Kuzul

When it comes to baseball’s TV analysts, former players often make some of the best announcers out there. They not only know the game well, but they are familiar with situations players are going through, can explain the game better and have connections to players and management that can give them a little extra insight.

While not all of the best TV analysts are former ball players and not all former ball players are always good analysts, there is a real connection between the two.

Please note that I am only going with players that had a big league career. That means I am leaving off guys like Rod Allen, who had just 50 career at-bats. I am also leaving off play-by-play guys to go with true analysts, I have included analysts from ESPN and MLB Network who aren’t in-game analysts, but still do an excellent job.

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Join in at 1 p.m. ET for coverage of the NL East battle between the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals. The two teams are coming off an excellent early-season fight last night in which the Braves came back late to pull out a 6-4 victory in 10 innings in their first meeting of the season, and now we get to watch aces Tim Hudson (1-0, 3.27 ERA) and Stephen Strasburg (1-1, 4.38) square off.

Can Hudson and the 9-1 Braves do it again? Can Strasburg turn things around for the 7-3 Nationals coming off a bad start last weekend? Check in right here for live analysis.

Braves 3, Nationals 1- FINAL

W-Tim Hudson(2-0)

L-Stephen Strasburg(1-2)

S-Craig Kimbrel(6)

HR: Evan Gattis(4), Danny Espinosa(1)

Lineups

Atlanta

Washington

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Spring training is approaching and the Braves have yet to replace Chipper Jones or the leadoff spot in the lineup, but they do have plenty of talent to work with.

This article takes a look at five potential lineups for the Braves to put together this season. 

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Jason Heyward came to the big leagues in 2010 with a great deal of hype surrounding him. Many people were expecting greatness from a kid who had not even turned 21 years old at the start of his first major league season. When he had a historically great rookie campaign for his age, the hype just continued even though there were some concern about his injury history.

Then came an awful 2011 season when he struggled at the plate because of injuries and was unable to make adjustments as pitchers started to figure him out. He struggled badly enough that he was replaced for a time by career minor leaguer Jose Constanza.

Heyward rebounded in a big way in 2012 as he not only stayed healthy for the full season, but displayed power, average and speed while playing strong defense in right field.

The question to ask now is whether this kid has it in him to become an MVP, or whether he will frustrate fans and management with unfulfilled potential. This article takes a look at what the future could hold for Heyward.

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The Atlanta Braves have made a bit of a splash this winter by signing B.J. Upton and then dealing Tommy Hanson to the Angels for hard-throwing Jordan Walden. However, according to Internet rumors, the Braves haven’t finished making changes to their roster.

The Braves still have a large hole to fill at either third base or left field, depending on where Martin Prado plays. With it being easier to acquire a solid outfielder, the Braves are likely to go in that direction and put Prado at third base. 

This article takes a look at five outfielders the Braves could target either through free agency or via trade. 

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With the World Series in the books and the calendar about to turn to November, attention now turns to the Hot Stove league.

With the Braves coming off a second consecutive strong season followed by a disappointing ending there could be some changes to the roster, especially considering the way the club chose not to make any moves last winter.

Considering the team just removed a huge chunk of money from the books when Chipper Jones retired and Derek Lowe’s contract ended, there could be some money to play with this winter. This article takes a look at some of the latest rumors floating around that deal with the Braves.

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With less than 72 hours remaining before the trade deadline, the Atlanta Braves are not having much luck when it comes to adding a starter to their rotation. They thought they landed Ryan Dempster from the Cubs, but Dempster was able to veto that deal. Since then Zack Greinke and Wandy Rodriguez were each dealt and Matt Garza got hurt.

That leaves high-priced options like James Shields and Josh Johnson as the top pitchers on the market, and both of those guys have been struggling this year. Francisco Liriano is even more unpredictable and wouldn’t be much of an upgrade over the guys the Braves want to replace in the rotation.

This article takes a look at three guys the Braves should consider adding as a “plan B” after being unable to land one of the big guns without mortgaging the future. None of these guys will front a playoff rotation, but all would be an upgrade over the current back end of the rotation and will offer some consistency.

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Almost immediately after news broke that Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton will miss the All-Star Game due to a knee surgery (h/t Joe Frisaro, MLB.com), there was breaking news out that young Bryce Harper will replace Stanton in the game (h/t Dayn Perry, CBSsports.com). This makes Harper the youngest position player to ever become an All-Star, and the third-youngest player overall.

While Harper, just age 19, has come up and done a good job for the injury-plagued Nationals to help keep the team in first place, this All-Star selection is a farce. This article takes a look at exactly why Bryce Harper being named an All-Star is a total farce by Major League Baseball.

Before I get into this article I just wanted to give a disclaimer that I am personally a fan of Harper and his ability. I’ve seen him in person and believe he will become a huge star in time. However, he hasn’t earned a spot in the All-Star Game in 2012.

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With the 2012 MLB draft fast approaching, now is a good time to take a look at some of the talented prospects available this year. While the draft may not be as strong as the 2011 draft, there is certainly talent to be had with the 21st pick. 

This article previews four players that may be around when it is time for the Atlanta Braves to make their pick. These players may or may not be selected by the front office, but they are guys that I feel would be a good fit for the organization.

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The farm system is a vital piece of every organization, as it gives a team hope for the future as well as trade chips to acquire a missing piece in order to make a playoff run. The farm systems of the NL East are pretty loaded, and include the top prospect in the game.

This article ranks the farm systems of all teams in the NL East and also continues my series of ranking all areas of the Braves with their competition in the NL East. Outfield and the starting rotation are already complete, with looks at the infield, bullpen and management/coaching staff yet to come.

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