Another Chipper Jones Update

ATLANTA -- Daily cortisone treatments begun last week have calmed the tendinitis in Chipper Jones' surgically repaired left knee. This week, the Braves' third baseman will start agility drills.

As Spring Training nears, Jones feels that he is on schedule to be ready for Opening Day. But there are still hurdles -- and questions -- that remain.

"I'm starting to get ready to do it for real," Jones said Monday at Turner Field. "That's when I'll see where I'm really at."

Jones, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in August, will report to Spring Training with the pitchers and catchers on Feb. 14. He hasn't taken any ground balls yet, but has been hitting since December.

The tendinitis, which wasn't unexpected, had limited him and made batting right-handed painful for the switch-hitter. But he hopes that is in the past.

"I've felt good since I began the treatments and I've had no limitations since," Jones said.

The colder-than-usual Atlanta winter has kept Jones from doing much outside, which may not be a bad thing.

"Everybody who knows me knows that I'm going to try to do too much too quick," Jones said. "[The weather] has helped keep the reins drawn in, which is probably a good thing. I'm resigned to not doing any of the fielding stuff until I get down to Spring Training, which is probably in my best interest.

"My knee isn't quite there yet. I can run straight ahead, but it still feels like my left leg is five pounds heavier than my right. That's just something that comes with the surgery."

As he eases back into things, though, don't expect Jones to wear a bulky brace like former Atlanta teammate Sid Bream. He will wear a sleeve for support instead during workouts as well as games.

The flareup of tendinitis wasn't a setback in Jones' mind, just something to be expected as part of the rehab process. And he said it has been much less of a problem than when he tore the ACL in 1994. That repair required major surgery, rather than being done arthroscopically.

"Now that you're starting to get into the everyday hustle and bustle of getting yourself ready for Spring Training, you've got aches and pains," Jones said. "Tendinitis is just one of those steps you've got to get by."

His treatment is through a process called phoresis, an alternative to a cortisone shot. Jones wears a pad on his knee and the anti-inflammatory is electronically distributed through the skin.

Jones, 38, had hinted at retirement as he struggled early last season, but he had regained his hitting stroke before being injured on a fielding play in Houston on Aug. 12. He vowed to come back, saying, "I don't want the fans' final image of me to be one of me hurt on the field."

Jones, who has a .300 career average and 436 home runs, feels that his return is on schedule.

"I've got to get to the point where I don't mentally think about the knee," Jones said. "As long as I don't have any pain down there, I won't think about it. That's why I'm really excited about coming down here [to Turner Field], getting the treatment, getting that tendinitis out of there."

Things are looking pretty good so far. Let's hope that everything goes well and there are no setbacks. It would be nice to have Chipper and his .400 obp back in the lineup. Over or under 100 games this year? I'll be optimistic too and say over.

Rodrigo Lopez Signs with Braves

Rodrigo Lopez chose the Braves out of three possible destinations. The New York Mets and Colorado Rockies were the other two choices. I can't blame him for choosing the Braves, but he would of had a better chance of joining the Mets or Rockies rotation in the future.

It's a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. With the abundance of young pitchers in the organization already...why waste money or time on a below average pitcher?

Aparantly this is the 2nd time the guy has signed with the organization as well. He signed in 2008 after Tommy John surgery only to be released shortly later.

If it's for more pitching depth, it seems to be okay. I do not expect him to be involved in any future plans with the big club.

Anyways, here's an article from the Braves official site.

Keith Law's Top Ten Braves Prospects

Keith Law of ESPN posted his top ten Braves prospects. This is on ESPN Insider if you have access to it. There is some discussion about this on talkingchop.

1. Julio Teheran, RHP (6)
2. Freddie Freeman, 1B (43)
3. Arodys Vizcaino, RHP (47)
4. Randall Delgado, RHP (50)
5. Mike Minor, LHP (61)
6. Craig Kimbrel, RHP
7. Carlos Perez, LHP
8. Matt Lipka, SS
9. Edward Salcedo, SS
10. Cristian Bethancourt, C

The numbers to the right of the player's name indicate their rank in all of MLB. I believe it is out of 100 players, so that is why the other half of the prospects don't have a number. They didn't make the top 100, but they could easily make it on the list next year.

I haven't talked about Vizcaino at all. He missed a lot of time last season and yet still remains high in the system. His upside is supposedly greater than Delgado. Arodys was a prospect aquired in the Javier Vasquez trade; perhaps the biggest piece of the trade (not Melky Cabrera).

Kimbrel doesn't have a number because Keith Law doesn't value relief pitchers much in his rankings. Craig Kimbrel already proved to be a nasty pitcher in his short time in Atlanta. He will take over the closer role once held by Billy Wagner (retired). Billy Wagner has not officially retired yet, but several sources say he will.

ESPN's Keith Law Ranks Braves Minor League System

Keith Law ranks the Braves minor league system number three in all of baseball. It's good to see the Braves farm system back on top after John Schuerholtz nearly drained the system by doing trades such as the one that involved Mark Teixeira. In fact, I have an article about this trade back when in happened. The Texas Rangers went to the World Series last year with a few guys that were top prospects in the Atlanta Braves system. These two are known as Neftali Feliz and Elvis Andrus.

Good thing current GM Frank Wren seems to understand the value in keeping top prospects.

If you have ESPN insider, you can read the article here. If not, you can still see that the Braves are number three on the list.

Top Ten List: Teheran, Minor, Freeman

I found an article on MLB.com that has best prospect lists; top ten left handed pitchers, top ten right handed pitchers and top ten first basemen. These lists include a few Braves.

Mike Minor was ranked number four on the list for left handed pitchers.

-4. Mike Minor, Braves: Minor's stuff was pretty good at Vanderbilt, but he fit more of the sensible lefty mold. As a professional, though, his stuff has been much better than expected. His fastball has gained a few ticks, his changeup is a plus pitch and his curve has improved as well. He can throw all three pitches for strikes. It took him a year to get to Atlanta, and he could very well be there to stay. Braves fans should get excited about having Tommy Hanson, Julio Teheran and Minor in the rotation.

While Minor has already had some time with Atlanta he still has potential to be a #1 or #2 pitcher in a rotation despite his poor performance. Eight games at the Major League level isn't big enough of a sample size to declare anything. He possessed a good k/9 rate throughout the minors and his WHIP was fairly low. He could be a pretty good bargain for a number five starter out of the rotation. Let's hope he has a good spring training. Brandon Beachy could still get the 5th spot.

Julio Teheran was ranked number two in the right handed group.

-2. Julio Teheran, Braves: Teheran jumped on the fast track in 2010, pitching across three levels. He's got a terrific three-pitch mix (fastball, changeup, curve), all of which are at least above-average. Just 20, his command on the mound belies his years and that, combined with his stuff, points to a future at the top of a rotation. Atlanta already has Tommy Hanson and Mike Minor. It may not take too long for Teheran to join them.

Teheran might be a September call up to get some time in this year. Teheran is a lock for the 2012 season, unless he has some crazy horrific year in the minors. Some have compared this guy to a young Pedro Martinez. That is huge considering that Pedro is one of the best pitchers in the history of the game. He will be 20 years old this year, plenty of time to develop even more as he gets older.

The Braves also have Randall Delgado, who is a top pitching prospect who didn't make the list (surprisingly). But lets not get all upset, it's just a writers opinion.

The best part is that no other teams in the NL East are represented on either list for pitching.

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Freddie Freeman appeared at number two on the first baseman list.

2. Freddie Freeman, Braves: He belongs on any list for 2011 National League Rookie of the Year Award candidates, and not just because he'll have the opportunity to play every day for Atlanta. He might not have the best power in this group, but there's plenty more than what he's shown to date (though he did have 35 doubles and 18 homers in 2010). His smooth left-handed swing should allow him to hit for average and drive in runs right out of the gate.

This guy should bring some excitement to the team this year. He will be starting the season without any kid of spring training competition, a rarity. It will be like Jason Heyward all over again, although no one will or should be expecting him to match Heyward's rookie season numbers.

Freeman absolutely raked in Triple A. At 20 years old, he posted 18 home runs, 87 RBI, 35 Doubles, and had a .319Avg/.378Obp/.521Slug line in 124 games. If that doesn't have you optimistic, I don't know what will. He is also supposedly very good with the glove as well.

I'm liking the trend. Heyward (2010), Freeman (2011), Teheran (2012). Throw in Delgado somewhere too.