2. Atlanta Braves
-Season story lines: No matter how the Braves do in 2012, it likely will be seen in the context of what happened last season, when a September collapse wiped out a 9½-game lead in the wild-card race and cost the team a spot in the playoffs. In 2012, they’ll need improvement from an offense that ranked 26th in the majors in on-base percentage (.308) and 22nd in scoring at just under four runs a game. Having speedy center fielder Michael Bourn at the top of the order for a full season should help, but improvement from Jason Heyward, Dan Uggla, Martin Prado and Brian Mccann will be essential.
-Season stat: 10.7. Rookie righthander Brandon Beachy struck out 10.7 batters per nine innings — the best strikeout rate of any starter with at least 140 innings pitched.
-Sco-ts’ take: Last year seemed to really hurt Heyward’s confidence. The skills are there, so don’t write him off. . . . There’s no margin for error. If they’re healthy, especially the pitchers, they can hang in. I keep waiting for Tommy Hanson — he has more talent than results. . . . I love the back end of the bullpen. . . . Chipper Jones looked sluggish before he got hurt. I know he’s a veteran who can kick it in, but the periods he does that probably will be shorter. . . . They’re going to get nothing offensively from the shortstop position, so Uggla and Freddie Freeman need to have big years. They’ve looked real good this spring.