The Atlanta Braves finished in second place in the N.L. East in 2012 with a 94-68 (58%) record, which got them into the Wild Card Game. The Braves lost the Wild Card Game to the Cardinals. Here is the players who made the biggest impacts for the Braves in 2012, in my opinion:

Team MVP: Jason Heyward - 23-year old lefty swinging RF Jason Heyward rebounded from a sophomore slump in 2011 with a big year in 2012. Heyward played in 158 games for the Braves last year and he was 158 of 587 (.269 avg, .814 OPS) with 93 runs scored, 27 homers, 82 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. He is back in the Braves’ good graces.

Best Pitcher - Craig Kimbrel - 24-year old righty reliever Craig Kimbrel is the best closer in the National League without a doubt. He pitched in 63 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 3-1 with 42 saves, a 1.01 ERA and a 0.65 WHIP. He only gave up 27 hits and 14 walks in 62 2/3 innings while whiffing 116 batters last year and those are eye popping numbers.

Biggest Surprise: Kris Medlen - 27-year old righty Kris Medlen started out the 2012 season in the bullpen for the Braves. But, when they put him in the rotation in the second half of the year, he really soared. Medlen pitched in 50 games (12 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 10-1 with 1 save, a 1.57 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. Medlen only gave up 103 hits and 23 walks while whiffing 120 batters in 138 innings for the Braves last year, which are amazing numbers.

Biggest Disappointment: Jair Jurrjens - The Braves expected 26-year old righty starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens to be a key to the rotation, but that didn’t last long. Jurrjens pitched in 11 games (10 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 3-4 with a 6.89 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP. Jurrjens gave up 72 hits (8 homers), walked 18 batters and he only whiffed 19 batters in 48 1/3 innings as he was really lousy for the Braves in 2012.

2011 wasn’t all bad for the Braves as they played good baseball from April through the end of August. They finished with a 89-73 record, which was good for second place in the A.L. East, 13 games behind the Phillies. They also lost the Wild Card by 1 game to the Cardinals. Here is a look at the things that stood out to me in 2011:

TEAM MVP: 23-year old righty closer Craig Kimbrel was plain nasty for the Braves in 2011. He pitched in 79 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 4-3 with 46 saves, a 2.10 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Kimbrel only gave up 48 hits in 77 innings last year while whiffing a stunning 127 batters! He did walk 32 batters last year, but that’s nitpicking.

BEST PITCHER: 36-year old righty starting pitcher Tim Hudson was a lifesaver for the Braves’ pitching staff. He pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Braves in 2011 and he was 16-10 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He was a horse in the rotation as he constantly was working late in games to save the bullpen a little wear and tear every five days.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: 22-year old lefty swinging rookie 1B Freddie Freeman turned in a very solid year in 2011 for the Braves. He played in 157 games for the Braves in 2011 and he was 161 for 571 (.282 avg, .795 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 21 homers, 76 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: 22-year old lefty swinging RF Jason Heyward put up a very solid rookie year in 2010. They thought he was going to build on that success in 2011, but he went into the tank instead. Heyward played in 128 games for the Braves in 2011 and he was 90 for 396 (.227 avg, .708 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 14 homers, 42 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. He is going to have to bounce back in 2012 to restore the organization’s confidence in him.