Inside the Phillies: Pitching puts Atlanta in position to contend

The headlines and constant chatter commanded everyone to pay attention to the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals this winter. The teams were connected with every big-ticket item and ultimately landed such talent as Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell, Gio Gonzalez, and Edwin Jackson.

In Atlanta, the Braves did not add a single player to the 40-man roster from outside the organization. The only major-league free agent they signed was light-hitting infielder Jack Wilson, who was acquired at last year's waiver trade deadline. And Wilson merely will serve as a backup to a 22-year-old shortstop handed the starting job without having any major-league experience.

Atlanta did little to reshape a roster that endured one of the worst collapses in baseball history, only to be overshadowed by the fried chicken and beer in Boston. So how is it possible to pick the Braves over the Marlins and Nationals for second place and top contender after the Phillies in the stacked National League East?

It will take a much better season by Jason Heyward, the right-field phenom who crash-landed after a stellar rookie season with a 50-point drop in batting average and 74-point drop in on-base percentage.

It will take at least 130 games from Chipper Jones, the soon-to-be 40-year-old whose 2011 numbers still made him the second-most productive third baseman in the NL with an .814 OPS. His balky knees, however, can give way at any time.

But mostly, Atlanta is relying on pitching depth unparalleled in the rest of the division. The Nationals have been lauded for stockpiling arms, but Stephen Strasburg is on an innings limit, and Jordan Zimmermann and Chien-Ming Wang are only recently removed from surgery. The Marlins, for all their moves, still need Josh Johnson healthy and believe that Carlos Zambrano can stay sane enough to be the fifth starter.

The Braves hold Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens, and Tommy Hanson at the top of their rotation, and all three come with injury concerns. But behind them are Brandon Beachy (age 25), Mike Minor (24), and the three top prospects: Julio Teheran (21), Randall Delgado (turns 22 Thursday), and Arodys Vizcaino (21).

It's as deep as any rotation in the majors. The bullpen, everyone knows: Craig Kimbrel carried a 1.64 ERA into September only to finally succumb to a heavy workload by blowing three saves. But Kimbrel, along with Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty, now understands what sort of conditioning it takes to last through the final month.