7. Atlanta Braves

Big Leagues- The Braves have seemed like they have underachieved for years.  Chipper Jones desperately wants a championship and his time is running out, which was apparent when he went down with a knee injury last season.  But this year they may have the young pieces to challenge in the National League.  Brian McCann is still a stud, but top prospect Freddie Freeman looks like he has a shot to win the first base job in Spring Training.  Along with Jason Heyward they could emerge into the one of the best young mashers in the MLB.  With the addition of Dan Uggla the Braves have finally found stable second basemen, and they locked him up to a new contract.  If their pitching staff can stay solid and healthy they could have potential and are they favorites for the wild card behind the Phillies.
Catcher- Brian Mccann
1st Base- Freddie Freeman/ Martin Prado

2nd Base- Dan Uggla/ Martin Prado
Shortstop- Alex Gonzalez
3rd Base- Chipper Jones/ Martin Prado
Left Field- Martin Prado
Center Field- Nate McLouth
Right Field- Jason Heyward
Pitching- Derek Lowe, Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, Mike Minor
Relief- Pete Moylan, Craig Kimbrel

Top 5 Prospects- RHP Julio Teheran- The braves have a gem with this 19 year old righty.  Last year he played at 3 levels, finally ending up at Double A for the last seven games.  In seven starts in Double A he had a 3.38 ERA in 40 innings with 38 strikeouts.  Those are amazing stats, but they are for a 19 year old in Double A playing against players much his elder.  The righty still has plenty of room to grow as he's listed at 6'2 and only 150 pounds.  He should start next season in Double A and should continue to improve.

1B Freddie Freeman- The big first basemen has the first shot at being the Braves starting first basemen in 2011.  Most teams would be worried about starting rookies, but this rookie is special.  Freeman last year as a 20 year raked in Triple A.  Freeman batted .319 with 18 home runs and 35 doubles in only 124 games.  He didn't hit a huge amount of home runs, but as he gets older he should turn those doubles into home runs.  Look for Freeman and Heyward to anchor the Braves for years to come.

LHP Mike Minor- Minor appeared in 9 games last season for the Braves but still qualifies for our prospects list.  He was the 7th overall pick in the 2009 draft and burned through the minor leagues quickly.  The lefty had mixed results in the big leagues with a 5.98 ERA while going 3 and 2.  What he did show was great control and strikeout ability.  He had 43 strikeouts in 40 innings while only walking 11 batters.  He should start 2011 as the number 5 starter and could be a late round sleeper in fantasy leagues.

RHP Craig Kimbrel- Kimbrel is another one of Atlanta's prospects that saw quite a bit of time in the Majors last year.  He appeared in 21 games for the Braves out of the bullpen and had an amazing .44 ERA.  What is even more amazing is that he had 40 strikeouts in only 20 innings.  Kimbrel has the powerful faster, hard slider you want to see from your closer, and with Billy Wagner now he will get the first shot in 2011.  If he succeeds he'll be closing games for a long time, draft him if he wins the job.

RHP Randall Delgado- Delgado is another young powerful arm in the Braves farm system.  Last year Delgado started 28 games in Single and Double A and had a 3.30 Era in 161 innings.  He had 162 strikeouts compared to only 52 walks.  He'll be 21 starting the 2011 season and should start in Double A with Teheran.

Payroll and Direction-The Braves paid their players about 85 million dollars last year, and it will probably increase the next few years, especially with Dan Uggla's new 5 year 62 million dollar deal.  The Braves have three top prospects in Freddie Freeman, Mike Minor, and Julio Teheran.  Freeman, Kimbrel and Minor should be able to make major impacts for the Braves this year.  With the veteran presence of Chipper Jones, Derek Lowe, and Tim Hudson, the Braves young players should be able to grow into great players.