Peter Moylan was nontendered and then signed to a minor-league deal after his second major surgery since 2008. When relatively healthy, the sidearmer is a key to the bullpen, soaking up 80 appearances or more in all three relatively complete seasons (of five). He was just maybe starting to get his control back where it was before his 2008 Tommy John surgery when his labrum and rotator cuff went. He’s on rapid recovery. Popular with teammates and fans, everyone is rooting for him, with the possible exception of Cory Gearrin. As another sidearmer, Gearrin’s chances of spending much time in the city instead of the suburbs rely heavily upon there not being another sidearmer with a better track record and more attachment from the organization being around. They also depend upon putting up an ERA better than 7.85. Gearrin’s ERA was 3.38 through his first fifteen appearances; he blew up in the last three, allowing six runs in the first and four in the last. Before that, he looked like at least a decent spare part, as well as making sure that the Braves tradition of usually having a sidearmer around (The Upshaw/Garber Protocol) was upheld.

After spending 2010 in visa limbo and clearing up who he actually is, the erstwhile Luis Valdez returned to doing what he normally does for the AAA Braves, saving games with a minimum of fuss. It was probably his best year in the minors, 26 saves, a 1.81 ERA, 70 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings. Unfortunately, the majors were not as kind. In three brief callups, he posted a 6.97 ERA only because three runs against him were called “unearned”. In six appearances, he only once failed to allow a hit; three times he allowed four hits and one time three. In his last appearance, he allowed six runs, three of them “earned”, against the weak-hitting Padres. After that, the Braves pretty much ignored his good work in Gwinnett and were willing to try anyone else in a setup role.

The Staten Island-born Varvaro was a twelfth-round pick of the Mariners in 2005. He busted as a starter, but converted to the bullpen in 2009 did some fine work in the Southern League before getting beaten up in AAA and the big leagues. The Mariners waived him, just as they did Eric O’Flaherty once, and the Braves picked him up, just as they did Eric O’Flaherty once. As a setup man for Gwinnett, Varvaro put up a 2.90 ERA (and oddly, a 2-8 record — these things happen, in the minors) and struck out 69 in 59 innings pitched. In 24 big-league innings over two callups, he posted a 2.63 ERA and struck out almost a man an inning (23 in 24) but walked 11 and gave up three homers. The homers have not normally been a problem since he was moved to the pen, but the walks have, and limit his value. He was used mostly in low-leverage situations, often for more than just one inning, kind of like Cristhian Martinez is.

Alternated in his callup between looking like the answer to everyone’s righthanded setup man prayers and, well, a 20-year-old rookie who wasn’t ready yet. Vizcaino had 17 major league appearances last season. In eight of them he did not allow a hit, in six no baserunners, in three he struck out three men. He also had three outings in which he walked two men, including a disastrous four-hit, two-walk, five-run escapade against the Dodgers Sept. 2. He allowed only four other runs in his other sixteen appearances combined, though he did have to get bailed out a couple of times when his control deserted him.

There were reports a little while back that the Braves were going to trade the Lisp; it didn’t happen, but it would probably be a good thing for all concerned if they did. Not that he lacks value. Martinez pitched well (3.36 ERA) in the long man role in 2011, and with so much young starting pitching a long man is something you need. But his strikeout rate is pedestrian and last year he was a fly-ball pitcher who (unlike most of the Braves relievers) was somewhat homer-prone (he allowed eight; his homer rate was actually league-average, it just stands out on this team). His biggest strength was control. In short, he doesn’t profile as someone who would move into a major bullpen role, but as someone who might, possibly, be a back-of-the-rotation starter. That’s not a need on this ballclub, but a lot of teams are using a lot worse in their fourth and fifth starter spots. If the Braves could get a reasonable prospect for him, or he could help get a hitter, you go for it.

You have to root for this guy, and not just because he can help the Braves. A tenth-round pick and only a part-time pitcher in college, Medlen worked his way into a major league rotation, only to blow out his elbow in the middle of the 2010 season. He missed nearly all of 2011, pitching mopup duty in a couple of games at the end of the year. Bobby was using him as a swingman (something Bobby rarely did) in 2010, Medlen starting 14 games and relieving in 17. He pitched better as a reliever (3.04) than a starter (3.86) largely because of home runs; he allowed 12 in 84 innings as a starter, but just one in 23 2/3 as a reliever. That may just be a fluke, and at any event most pitchers do better in relief than starting, because they don’t have to pace themselves.

The third part of the Braves’ three-headed bullpen monster posted a freakish 0.98 ERA in 2011. (It wasn’t an “unearned” runs fluke — only one of the nine runs scored against him was scored unearned.) While he didn’t strike out people at Venters’ rate, much less Kimbrel’s, he was still strong there (8.2 K/9) his control was much better, and he had the same ability to inhibit home runs (just two allowed all year). When you get ground balls, you strike people out, and you don’t walk them, baseball is a very simple, and low-scoring, game.

Another amazing season from Everyday Jonny, though he, like Kimbrel, ran out of gas at the end of the season, posting a 5.11 ERA and a .424 OBP in September. I’m a bit concerned about Venters, as it was his second major league season and he’s older, and he’s worn down as the season has gone on both years. Okay, he led the league in appearances, with 85, but 85 appearances and 88 innings is not that many. At any rate, you’d prefer that he get more rest but if you keep playing close games you’re going to need your best reliever. For the first four months of the season, he’s the best reliever in baseball.

Well, that was some rookie year. Kimbrel faded down the stretch, blowing two of his last three save chances (and allowing two of the three homers he allowed all season in back-to-back September appearances), and his ERA in September rose from 1.64 to 2.10. But you know what? Rookies hit the wall, that’s something that happens. I don’t think he was overused, really, it’s just that the season is longer than they’re used to and they’re ready for the offseason to start just when the stretch run happens. But you can blame Fredi if you want, that’s what he’s here for.

Randall Delgado is not supposed to be in the starting rotation to start the year, but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get at least one April start. Delgado put up an impressive 2.83 ERA in seven major league starts last year, but he was awfully lucky, striking out just 18 in 35 innings while walking 14 and giving up five home runs: obviously, that isn’t sustainable. However, he looked really strong, and his minor league numbers were good. Given that he was just 21, the long-term outlook is promising.

The Braves apparently were willing to trade Minor during the season last year, but wound up not having to. I think that some teams are going to regret not taking them up on the offer, because Minor looks really promising to me, and I think he’s going to be a front half of the rotation starter for a number of years.

Could he be the opening day starter? It seems possible, with Hudson, Jurrjens, and Hanson all questionable. He might be the best choice anyway. Beachy’s the inverse of Jurrjens, in that his 2011 ERA of 3.67 was pedestrian, but his strikeout rate of 10.7 was phenomenal — actually, it would have led the league had he qualified. His walk rate was a shade high, but nothing too drastic (and spiked by too many intentional walks), and his homers about average. It was an outstanding rookie season overshadowed by others on the same team.

Tommy’s career may be in danger. Shoulder problems, such as cost him about half the season, are always bad news. Vague, undiagnosed shoulder problems in a pitcher whose mechanics have always been considered suspect? That’s bad news on the “Archduke Franz Ferdinand has been shot” level.

After an offseason dominated by trade rumors (the first suggestion on Google for him is “Jair Jurrjens trade”) it looks like Jurrjens will stay with the Braves after they didn’t get the offers they were expecting. It is hard to say how much of this is a value disconnect and how much is due to Jurrjens’ injuries; I suspect the latter is more important but I wouldn’t be surprised if many teams think he’s not as good as his ERAs.

Do you realize that Tim is third among active pitchers in wins, fourth if you count Jamie Moyer? True. (And he could be second if Moyer and Tim Wakefield don’t pitch in 2012.) He could get to 200 wins this year if the Braves score for him — he’s at 181. He’s also third in shutouts, with twelve, which is just baseball trying to make me feel old again.

If something bad happens to McCann or Ross, the Braves will turn to J.C. Boscan as their next option. In other words, nothing better happen to McCann or Ross. Boscan has 15 years of minor league ball behind him, mostly in the Braves organization, and has absolutely proven he can’t hit. His career line is .224/.311/.307, so at least he’ll take a walk. Another catcher with an NRI is minor league lifer Jose Yepez, a career .270/.357/.387 hitter in the Blue Jays and Mariners organziations. The Braves keep getting players who can’t hit from those teams. It’s a sickness. There are always lots of catchers around in spring training and I’m sure they’ll take a long look at Christian Bethancourt, and maybe Braeden Schlehuber. I wouldn’t expect much. Evan Gattis, who quit baseball, came back to play in college, and was drafted by the Braves in 2010, is a great story and hit .322/.386/.601 with 22 homers last year in Rome, but he was old for the league (24, average hitter age 21.4) and very suspect defensively.

So it’s come to this.

The Braves re-signed Wilson, picked up in a late-season trade last year, to be their primary infield backup even knowing that there was a good chance that with an untested rookie at shortstop that backup could become the regular, and that Wilson can’t hit. Wilson had a couple of good years in the middle of the last decade, but he’s 34 years old, has a career line of .266/.307/.368 (and .250/.285/.329 over the last three seasons) and is no longer the (superb) defensive player he used to be. The difference between Wilson and late-period Rafael Belliard is not great. He’s a serious minus player unless his glove bounces back to being a big plus; last year it was average.

I kept putting this off, but it sure looks like the Braves intend to make Pastornicky the starting shortstop to begin the year. Needless to say, simply handing a regular job to a rookie with no major league experience (he was on the roster at the end of the year but never appeared in a game) who is not considered an elite prospect is an unusual move. But the Braves are planning to. The chances of this being a disaster are very good, and with only Jack Wilson in reserve things could get very ugly at shortstop.

Had a rough year by his standards, but that was basically because some singles didn’t drop. He’s one of the more effective bench players in baseball, a four-corners guy with an average bat, most of his offensive value coming in secondary skills (power and walks) rather than batting average. Hinske has had 584 plate appearances in his two years with the Braves, which is more than I thought or would have expected. In that slightly-less-than-a-full-season of work, he’s had 21 homers, 31 doubles, and 78 RBI, with most of his work coming as an outfielder or pinch-hitter. Some of Hinske’s value has usually come from his ability to play third base (not well, but not a lot worse than Chipper) but he has played the position only once with the Braves, off the bench in 2010. If Prado is traded, that might change… Actually used to run pretty well, is now really slow, and has attempted only one stolen base and hit one triple with the Braves.

Brought back in a dumpster-diving trade at the eligibility deadline, Matt hit .286 in 37 PA in September. That’s nice, but it’s a small sample size and also he had just one walk and just one extra-base hit, a double. I love the guy, but he turns 34 in March and his overall line last year was .263/.302/.323. He didn’t hit a single home run in 268 PA. Maybe he will bounce back, and I certainly hope so, but I never did expect him to age well, and he has to add a lot — like 40 points of batting average and 100 points or so of isolated power — to be a useful player. The Braves could eat his contract, but I don’t expect them to.

Well, that could have gone better.

Heyward’s sophomore season began with an injury that took him out of most of spring training, followed by a season-long slump. His batting average fell by fifty points from his rookie season and his walk rate fell slightly as well. Pitchers, especially lefties, were able to tie him up inside, leading to a seemingly interminable succession of GB4s, usually very slow ones. He continued to have nagging injuries, and missed three weeks in May and June on the DL.

Picked up in what was generally considered a heist on the Braves’ part, Bourn was… okay in 52 games with the Braves. He hit .278/.321/.352 (actually pretty close to his career line), played good defense, and stole 22 bases in 29 attempts. (He led the league in SB… and in CS.) What he mostly did was fill a gaping hole that the Braves’ centerfield situation had been since Andruw Jones departed.

As I write, it seems likely that he will be traded, which I think would be a mistake unless the return is unexpectedly spectacular. The Braves, like most teams, have a habit of selling low; Prado’s value is pretty low right now, because he had a bad season. But there were good reasons for the bad season, and the Braves should know that.

Some people seem to have decided that Chipper is a problem. This is dumb; he’s one of the best players on the team. He’s not what he once was, but here you’ve got a third baseman putting up a .275/.344/.470 line. The team would not be better off if he retired. Yeah, you think they could get more by moving Prado to third and getting another left fielder. I doubt it.

On the Fourth of July, Uggla was hitting .173/.241/.327. Over the remainder of the season, he hit .301/.386/.596. Uggla’s massive hot streak, highlighted by a 33-game hitting streak, helped keep the Braves afloat while some other guys were struggling, and brought his season numbers up to a respectable level (.233/.311/.453), even though it was still the worst year of his career and not really what the Braves expected.

That went better than expected. Freeman was considered something of a risk going into the season; most expected him to show raw power but there were a lot of concerns about holes in his swing and pitch recognition problems. These turned out to not be so much of a problem, and he hit just about average for a first baseman — which is pretty darned good for a 21-year-old rookie. The future looks pretty bright. Freeman’s 32 doubles and 21 homers are a good start, and so is his .282 batting average; just normal improvement should make him a real offensive plus. The biggest problem is that Heyward’s difficulties and then the McCann injury/ineffectiveness put too much of the burden on Freeman to drive the offense, and he wasn’t that good, not to mention it’s a bit of a stress on a 21-year-old rookie to be a core offensive contributor in the middle of a playoff race. Freeman hit only .143/.263/.286 in his last 14 games. He was probably tired, as rookies often are at the end of the season, finishing second on the team (to Uggla) in games played (157) and plate appearances (635).

The best backup catcher in baseball (and, by at least one measure, one of the best reserve players of all time) actually had his worst season in a Braves uniform, and still was an above-average hitter in a position where most teams will settle for “won’t kill you”. How much is this worth? Two games a year? Maybe not that much, but maybe so, and two games a year is a lot. Anyway, the variance in Ross’ productivity is largely in batting average, and he has very strong secondary skills. Ross’ career batting average is just .236, but it’s .274 with the Braves, .263 last year. This is his age 35 season coming up, but for a backup catcher that isn’t necessarily old.

Brian, the best catcher in baseball, was finally starting to get some recognition of that status and was seemingly on his way to his best season when he suffered the ever-popular strained oblique muscle in late July. He returned after missing just a couple of weeks, but wasn’t nearly the same hitter as usual, hitting just .180/.292/.346 after his return. A lot of that looks, statistically, like bad luck, but observation indicates that he really was messed up, though whether it was lingering injury or mechanics — or both — is beyond my ken.

Instead, the Braves are doing this:

Pixars Brave Snarled In Trademark Battle With Atlanta Braves – CinemaBlend.com.

I’ve got another Kindle collection I’ve put together. I’ve updated a few entries (but left the rankings in place) and added a couple of new ones as bonuses.