Predictions: The Atlanta Braves 25 Man Roster

Mar 21, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman

(54) tags out St. Louis Cardinals catcher

(4) at Roger Dean Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Braves 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

The Bench:

This is where the true battles are taking place, especially when you take into consideration that two of the outfield positions are going to go to players who are essentially bench players.

OF   Jonny Gomes
OF   Eric Young Jr.
OF   Eury Perez
OF   Joey Terdoslavich
C     A.J. Pierzynski
INF Alberto Callaspo
INF Kelly Johnson

Immediately, you might be thinking “where’s the backup shortstop?” Well Jace Peterson played 330 of his 372 minor league games at shortstop, so any situation where Simmons would need a day off or get banged up for a few days, Peterson could fill in just fine, if what we’ve seen from him at second translates across the diamond. In the event of disabled list trip for any of these infielders, Phil Gosselin could be called upon to fill that spot. And he could even break camp with the big league club; it’s a very realistic possibility for several reasons.

• The Braves somehow sever ties with Alberto Callaspo, the newly signed $3MM man who has had a Nate McLouth-esque spring.
• Fredi Gonzalez becomes fully unpredictable and doesn’t use the “veteran presence” angle to give Kelly Johnson a roster spot (although in his defense, Johnson has stepped up his game in the last week and is now hitting .270/.372/.459 this spring).
• I’m overplaying the importance of Joey Terdoslavich.

I believe Joey Terdoslavich needs to be on the 25 man roster, and not just for the chance to make crazy unassisted double plays. Terdoslavich has always had potential, but was ultimately blocked after he proved unable to handle the hot corner. And after the departure of Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and Evan Gattis, he deserves time to showcase his ability in the bigs. Even if only to make him trade bait.

Kelly Johnson and Alberto Callaspo take the infield spots for me, but that’s mainly because of the reasons I listed above. Callaspo is an investment, and Kelly Johnson is versatile (he’s even playing right field today against the Pirates) and until recently carried a lot of offensive potential. And of course, both are part of the “veteran presence” you’ve heard so much about this spring. If I had to guess, I’d say Zolio Almonte would be the roster casualty for Kelly Johnson. An unimpressive spring on top of a depth of fringe corner outfielders performing well leaves him without a clear role. Being out of options doesn’t help either.

Solid springs from both Eric Young Jr and Eury Perez should see them sharing time in centerfield, with Perez being the true 5^th outfielder type. Young Jr. should create a soft platoon situation with Jonny Gomes in left, and would probably routinely serve as a late inning defensive replacement for Gomes.

Next: The Rotation...