Braves season preview: The rotation

As a preview to the upcoming Braves season, AJC staff writer Carroll Rogers breaks down the team by position. Today: The starting pitching.

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Rich Addicks/raddicks@ajc.com

New Braves pitcher Javier Vazquez will have to turn it around. He’s had losing records in three of the last four seasons.

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SEASON PREVIEW

• The rotation | Spring stats
• Sutton's take on the staff
• Q&A with Derek Lowe
• More: The outfield | Murphy's take
• The infield | Lemke on infield

RELATED BRAVES LINKS

• Schedule • Beat blog • Stats

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As good as the Braves feel about this starting rotation, there are new faces, which bring some unknowns, like at the No. 3 and 4 spots. Javier Vazquez will eat innings (he’s pitched 200 innings eight of the last nine years), but will he perform at the level he did when he was with the Expos? He’s had losing records in three of the last four seasons. The lone exception was in 2007 when he went 15-8 with a 3.74 ERA for the White Sox. Otherwise his ERA hadn’t been under 4.00 since 2003, his last season with Montreal.

How will Kenshin Kawakami’s game translate from the Japanese leagues? Seasons here are longer by about 20 games, ballparks are smaller than his home ballpark with Chunichi, and already he had shoulder fatigue in spring training. The most starts Kawakami made in 11 seasons with the Chunichi Dragons was 24, and that was seven years ago. A good year for a major league starter is 30-35 starts.

Three other things to watch

• Where does Tommy Hanson fit in? The Braves are sitting on a major talent in Hanson, who will open the season in the minor leagues. In spring training he looked more than ready to face major league hitting. How long do you keep him in the minors, especially if he gets off to a dominating start? Would you risk putting him in a fifth starter’s spot where he wouldn’t get regular work? The Braves have decisions to make but know it’s a good problem to have.

• Does Tom Glavine make it back? The 43-year-old 305-game winner didn’t want his career to end on his first ever trip to the disabled list. Coming off elbow and shoulder surgery, he’s determined to get back for an April 19 debut as the Braves fifth starter. His control has been vintage, but will his arm strength follow suit? He had a ways to go to build on the 78-80 mph fastball he showed in his first spring training game.

• Does Derek Lowe prove to be the ace the Braves think he is? The Braves signed the 35-year-old Lowe to a four-year $60 million contract to fill the role of No. 1 starter. The sinkerballer was the Opening Day starter for the Dodgers the last three years and their go-to pitcher last year in the playoffs. Some might question the richness of the contract given his age, but Lowe has made 30 or more starts for seven straight seasons, thrown 200 innings five of the last seven, and he’s never been on the disabled list.