Evan Gattis may “only be a rookie” but he’s certainly taken Major League Baseball by storm in his first two months in the bigs. On Monday, Gattis was named Rookie of the Month in the National League for the second consecutive month. The 26 year old hit .303 (20-for-63) during the month of May with 6 homers, 16 RBI, 5 doubles and 13 runs scored. Overall, Gattis has clubbed 12 home runs, 11 doubles and driven in 32 runs in 45 games (145 at bats). He’s on pace to hit 36 homers and drive in 96 runs. Fredi Gonzalez has said keeping his bat in the lineup is a priority, however, playing time has been harder to come by with Brian McCann and Jason Heyward both healthy and off the DL.

Gattis’ story is a remarkable one, so much so that you just wonder how much longer it’ll be until someone makes a movie of it. The national media has picked up on his story, and everywhere the Braves go, local media want a piece of Gattis. Throughout the whole process, Gattis has kept himself grounded and humble. I spoke with him today about the most recent “tribute videos” that have popped up online and he just smiled and told me how awesome it was to see how big the story has gotten.

Now comes the biggest question of them all…could Evan Gattis find himself representing the National League at Citi Field in the upcoming All-Star Game? Fans have been writing him in at a fever rate, and we all know that guys who are voted in will certainly decline to get a few days off. Gattis has already made it clear that he’d love to participate in the Home Run Derby which, as anyone who’s watched him take BP would agree, would be a sight to behold.

For the latest on the Braves, follow Braves Radio Network Reporter Kevin McAlpin on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin).

After playing 26 of their first 40 games, the Braves have FINALLY returned to Turner Field. Back-to-back 10 game, three city trips, along with injuries to key players have taken their toll on the club. However, with all the adversity they’ve been through, the Braves enter a three game weekend series against the Dodgers atop the NL East. Jason Heyward is expected to be activated from the disabled list and be back in the lineup after missing nearly a month after an emergency appendectomy.

Fredi Gonzalez has tinkered with a number of different lineups, trying to find one that works. While Heyward has been out, Jordan Schafer has done an outstanding job as the leadoff man, while Evan Gattis was able to play some left field to keep his bat in the lineup. With Heyward returning, both Gattis and Schafer will see less playing time, but have established themselves as legitimate bats off the bench.

Off to a 13-2 start, we saw how explosive the Braves offense can be. With Heyward, Freeman and McCann all healthy, most in the Clubhouse feel that the best is yet to come for this ball club. While road weary in the middle of May, the Braves have a chance to really establish momentum here at home over the next month and a half. The Nationals don’t appear to be nearly as potent as they were last year, the Phillies have pitching staff issues, and the Mets and Marlins are well, the Mets and Marlins. Entering the weekend of May 17^th, the Braves have a half game lead over Washington. Will the Nats go away? Of course they won’t. However, this Braves team is vastly improved from 2012 and appears to have the pieces to contend with the Nationals until the very end.

I said 96 wins prior to Opening Day, and I’m sticking to it. How big was the red hot start by Atlanta? If the Braves only play .500 ball from here on out, they win 86 games. Do we really think this is a .500 team over their last 122 games? I sure don’t!

For the latest on the Braves, follow Braves Radio Network Reporter Kevin McAlpin on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin).

With one month of the season in the books…I have been asked many times…”what have we learned about the 2013 Atlanta Braves?”  Well, to steal Dennis Green’s infamous line, “they are who we thought they were.” This is a team with a huge power potential. It’s also a ball club that’s going to have more than its fair share of strikeouts. Through the first month of the season, the Braves 246 strikeouts were second in the Majors to only Houston’s 254. However, they lead all of baseball with 36 home runs, 12 of which came off the bat of Justin Upton.

That leads me to the big question. Where would this team be on May 1^st if Frank Wren wasn’t able to pull off the Justin Upton trade? Instead of being a 17-9 team, they could very well be 9-17. Don’t just take into consideration what Justin Upton brings to this team, because having Chris Johnson is as big an addition as the powerful left fielder.  In 22 games in April, Johnson hit .369 with 2 homers and 9 RBI. He not only gave Fredi Gonzalez a viable option at first base when Freddie Freeman went down with an oblique injury, but he also has the versatility to hit basically anywhere in the lineup.

If you want to go strictly by the numbers, Justin Upton is the team’s MVP to this point. However, it’s also important to give honorable mention to Chris Johnson, Evan Gattis and Craig Kimbrel. Gattis’ story has been an interesting one. He’s certainly made the most of his playing time with Brian McCann still on the mend. And when it comes to Craig Kimbrel, yes, he’s human afterall. However, with 9 saves through the first month, I think those who were panicking about his velocity and command during Spring Training can sleep a little easier now.  All in all, Atlanta opened the first month with 17 victories, meaning they’re on pace to win 102 games this season. 102 wins certainly seems like that would be enough to give the Braves their first NL East crown since 2005.

For the latest on the Braves, follow Braves Radio Network Reporter Kevin McAlpin on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)

PITTSBURGH, PA - What have we learned about the 2013 Braves through 14 games? Well, to steal a famous line from Dennis Green, they are who we thought they are. This lineup has some serious thump and speed. They will also strike out…a lot. BJ Upton and Jason Heyward are off to slow starts, but both are starting to feel like they’re coming out of their early season struggles. Since moving to the leadoff spot, BJ Upton has put some pretty good swings on the ball and seems like he’s getting more and more comfortable. Jason Heyward hit about 700 feet worth of fly ball outs last weekend in Washington, and came up with a huge solo home run to give the Braves a 3-2 lead in the 8^th inning on Monday.

But, for as much as the offense steals the spotlight (and rightfully so), the Braves rotation has been better than advertised. Tim Hudson out dueled Stephen Strasburg last Saturday, Paul Maholm is off to a 3-0 start, and despite some early struggles, Julio Teheran looks to be settling in nicely. We all know about Kris Medlen’s “bulldog mentality” and young lefty Mike Minor has been outstanding since the middle of last June. Through 14 games, the Braves boast the best ERA (1.77) in the Majors, holding opponents to just a .206 batting average.

The Braves bullpen has also been outstanding, allowing none of their 14 inherited runners to score. We all know Eric O’Flaherty is one of the best set up men in baseball, but everyone Fredi has called upon from the pen has done their jobs and given this team a chance to win every game.  So, where can the Braves go from here? Well, Freddie Freeman should return next week, Brian McCann is on the mend, and oh yeah, Brandon Beachy is expected back by late June. If this team can avoid the injury bug, there’s no reason this team can’t play DEEP into October.

For the latest on the Braves, follow Braves Radio Network Reporter Kevin McAlpin on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)

Opening Day. For baseball fans, April 1, 2013 will feel like Christmas morning. Spring Training is now in the rear view mirror and the marathon starts Monday as the Braves play host to their division rival Phillies. In 2012, Philadelphia’s offense struggled as both Chase Utley and Ryan Howard missed significant time early on. However, both Utley and Howard enter this season healthy and the Phillies remain optimistic that they have enough pieces to compete with the Nationals and Braves in an extremely competitive NL East. For the Braves, life after Chipper officially begins as a new regime is set to carry the torch left by the future Hall of Famer.

After nearly seven weeks and 36 exhibition games in Orlando, they all count for real starting on Monday. In 2012, the Braves struggled against lefties, however this year the lineup has a much different look to it. BJ and Justin Upton help provide much needed balance to what was a lefty heavy lineup one season ago. Also, the acquisition of Gerald Laird will help fill the void left as David Ross signed a two-year deal with the Red Sox this offseason. Laird is expected to split time with Evan Gattis who tore up both the Venezuelan Winter League, as well as the Grapefruit League this Spring.

Probable Starters vs the Phillies:
Cole Hamels (17-6, 3.05) vs Tim Hudson (16-7, 3.62)
Roy Halladay (11-8, 4.49) vs Paul Maholm (13-11, 3.67)
Cliff Lee (6-9, 3.16) vs Kris Medlen (10-1, 1.57)
*stats from 2012*

Braves Bits: Jonny Venters will visit Dr. James Andrews Monday to have his sprained left elbow examined…Julio Teheran, who won’t make his first start until Saturday against the Cubs, will be available from the bullpen the first few days if need be…expect to see Juan Francisco and Chris Johnson split time at third as the Braves will open the season with a platoon…Chipper Jones will throw out the first pitch Monday while Dale Murphy will serve as honorary team captain…the Braves blanked the Future Stars 10-0 in Pearl, MS on Saturday in front of the largest crowd in Trustmark Park history (8,217)

For the latest on the Braves, follow Braves Radio Network Reporter Kevin McAlpin on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin).

Lake Buena Vista, FL – As we enter the final week of Spring Training, the battle for the final spots on the Braves 25 man roster is heating up. When camp opened in the middle of February, manager Fredi Gonzalezsaid the plan was for Juan Francisco and Chris Johnson to battle it out for the job at third base. Both Johnson and Francisco have been red hot at the plate, hitting a combined .368 (42-for-114) with 8 home runs, 23 RBI and 21 runs scored as of Saturday morning. If Opening Day was tomorrow, Fredi seems inclined to go with a platoon at third base, rather than having one win the job outright. Jordan Schafer, Tyler Pastornicky and Evan Gattis have all been red hot this Spring as well. However, with the Braves not having many openings on their roster, it appears as though only two out of those three will make the roster. Fredi Gonzalez has hinted that the longterm plan for Pastornicky is to become a super utility guy, capable of covering short, second, and some outfield as well. The only way for a young player like Tyler to get those reps however, seems to be at the Triple-A level.

The other big question mark heading into camp was the status of the fifth spot in the rotation. Julio Teheran, who goes today against the Astros has been outstanding this Spring. In his first five starts, he’s allowed just three earned runs on seven hits in 20 innings pitched. His strikeouts to walk ratio has been impressive as well, as he’s stuck out 25 while walking just six. Teheran credits his success to his two seam fastball, a pitch he worked hard on during Winter ball.

Braves Bits: Brian McCann has been taking batting practice and throwing regularly and hopes to get into games (either in Gwinnett or Atlanta) on April 16…Jonny Venters hasn’t pitched since last Wednesday but will throw in a Minor League game this afternoon…Evan Gattis clubbed two home runs Friday at Clearwater, upping his average to .391 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 20 games this Spring…Legendary skipper Bobby Cox will manage the Future Stars next Saturday afternoon in Gwinnett.

For the latest on the Braves, follow Braves Radio Network Reporter Kevin McAlpin on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin).