When the Braves signed 33-year old lefty swinging 1B/3B/OF Eric Hinske over the winter no one thought much about it. But Hinske has been a secret weapon for the Braves this year. He has played in 128 games for the Braves this year and he is 72 of 278 (.259 avg, .801 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 11 homers and 51 RBIs. Hinske’s versatility and power have been huge assets for the Braves off the bench and I look for that to continue in the playoffs if the Braves hold off the Padres for the Wild Card.

Rookie 22-year old righty reliever Craig Kimbrel has been throwing seeds for the Braves so far this year. Kimbrel has pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 4-0 with 1 save, a 0.45 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has only allowed 9 hits in 20 innings this year while whiffing 38 batters as he has been devastating to opposing teams hitters. His only chink in his armor has been his control as he has walked 14 batters in 20 innings pitched so far for the Braves but that’s nitpicking.

The Braves have lost 26-year old righty swinging 2B Martin Prado for the rest of the year due to a hip pointer and torn oblique muscle. Prado has played in 140 games for the Braves this year and he was 184 of 599 (.307 avg, .809 OPS) with 100 runs scored, 15 homers, 66 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Omar Infante will start at 2B for the rest of the year and 30-year old switch hitting Brooks Conrad will likely start at 3B. Conrad has played in 100 games for the Braves so far this year and he is 35 of 145 (.241 avg, .813 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 8 homers, 31 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. The Braves really need Conrad to step up and give them some offense as they are only 1.5 games up on the Padres for the N.L. Wild Card.

33-year old righty swinging shortstop Alex Gonzalez has provided good defense and clutch hitting for the Braves since coming over from the Blue Jays in the Yunel Escobar trade. Gonzalez plays hard all of the time which can’t be said about Escobar. Gonzalez has played in 61 games for the Braves this year and he is 61 of 228 (.268 avg, .742 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 5 homers and 35 RBIs. He has played in 146 games overall this season for the Jays & Braves and he is 146 of 556 (.263 avg, .772 OPS) with 71 runs scored, 22 homers and 85 RBIs.

25-year old rookie lefty reliever Jonny Venters has been outstanding this year for the Braves. Venters has pitched in 68 games (0 starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 4-2 with 1 save, a 1.83 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He has only given up 49 hits while whiffing 82 batters in 73 2/3 innings this year showing just how nasty he has been. Venters has walked 34 batters this year so he will need to tighten up his control a bit but he keeps the ball in the park as he has only given up 1 homer this year. He has the stuff to maybe succeed Billy Wagner as the Braves’ closer next season.

24-year old righty starting pitcher Tommy Hanson burst onto the scene last year for the Atlanta Braves. In 2009, Hanson started 21 games for the Braves as a rookie and he was 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. This year he has pitched more like a mortal, starting in 29 games in which he is 9-11 with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He still is pitching solid baseball though even though his record might not reflect it. Hanson has now started 50 games in his major league career and he is 20-15 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. The Braves need him to finish strongly if the Braves are going to overtake the Phillies in the N.L. East.

It’s about time for the national media to start recognizing 26-year old lefty swinging Brian McCann as one of the best catchers in all of baseball. He has played in 115 games for the Braves this year and he is 108 of 384 (.281 avg, .873 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 19 homers, 70 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. McCann has now played in 726 games in his six years with the Braves and he is 731 of 2,507 (.292 avg, .857 OPS) with 317 runs scored, 110 homers, 459 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. If the Braves are going to hold off the Philadelphia Phillies a big reason will be the play of Brian McCann.