2005 record
90-72, National League East champs

Projected batting order
1. 2B Marcus Giles:
  .291 BA, 15 HR, 63 RBIs in 2005
2. SS Edgar Renteria:
  .276 BA, 8 HR, 70 RBIs in 2005
3. 3B Chipper Jones:
  .296 BA, 21 HR, 72 RBIs in 2005
4. CF Andruw Jones:
  .263 BA, 51 HR, 128 RBIs in 2005
5. 1B Adam LaRoche:
  .259 BA, 20 HR, 78 RBIs in 2005
6. RF Jeff Francoeur:
  .300 BA, 14 HR, 45 RBIs in 2005
7. C Brian McCann:
  .278 BA, 5 HR, 23 RBIs in 2005
8. LF Ryan Langerhans:
  .267 BA, 8 HR, 42 RBIs in 2005

Projected rotation
1. John Smoltz, 14-7, 3.06 ERA in 2005
2. Tim Hudson, 14-9, 3.52 ERA in 2005
3. John Thomson, 4-6, 4.47 ERA in 2005
4. Horacio Ramirez, 11-9, 4.63 ERA in 2005
5. Jorge Sosa, 13-3, 2.55 ERA in 2005
or
Kyle Davies, 7-6, 4.93 ERA in 2005

Projected bullpen
Closer: Chris Reitsma, 15 saves, 3.93 ERA in 2005
RH setup man: Blaine Boyer, 3.11 ERA in 2005
LH setup man: Macay McBride, 5.79 ERA in 2005

The new guys
Renteria: Acquired in a December trade with the Red Sox, the veteran shortstop should be a suitable replacement for Rafael Furcal. He struggled last year in Boston, but he's a legitimate All-Star who can provide spark at the top of the lineup.

Oscar Villarreal, RHP: Acquired in a December trade with the Diamondbacks, the 24-year-old right-hander has a chance to be a valuable reliever. He's got a live arm that, because of injury, has been limited to 28 games the past two years. He's impressed in the Mexican Winter League.

Lance Cormier, RHP: Also acquired from the Diamondbacks in the December deal for Johnny Estrada, Cormier was solid at the beginning of last year. His second-half struggles create doubt in regard to his ability to be a reliever on Atlanta's Opening Day roster.

Todd Pratt, C: Signed as a free agent, Pratt brings a wealth of experience. He's spent 13 seasons as a backup catcher in the big leagues, and he should be able to help in the development of starting catcher Brian McCann.

Brad Baker, RHP: Signed as a Minor League free agent, Baker has an outstanding changeup that could earn him a spot in the Atlanta bullpen. Braves management has compared him to Greg McMichael.

Prospects to watch
Chuck James, LHP: The talented 22-year-old left-hander dominated three different levels in the Minors last year. He's a rising star who should be in Atlanta's rotation by the start of the 2007 season. Manager Bobby Cox loves his aggressive approach against hitters.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C: There might not be a better prospect in all of baseball. The strong 20-year-old catcher has a tremendous arm and a powerful bat. At his current pace, he'll force the Braves to find a spot for him in Atlanta by the start of the 2007 season.

Returning from injury
Boyer: Inflammation around his rotator cuff marred Boyer's September and prevented him from completing a successful rookie season. He appears to be in good health and looks ready to be one of the club's top setup men.

On the rebound
Chipper Jones: When healthy last year, Jones was his usual productive force. This year, he must avoid the injury bug that has severely hindered his production the past two years.

Long gone
Furcal: After living up to his enormous potential during the second half of last year, Furcal packed his bags and chased a highly lucrative contract in Los Angeles. His speed, strong arm and range will be hard to replace.

Julio Franco, 1B: Given a two-year deal by the Mets, Franco ended a five-year relationship with the Braves and is now a division rival. Even before the 47-year-old wonder injured his elbow in August, some Braves coaches thought his skills were diminishing.

Estrada: A severe back injury suffered in a June collision prevented Estrada from regaining the All-Star form he showed in 2004. There are some who wonder if he'll be able to regain his full range of motion.

Kyle Farnsworth, RHP: After joining the Braves in late July, Farnsworth continued the success he'd had in Detroit. Before squandering a five-run eighth-inning lead against the Astros in Game 4 of the National League Division Series, he was as dependable as any closer in the game.

Jim Brower, RHP: Late-season struggles caused the Braves to part ways with Brower, whom they picked up in June to provide some stability to their bullpen.

2005 hitting leaders (min. 200 at-bats)
Avg.: Wilson Betemit, .305
OBP: C. Jones, .412
SLG: A. Jones, .575
Runs: Giles, 104
RBIs: A. Jones, 128
Hits: Furcal, 175
2B: Giles, 45
3B: Furcal, 11
HR: A. Jones, 51
SB: Furcal, 46


2005 pitching leaders (min. 30 IP)
IP: Smoltz, 229 2/3
W: Smoltz, Hudson, 14
L: Hudson, Ramirez, 9
Win %: Sosa, 13-3, .813
S: Reitsma, 15
ERA: Sosa, 2.55
K: Smoltz, 169
K/9: John Foster, 8.31
WHIP: Smoltz, 1.15

Triple play: Three questions that need answers

1. Who will begin the season as the Braves' closer?
Reitsma appears to be the early favorite. But during camp, the Braves will take a look at Villarreal and Sosa, who could be valuable in this role or back in the starting rotation. Sosa was impressive while working as a reliever in the Dominican Winter League.

2. What will the Braves do about their logjam in left field?
Cox will take a good look at Matt Diaz before deciding whether to keep him to platoon with Langerhans in left field. For Kelly Johnson to keep his spot in the Majors, he must regain the plate discipline that earned him a call to the show. It would be a surprise if the Braves kept both Langerhans and Johnson, who are both left-handed.

3. Who will be part of the starting rotation on Opening Day?
The Braves will go to camp with six legitimate candidates. Smoltz, Hudson and Ramirez are pretty much assured spots in the rotation to begin the year. There's a slight chance that Thomson could be traded. That would open a spot to allow Sosa and Davies to both be part of the rotation. But Thomson has plenty of value, and the club may choose to move Sosa to the bullpen.

The bottom line
There is a lot of talent on this club, which will be attempting to capture its 15th consecutive division title. To realize this goal, they'll need a dependable closer. But there's reason to believe that even if Reitsma were to falter, the Braves already have enough candidates capable of filling the role. As for the loss of Furcal, it won't be a significant one if Renteria simply proves that last year was a fluke.