CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Braves manager Bobby Cox isn't breaking tradition by announcing his lineup plans for the regular season.

But while putting Kelly Johnson in the leadoff spot throughout the majority of Spring Training, the veteran skipper has at least tipped his hand.

Still unwilling to definitively say his regular lineup will include Johnson batting first and Yunel Escobar in the second spot, Cox at least conceded he likes the possibilities created by utilizing the two middle infielders in that order.

If this is the way the Braves construct the top of their lineup, Johnson and Escobar wouldn't have any objections.

Johnson hit .268 with a .372 on-base percentage in 358 plate appearances as the leadoff hitter last year.

During his 166 plate appearances as the leadoff hitter last year, Escobar impressed by hitting .351 with a .400 on-base percentage.

But the 25-year-old shortstop says he's looking forward to hitting behind Johnson and in front of the switch-hitting duo of Chipper Jones and Mark Teixeira this season.

Cox has often praised Escobar's ability to hit the ball to the opposite field and also provided the reminder that he has good power potential if given the opportunity to turn on a pitch.

That power was certainly evident during the Braves' 9-1 win over the Phillies at Bright House Field on Friday afternoon, when he drilled a second-inning grand slam deep over the left-center-field wall.

Escobar, who went 1-for-2 Friday and is now hitting .516 (16-for-31) in Grapefruit League action.

Entering Friday, Escobar led all National League players with a .517 batting average and an identical on-base percentage.

The fact that he hasn't drawn a walk since the Grapefruit League season began isn't exactly reason for concern. But it at least provides the reminder that he's not as patient as Johnson.

The 4.12 pitches Johnson saw per plate appearance last year ranked seventh among all qualified NL players and his .130 walks per plate appearance ranked 13th.

Escobar saw 3.54 pitches per plate appearance and his walk-per-plate appearance ratio was just .076. Still, after making his Major League debut at the beginning of June last year, he hit .326 and compiled a .385 on-base percentage.

In other words, Escobar has the ability to be a lineup catalyst, and, according to Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton, the young infielder is unselfish enough to gladly provide the necessary sacrifices in the second spot, where he'll be asked to regularly bunt, hit the ball to the right side and occasionally give up pitches to allow Johnson to steal a base.

While neither of these middle infielders will ever be confused as scary stolen-base threats, many believe Johnson would at least be the more legitimate threat.

Although he's never stolen more than 12 bases in a season since 2002, Johnson is among the group that believes he's capable of recording at least 20 stolen bases this year.

Johnson's .366 on-base percentage compiled during his Minor League career gave the Braves the belief he could be their leadoff hitter entering last year, and during the early portion of the season, he didn't disappoint.

Johnson believes he can be an effective leadoff man and looks forward to the challenge. The Braves look forward to seeing him try to prove to be the reliable catalyst that could make their lineup one of the NL's best.
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Adapted from MLB.com

Kelly Johnson playing second base.
- Photo2 by Tim Evearitt