category: ‘Players’

Chris Johnson to Start at Third Base for Atlanta Braves
April 22nd, 2013 at 8:51 AM
Both Chris Johnson and Juan Francisco have been hitting well for the Atlanta Braves, and Fredi Gonzalez was affirmative to Johnson taking over the third base job when Freddie Freeman returns from the disabled list. ***VIDEO1***   "He'll play third," Gonzalez said on braves.com. "The guy is leading the league in hitting." Johnson is...

Sam Holbrook Ejects B.J. Upton, Action Needed by Major League Baseball
April 20th, 2013 at 4:14 PM
B.J. Upton took a pitch low in the strike zone for strike three Friday night during as the Atlanta Braves were in the middle of losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates. On paper, it looked like he argued and umpire Sam Holbrook threw him out. Instead, Upton had his say on his...

Jason Heyward Showing Signs of Making Turnaround
April 15th, 2013 at 11:21 AM
Jason Heyward may be hitting just .103, but the Atlanta Braves right fielder is showing signs of improvement at the plate and may be poised for a big week. ***VIDEO1*** Heyward went 2-for-11 with a double and three walks in three games against the Washington Nationals. Those obviously aren't great numbers, but he...

Andrelton Simmons Watches Video of Chipper Jones to Fix Swing
April 11th, 2013 at 12:04 PM
Andrelton Simmons was scuffling after Monday's game with the Miami Marlins, hitting a paltry .143, but the Atlanta Braves shortstop poured over video of the swing of Braves legend Chipper Jones and saw immediate results. Simmons studied video of Jones' swing on all 51 hits he accumulated while batting right-handed from...

Jason Heyward Puts in Extra Work, Attempts to Find Comfort Zone at Plate
April 10th, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Jason Heyward got the night off and Reed Johnson spelled him in the Atlanta Braves outfield during Tuesday night's win over the Miami Marlins. It was an opportunity for Heyward to unwind and relax as he looks to get comfortable at the plate. ***VIDEO1*** Heyward, whose only two hits came April 3...

Jason Heyward Gets Day Off After Slow Start
April 9th, 2013 at 6:00 PM
Jason Heyward is not in the starting lineup for Atlanta Braves for Tuesday night's game with the Miami Marlins after a tremendously slow start to his season. Mark Bowman tweets that Heyward has been "too tense" recently. ***PHOTO1*** That could explain Heyward's 2-for-24 (.083) average a week into the season. Both of his hits...

Evan Gattis Impresses Atlanta Braves with Glove
April 6th, 2013 at 1:19 PM
The main knock on Atlanta Braves catcher Evan Gattis before he was called up was on his defense. Two games into his Major League career, he's essentially won over the critics of his defense with some solid skills behind the plate. ***VIDEO1*** Gattis' form in blocking pitches is textbook and actually better...

Evan Longoria Takes Shot at Atlanta Braves Center Fielder B.J. Upton
April 3rd, 2013 at 10:47 PM
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria acknolwedged to the Tampa Tribune on Wednesday that he may have misspoke, but he made it clear that he didn't appreciate the mentality his former teammate and Atlanta Braves center fielder B.J. Upton brought to the field. Upton, who had been in the organization since...

Tim Hudson Puts up Elite Numbers for Half the Cost
April 1st, 2013 at 8:16 AM
The Atlanta Braves head into Opening Day against a Philadelphia Phillies team that was once one of the most hyped up teams in baseball, especially in regards to their starting rotation. What is lost on many baseball fans is that Tim Hudson has done pretty much the same thing as...

Jason Heyward Gets Prime Locker in Atlanta Braves Clubhouse
March 31st, 2013 at 11:44 PM
Jason Heyward very well may end up as the new face of the Atlanta Braves, and he took a step closer when he was moved into the corner locker in the Turner Field clubhouse previously occupied by Chipper Jones and John Smoltz, braves.com reports. Heyward's new Turner Field abode is at...

Jordan Walden Looks Ready for Atlanta Braves Season
March 29th, 2013 at 12:00 PM
Despite missing nearly a month with a bulging disc in his lower back, Atlanta Braves reliever Jordan Walden looks ready after completing a perfect inning in the Braves' Spring Training finale with the Houston Astros. Walden completed his fourth appearance in nine days by striking out two and inducing a pop-up. Walden's...

World Baseball Classic May Have Helped Andrelton Simmons’ Performance
March 29th, 2013 at 8:53 AM
Teams freaked out when Hanely Ramirez and David Wright were injured at the World Baseball Classic, but the Atlanta Braves may want to try sending more players after the production Andrelton Simmons has had going into the regular season. If anything, playing for the Netherlands in the WBC did Simmons a...

Andrelton Simmons Projected to Be Best Defender in Major Leagues
March 25th, 2013 at 11:30 AM
Andrelton Simmons is clearly the cornerstone for the Atlanta Braves when they're on defense, even with his limited experience. He's fascinated so many in fact that ESPN Insider Scott Pratt has projected him to be the best defensive player in the Major Leagues for 2013. Pratt notes that while Tyler Pastornicky...

Juan Francisco, Chris Johnson to Platoon at Third Base for Atlanta Braves
March 22nd, 2013 at 8:44 AM
With both Juan Francisco and Chris Johnson raking during Spring Training, Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has decided what most people expected - that the pair will start the 2013 season as a platoon at third base. "I think both of those guys are playing such great baseball," Gonzalez said on...

Tim Hudson Named Atlanta Braves Opening Day Starter
March 21st, 2013 at 3:58 PM
Even though Kris Medlen is essentially the de facto ace of the staff, Fredi Gonzalez named TIm Hudson to start on the mound for the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day against the Philadelphia Phillies, braves.com reports. The Opening Day start will be Hudson's third with the Braves and sixth for his...

Dan Uggla Still not Producing for Atlanta Braves in Spring Training
March 19th, 2013 at 8:43 AM
If this keeps up, Dan Uggla may become the Atlanta Braves' highest paid bench player. In a 17-10 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in which nine Braves recorded hits and six players had multiple hits, Uggla was saddled with an 0-for-4 line with two strikeouts. Granted, Kris Medlen had an ugly...

Atlanta Braves Trade Rumors Percolate Around Jonny Venters
March 6th, 2013 at 9:14 PM
The first half of 2012 wasn't very kind to Jonny Venters, and the Atlanta Braves have apparently taken that into account. Ken Rosenthal tweeted Wednesday that the Braves are willing to discuss dealing the hard-throwing lefty. "Talk among scouts that #Braves will listen on Venters. Braves, though, say they love depth in their...

Atlanta Braves Best Possible Lineup for Regular Season 2013
February 26th, 2013 at 11:10 PM
***PHOTO1*** The Atlanta Braves had quite an offseason, which included passing on re-signing an excellent leadoff man in Michael Bourn; instead, they made B.J. Upton the highest paid member of the Atlanta franchise with a 5 year, 75.25 million dollar contract. Not only did the Braves get B.J., but they...

Brian McCann Likely Out for First Half of April
February 12th, 2013 at 12:30 PM
Now that Brian McCann has reported to Spring Training with the Atlanta Braves, it seems he has finally accepted that his offseason shoulder surgery will probably keep him out of the first two weeks of the season. McCann underwent a procedure Oct. 16 that inserted anchors into the posterior portion of McCann's...

Fredi Gonzalez Projects New Atlanta Braves Lineup
January 30th, 2013 at 6:56 PM
With all the big moves the Atlanta Braves have made this winter, Fredi Gonzalez was all too eager to project his 2013 lineup, Yahoo! Sports reports. As expected, Andrelton Simmons will hit lead-off, followed by Jason Heyward, who climbed the lineup last year and actually hit in the third spot a...