22-year old lefty swinging 1B Freddie Freeman burst onto the scene for the Braves last year. He played in 157 games for the Braves last year and he was 161 for 571 (.282 avg, .795 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 21 homers, 76 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Freeman has now played in 177 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 165 of 595 (.277 avg, .784 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 22 homers, 77 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Freeman only had 6 errors in 156 games at 1B for the Braves last year as he is a pretty solid defender. The Braves hope that Freeman continues to improve as a hitter, because the Braves have had some troubles scoring runs lately.

26-year old righty swinging Ernesto Mejia might get his first taste of the majors in 2012. He played in 137 games for the Braves in AA-ball last year and he was 148 for 499 (.297 avg, .906 OPS) with 82 runs scored, 26 homers, 99 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Mejia has now played in 577 games in his first 7 years in the minors for the Braves and he is 604 for 2,142 (.282 avg, .833 OPS) with 334 runs scored, 87 homers, 373 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.

34-year old lefty swinging Eric Hinske can also handle playing 1B. He played in 13 error-free games at 1B for the Braves last year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 1B IN 2012: B