Kuzul

The Atlanta Braves have always put a focus on drafting, scouting and developing within the organization.

New president of baseball operations John Hart has put an even greater emphasis on the draft and restocking the farm system. Hart prioritizes the draft, as evidenced by the Braves’ six selections in the first 89 picks of this year’s draft —the most of any MLB team.

The Braves will be looking to use those picks in the upcoming June 8 MLB draft to further upgrade the talent in the organization and build toward the future.

As the 2015 MLB draft approaches, let’s take a look back at the past nine first-round picks for the Atlanta Braves.

Note: This list excludes supplemental picks.

Begin Slideshow

The Atlanta Braves (18-19) will see more youth on the field as the season progresses.

Right-hander Mike Foltynewicz has graduated off this list and made three starts for the Braves (2-0, 4.24 ERA). Meanwhile, fellow righty Williams Perez will make his first start for the Braves on Wednesday after a brief stint in the bullpen, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.

Todd Cunningham, Pedro Ciriaco and Adonis Garcia have all been called up after injuries to some of the Braves regulars as well.

While the last four were not part of the top-10 list, they demonstrate that youth will be a major theme for the Braves moving forward.

With that said, here’s a current stock report on the Braves’ top 10 prospects.

Begin Slideshow

While the Atlanta Braves got off to a sizzling 5-0 start, they have since cooled and now sit under .500 at 14-17. It’s been disappointing for the Braves to have fallen under .500 so quickly after that great start.

However, this is about what we expected in 2015.

While the record may not show it, there are signs of the Braves’ improvement as a team. If not for some recent bullpen struggles, that record would be significantly better.

With that said, here’s a look at five ways the Braves have already shown improvement during the 2015 season.

Begin Slideshow

The Atlanta Braves spent a great deal of the offseason overhauling the roster to change their style of play, find some leadership and build toward the future.

The new roster got the Braves off to a hot start in 2015 but has since cooled to around the .500 mark.

Playing .500 baseball is likely the ceiling for this 2015 team, but with some luck and elevated play, it could push for a wild-card spot.

This will depend on many factors, with one of those being the play and leadership of their offseason acquisitions.

Let’s take a look at early grades for the Braves’ offseason acquisitions.

Begin Slideshow

The Atlanta Braves have jumped out to a surprising 8-4 start in what is being considered a rebuilding season.

The Braves altered the makeup of their roster in the offseason to focus on restocking the farm system to build toward the future.

Time will tell whether or not the trades work out for the Braves.

However, there is no denying that John Hart seriously upgraded the minor league talent in the Braves farm system.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 prospects in the Braves organization and see how they’ve started the 2015 season.

Begin Slideshow

The Atlanta Braves are one of baseball’s biggest surprises as they’ve jumped out to a 6-1 start.

While it’s still very early, it is hard not to be impressed by the team’s performance to date.

The Braves have beaten up the Marlins and Mets, two teams that were hot picks to challenge the Washington Nationals in the division and earn wild card berths.

They will be tested as they face a nine-game road trip against the Blue Jays, Mets and Phillies after their current home series with the Marlins.

We’ll see if the Braves can keep up their current hot pace, but let’s take a look at what we do know about the 2015 Braves after the first week.

Begin Slideshow

The early parts of spring training have given us a glimpse as to what the roster may look like come Opening Day.

It’s an important spring for a number of guys, given the large amount of turnover the Atlanta Braves had this offseason.

Spring training offers the chance for guys to win starting positions. This looks to be the case at second base, left field, two starting rotation spots and a number of bullpen spots.

It’s also a chance for young prospects to get their first taste of MLB-caliber pitching and leave a good impression on management.

Although it’s still early, a few guys have turned heads for the Braves this spring.

Let’s take a look at five players who have done just that.

Begin Slideshow

We’ll be able to get a glimpse of what the 2015 Atlanta Braves will look like when their spring training games begin on Wednesday. 

There are still lots of questions to be answered this spring training. Who wins the second base job? Who platoons with Jonny Gomes in left field? How does the bullpen shake out? Who is the fifth starter in the rotation?

The injury to Melvin Upton also complicates what things will look like in center field to begin the season.

These next few weeks will help clear up a cloudy picture.

In the meantime, let’s take a stab at what the 25-man roster will look like on Opening Day as we open spring training.

Begin Slideshow

Pitchers and catchers have reported for the Atlanta Braves, with the first full-team workout scheduled for Thursday.

The Braves have a lot of new faces in camp after trading away some serious talent in the offseason.

Acting general manager John Hart told The Associated Press (via ESPN.com) the Braves intend to be competitive in the National League East in 2015. In order for this to happen, there will have to be some under-the-radar players who have career years for the Braves in 2015.

We could find out who some of those players might be in the upcoming weeks.

Here’s a look at five players who are under the radar but could impress this spring training.

Begin Slideshow

Spring training is right around the corner, as pitchers and catchers are set to report for the Atlanta Braves in just over two weeks on Feb. 20.

This will be an important spring training to get a look at some young guys and gauge what the Braves will look like moving forward.

It will also be an important spring training for guys trying to make the 25-man roster and position themselves for starting spots.

The two main positional battles will include the second base job and the final starter in the rotation. We will also be monitoring what the Braves do in left field and who they may keep as the last positional player.

Let’s take a look at some of those positional battles as we approach spring training.

Begin Slideshow