Braves' clubhouse has changed

Now, on to bidnez. The stuff that matters.

First-week impressions from Braves camp: It's a much different clubhouse without Chipper Jones, Martin Prado, David Ross, Eric Hinske and Peter Moylan in it. At least so far, the booming voices and good-natured insults some of those guys slung across the clubhouse have been noticeably absent.

The overall vibe of the clubhouse has seemed good. It's been under a week, not nearly enough time to tell what sort of personalities will set the tone for this team on or off the field. The Upton brothers, veteran newcomers B.J. and Justin, have been cordial and accommodating, and there are already signs that they've bonded with outfielders Jason Heyward and also Reed Johnson, who's only been here two days but is about as outgoing and easy to get along with as anyone.

It’s going to be interesting to see how things progress over the next six weeks. It’s a fairly cramped clubhouse at Champion Stadium, compared to the home clubhouse at Turner Field. That’s probably a good thing, considering all the newcomers. They couldn’t avoid each other for long even if they wanted to.

  Tim  Hudson, the respected leader of the pitching staff and the Brave with the most major league service – over 13-1/2 years, four more than Johnson – knew the clubhouse was going to be a much quieter place once he saw Ross leave as a free agent and Prado get traded, after Chipper had already retired and Hinske and Moylan knew they probably weren't going to be asked to come back.

“Pretty much every big personality is gone elsewhere,” Hudson said. “I’m not saying the new guys aren’t cool; you don’t know yet. They’ve got to be comfortable. They’re not going to bust in here and be like, ‘What’s up b****es, I’m here!’ You’re not going to do that.

“I knew as soon as I saw [who was leaving], it was going to be like, you can hear a pin drop in here. It’s not going to be as loose.”

But as Hudson reiterated, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily going to be better or worse. Just different.

That much has been abundantly clear to all of us who’ve covered the team for any length.

Locker lineup: Speaking of Chipper, Dan Uggla was moved to his old locker in the Braves' clubhouse at Champion Stadium. Chipper and John Smoltz were the only players to have that locker in the first 15 spring trainings at the ballpark, at least as far as any of us could remember. (I'll try to find out for sure over the weekend.)

Uggla felt like he got a little lost back in the corner locker he had previously, which is only about 7-8 feet away but on the other side of a doorway to an equipment room and office used by the clubhouse staff. He got moved to the former spring digs occupied by Chipper, although Uggla doesn’t get the extra locker than Chipper got adjacent to it. Nobody on this year’s team has the double-locker luxury that is generally accorded only most-tenured stars in baseball, as well as some other catchers if there is an extra locker available (they get it because they have more equipment than other players).

I haven’t heard who’ll get Chipper’s old space in the home clubhouse at Turner Field, but they won’t get his actual locker. That wood locker was to be ripped out and given to Chipper as a keepsake from the Braves.

By the way, Jason Heyward moved over to Uggla's former locker at Champion Stadium. It's on the wall of lockers alongside Hudson, Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters.

One other locker note: The Upton brothers' lockers are side-by-side, several spaces down on the same wall with Uggla's new locker. Fredi Gonzalez was asked about the Uptons' lockering next to one another and said he wasn't aware of it.

“Whatever they’re comfortable with,” he said.

As for managing the Uptons, Gonzalez said, “I think it’s going to be fun. I’ve never managed or coached brothers, but I think teammates can almost be brothers, as much time as they spend together. I see positives there.”

Gonzalez has heard how the Uptons have a relationship like many brothers. One example happened right away before Friday’s 9:30 a.m. team meeting prior to the first full-squad workout of spring.

“B.J. was just getting on Justin, [because] we had to wait for him for the meeting to start,” Gonzalez said. “So that’s fun. I think that part is going to be fun, watching those guys interact.”

• Opening Day starter: The first full-squad workout had just ended Friday when Fredi was asked about his planned Opening Day starter. Not surprisingly, he wasn't ready to commit.

It's generally assumed the honor will go to either Kris Medlen or Hudson. But don't assume that the pitcher of those two who doesn't start the April 1 opener vs. Philadelphia will necessarily start the second game April 3 against the Phillies.

The Braves host the Phillies in a three-game series and the Cubs in a three-gamer April 5-7 at Turner Field.

“We’re going to see how it goes in spring training” before naming a Game 1 starter, Gonzalez said. “Opening Day is a special start for that guy, whoever gets that nod. We’re going to wait a couple of weeks, see how things develop, how the health is.

"It's not [just] Opening Day, it's the way the rotation sets up for the next three days. If you go, for example, righty-righty, now you've got lefty-lefty, if you're assuming that your fifth starter is [Julio] Teheran, who's a right-hander."

The Braves have four certainties in their five-man rotation: Hudson, Medlen, and lefties Mike Minor, who was terrific in the second half, and Paul Maholm. The No. 5 job is Teheran's to lose, and they don't expect him to lose it.

If the Braves were to start Medlen and Hudson or Hudson and Medlen in the first two games, then they’d have two lefties going in the next two spots if Teheran is fifth, as planned.

“So the next time you come back around you might have three right-handers in a row,” Gonzalez said, meaning Teheran in the fifth spot followed by Medlen and Hudson, in whichever order.

With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if Fredi goes with Medlen or Hudson on Opening day, then Minor in Game 2 and the other of Medlen or Hudson in Game 3. Then Maholm, followed by Teheran.

“That’s something that Roger and I will sit down and [discuss],” Gonzalez said. “Obviously we know we’re playing the Phillies. We’ll see what we come up with.”

The Phillies still have some big left-handed hitters, but I can’t see Gonzalez going with two lefty starters in that three-game opening series. Besides, Maholm knows the Cubs hitters better than any Braves pitcher, having pitched for them last season before being traded to Atlanta. And for what it’s worth, Minor has won all four of his starts against the Cubs.

Regardless of matchups, Medlen and Hudson will both pitch in the opening series, I’m fairly certain.

 • J-Hey and J-Up: In his last 106 games beginning June 5, Jason Heyward hit  .284 with 23 doubles, three triples, 21 homers, a .340 OBP and a .510 slugging percentage.

And in Justin Upton's last 115 games beginning May 17, he hit .296 with 20 doubles, four triples, 14 homers, a .366 OBP and .458 slugging percentage, after hitting .221 with seven extra-base hits (three homers), a .317 OBP and .328 slugging in his first 35 games.

Baseball-Reference.com lists as most similar batters to Justin Upton through age 24: 1. Ruben Sierra, 2. Jack Clark, 3. Tony Conigliaro, 4. Ron Santo, 5. Andruw Jones, 6. Greg Luzinski.

And for Heyward, 23, Baseball-Reference.com lists as most similar batters through age 22: 1. Ruben Sierra, 2. Justin Upton, 3. Dick Kokos, 4. Andruw Jones, 5. Jose Canseco, 6. Juan Gonzalez, 7. Boog Powell, 8. Jack Clark, 9. Greg Luzinski.

Some similarities, huh?

• OK, let's close with a great Band of Horses song off their debut album, a tune you can hear by clicking here. Saw these guys at an Orlando show during spring training seven or eight years ago when they were touring after this album came out. They lost me a bit on their last album, but the three before that were mighty good.

“WICKED GIL” by Band of Horses

Hate Gil really now
Hate you because
Go tippy toe
Shut off to the world
Shut off to all, you ghost

Early told a lie
Afraid to be blind
Now go for a while
Shut off to the world
Shut off to all
I'm yours
I'm yours

Helping evil people to say things they show
Said once before
I know evil people who say things
They don't know, oh

Begged Gil really why
Stay through the night
I'm here for a while
Shut off to the world
Shut off to all
I'm yours
I'm yours

Helping evil people to say things they show
Said once before
I know evil people who say things
They don't know,
Oh why do I even care
It's nothing now, oh

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