When they report to spring training today, the Braves will certainly do so as five-time protecting NL East champions. They are coming off a 101-win period, with a deep pitching personnel as well as a lineup including 6 gamers signed to long-term agreements, which should ensure they stay title contenders for several years to , the Braves have concerns, and concerns to be responded to, as they plan for their seventh Opening Day under supervisor Brian Snitker as well as sixth period under president of baseball procedures Alex they resist the Mets and also proprietor Steve Cohen's historic pay-roll? Or a Phillies group that got its groove back with a pennant-winning postseason? Below are key Braves concerns as points obtain underway in North Port, 's at short?Dansby Swanson, Atlanta's shortstop for six seasons, was a first-time All-Star as well as Gold Glover in a career-best 2022 season, after that went to the Cubs as a freelance. His substitute will be seasoned Orlando Arcia or 22-year-old Vaughn Grissom, disallowing a surprise signing or trade in between currently as well as Opening the Braves state it'll be a competitors at spring training between Arcia and also Grissom, signs direct toward Grissom. He played only two games at shortstop as a newbie in 2022, yet was mainly a minor-league shortstop before being phoned from Double A in August as well as placed at keystone after injuries to starter Ozzie Albies as well as backup scouts assumed Grissom, an 11th-rounder in 2019, might become relocated off shortstop, that at 6 feet 3 he 'd be far better fit for 3rd base or outfield once he completed. Yet the Braves are set at third base, have a glaring requirement at shortstop as well as think Grissom, after dealing with Braves infield guru Ron Washington for almost a month in three different individually shortstop minicamps this winter season, can be a minimum of average , they believe Grissom can be well above average. He demonstrated remarkable bat-to-ball skills in his very first two weeks in the majors, hitting.420 with three homers, 10 RBIs and also a 1.123 OPS in his first 14 games. However over his final 27 games, he hit.220 with two homers and also a. 613 OPS and also had only three plate looks in 2 video games of the division collection loss versus the Phillies, when Arcia began 3 of Braves claimed they weren't worried about Grissom's struggles after the preliminary surge; it occurs to many novices that start quickly prior to challengers create looking records and also exploit over-aggressiveness or openings in swings. Grissom still finished up with a. 291 standard,.792 OPS and also 121 OPS+ in 41 he's the starter Pete Rose Jersey, he'll be expected to play solid, not stunning, protection. Make regular plays and stay clear of psychological lapses. Do not get upset or take offending struggles right into the area-- the Braves have enough excellent players to cover him, however they can not pay for a whole lot of defensive mistakes at must be kept in mind that though it would certainly be tough to change Swanson's contributions with the glove, he had not been a consistently productive player. Swanson had 54 homers as well as 184 RBIs over the previous 2 periods, and also a penchant for large hits. Yet before his 115 OPS+ last season, he never had one as high as 100 in a complete 's in left field?This is the other uncertain placement, and it's murkier. That could transform if Eddie Rosario shows up looking even more like the player he was late in the 2021 season and also during the run to that year's Globe Series title, not the man that had laser-eye surgery last springtime, missed two months as well as never ever regained his kind, completed with profession worsts in average.212) and OPS.586 ). The Braves are mosting likely to look past his 2022 battles and also offer Rosario a chance to reveal he can be a schedule normal once more. Yet it's much more likely he would be used in an army of some kind, with plenty of prospects to share less than 6 outfielders consisting of Rosario) will certainly compete for limbo, as well as none from the motley assemblage is without significant flaws, starting with Marcell Ozuna, whose issues on as well as off area-- consisting of domestic physical violence accusations, with fees eventually disregarded after he went into a diversion program, as well as a DUI arrest-- are well documented. He's owed $37 million over the final 2 years of his agreement, so he's back. The Braves were motivated by his hard-hit rates last season and also a. 300 average with four homers and also.890 OPS in his final 21 defense? Negative. Mostly because Ozuna's arm is awful at this phase of his career, having never recuperated fully from shoulder surgery. His 2017 Gold Handwear cover now seems incomprehensible. However Ozuna, when he's locked in, can still burn baseballs, and also he'll obtain a chance to play plenty, in left field as well as at left-field prospects: Sam Hilliard, Jordan Luplow, Eli White all on the 40-man roster; Luplow and also White with minor-league choices), and Kevin Pillar, who recently signed a minor-league 's the fifth starter?The Braves return among the very best starting-pitcher quartets in the majors with Cy Youthful runner-up Max Fried, phenom fireballer Spencer Strider, 21-game champion Kyle Wright and also 39-year-old Charlie Morton, a workhorse who still rotates the round far much better than most. If they can obtain good job from their No. 5, it should make this set of MLB's extremely Braves feel much better and much more confident regarding that fifth place than they have in years given that the top candidates are Mike Soroka and Ian was predicted as the following true ace in the Braves' throwing family tree before tearing his best Achilles in August 2020. He tore it once again in June 2021 while rehabbing, and appeared like his career might be over. Yet the affable as well as steady Canadian proceeded his return quote and also, in some late-season rehabilitation starts in 2022, he revealed flashes of the dominant sinker as well as identify area that aided make him an All-Star in 2019 as a 21-year-old , 24, was 12-7 with a 3.25 period in 30 regular-season begins in his initial two periods as well as had a 1.26 age in 8 postseason starts including 7 Braves wins. Yet he went from being the pitcher that would certainly've started Game 7 of the 2021 World Collection Braves closed it out in six) to being demoted to Triple A last summer with a 5.00 ERA and also 1.513 WHIP in 22 starts, permitting 115 hits 14 homers) and 54 strolls in 1112/3 opponents learned exactly how to assault his primarily two-pitch repertoire and also obtain made use of to his extreme outrageous distribution. Battles grew out of control when his confidence got damaged. This offseason he functioned to hone and also increase his repertoire as well as went to the distinguished Wake Forest pitching 3rd candidate is Bryce Elder, who had a 3.17 ERA in 10 games as a novice. He had a 1.65 age in 5 August-September begins, with 33 strikeouts and 9 strolls in 322/3 innings, albeit all 5 against the Marlins and also about leadership?It's easy to understand that many Braves followers express problem concerning shedding Swanson, that in 2015 was "The Constable" in the club, a year after shedding totally free representative Freddie Freeman, that had actually long been the undoubted , here's a basic point of view I've taken from discussions with previous as well as present players and also from a number of execs who've been with groups that included terrific chemistry as well as groups that did not. It's the chemistry that's essential, not one or 2 individuals being vocal leaders. Especially on a team that has a manager and also trains as respected by the gamers as the Braves that means: If the club is full of excellent dudes who really like each various other, it's not important that or 2 organize every circumstance. On the various other hand, also if you have a number of great leaders Greg Luzinski Jersey, it won't stop a couple of knuckleheads from ruining the chemistry. As well as the Braves and Anthopoulos have done as good of a work as any group in vetting gamers and not including harmful individuals to the mix. When it concerns Ozuna, whatever you assume of his off-field disobediences and his play in the past two seasons, he is usually not viewed as disruptive in the club.) Bear in mind a year back, a lot of us questioned the clubhouse after Freeman's free-agent leave at the beginning of spring training." It's sort of the same watercraft that we were in when Freddie left. There was a management role that was exposed, " expert catcher Travis d'Arnaud said. "So I think it's going to be a comparable circumstance in the springtime and somebody will normally just fill up that in. I do not know who it is, it may be someone we do not even anticipate." Will the Braves gain from guideline changes?The 2 brand-new guidelines that can most function in the Braves' favor are the limit on bottle pickoffs-- 2 tosses per runner per base, with a 3rd being a balk unless the jogger is tossed out-- and bigger bases that reduce range by 41/2 inches between bases. The Braves have excellent base stealers, Ronald Acua Jr., Michael Harris II and also Albies, as well as Grissom had 27 swipes in 32 efforts in 96 minor-league video games in 2022. AdvertisementMeanwhile, the Braves traded for Gold Handwear cover catcher Sean Murphy, whose "pop time"-- the moment it requires to go from catcher's crouch to tossed round reaching second-- was second-quickest in the majors, which ought to hinder would-be base stealers. Image of Ian Anderson: Geoff Burke/ United States Today).