Bobby Cox

Intuition, intelligence, respect, and interpersonal relationship skills make up the character of the game's greatest skippers. What separates a common manager and a winning guru?

Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves, Joe Torre of The Los Angeles Dodgers, and Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals are perfect examples of what differentiates a club-house full of talent, to a unified team, striving to reach a common goal.

Through about three weeks of Spring Training games, what have we learned about the Atlanta Braves?

Here are a few things...

Jason Heyward is the man.

Nate McLouth...not so much.

Craig Kimbrel can throw really well.

Jesse Chavez...not so much.

Derek Lowe has a new delivery.

Brian McCann and Troy Glaus' deliveries of balls to the outfield have not.

Joe Thurston and Brooks Conrad are both more than qualified to be the back-up, back-up infielders.

This will begin my 2010 MLB preview. I intend to touch every team in the major leagues in installments by division. The lineups I provide will be what I predict will be the most productive for each team for the MAJORITY of the season (e.g., Jason Heyward will be listed as the Braves RF even though he may not begin the season as the starter).

I will also provide the stereotypical letter grade to each team's lineup, rotation, bullpen, and depth/bench. Though it is trite, I think all baseball fans can identify with the letter grade system.

I recently received quite a bit of flack for one of the five points in my last article on what the Braves need to happen in order for them to win the East.

So, in the spirit of discussion, and defending myself, I have decided to elaborate on my point on what Bobby Cox needs to do to get his Braves over the hump.

Bobby Cox is a man of many words, most umpires are aware of that, but none know Cox like his players.

Cox is a players' manager, the type of guy any player wants to play for. Ask any of his former players and they'll tell you that Bobby is no doubt the best manager they have played for. Never has he put himself first, but his players always come first.

Pitchers and catchers reporting tomorrow down in Orlando (or "Dark Star" as Dave O'Brien of the AJC has so cleverly coined it)  has a welcoming ring to it.

Every trade, every signing, every prospect, and every rumor has been dissected and bantered about throughout this hot stove season to the point where the only thing really left to do is the most important of all: play ball.

The Braves are reporting to Spring Camp on Friday, and after an off-season full of moves, hopes are high heading into the 2010 season.

With a strong starting rotation, and a revamped offense and bullpen, the Braves think that 2010 will be the year that they return to the post-season.

Here are 5 Bold Predictions for the Braves in 2010, 5 things that might have a slim chance of occurring, but would be fantastic for the Braves organization.

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A few months ago it was announced that the 2010 season will be the last one for Bobby Cox. Sure to go down as one of the best managers in baseball history, Cox led the Atlanta Braves to 14 consecutive division titles from 1992-2005.

While Cox has certainly been a tremendous manager, he's had plenty of help from a quality general manager and various coaches over the years. Here's a look at 10 potential candidates to replace Cox in the 2011 season.

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Going into the offseason Frank Wren had two areas that he needed to address: The bullpen and the lineup.

With the addition of Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, and Jesse Chavez it would appear that the makeover of the bullpen may finally be complete.

The real question now is who will Bobby Cox be calling for once the starting pitchers finish their job?

The way I see it, assuming the Braves decide to go with seven relievers, as they usually do, there is a major competition to break Spring Training on the Major League roster.