LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- What a difference a year makes. Last spring the questions of camp were: Can center fielder Jordan Schafer make the Opening Day lineup and would Tommy Hanson make the trip north. Schafer started in center but didn't last long and was sent to Triple-A; Hanson went to Triple-A Gwinnett for a couple months but when he joined the Braves he was there to stay.

There's one major question this spring -- will Jason Heyward start in right field or in Triple-A. The very strong likelihood is that Heyward is going to be manager Bobby Cox's right fielder. After five games, he seems a sure bet.

As Braves manager Cox prepared his lineup for Sunday afternoon's game against the Astros, he selfishly wanted to provide himself with yet another day to watch Heyward display his talents.

But after some persuasion from bench coach Chino Cadahia, Cox opted to provide a day of rest to Heyward, who had hit .400 (4-for-10) and seemingly produced a good impression on a daily basis while playing in each of the Braves' previous five Grapefruit League games.

With the baseball world watching intently to gauge whether he's capable of living up to the billing of being the game's top prospect, the 20-year-old Heyward has confidently accepted the challenge the Braves have presented while never shying away from their hope that he will prove he is ready to begin the season as their starting right fielder.

Before Spring Training started, Chipper Jones said the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Heyward would earn his spot on the Major League roster once he proved that he had a firm grasp of the finer points of the game by doing things like hitting the ball the other way, throwing to the correct bases and showing patience at the plate.

So far so good for Heyward, who displayed his confidence and poise when he drew a walk after falling behind in the count, 1-2, in his first plate appearance of the Grapefruit League season. His advanced plate discipline was also on display Saturday afternoon, when he held his bat back on a 3-2 breaking ball that Roy Oswalt threw in the dirt.

Through his first 15 plate appearances, Heyward has drawn four walks and been set down on strikes just once. In other words, he has picked up right where he left off last year, when he combined to walk as many times (51) as he struck out at three different Minor League levels.

While most top prospects have to produce at the Major League level before drawing this kind of respect from established stars such as Jones, Heyward has managed to do so with just 208 plate appearances above the Class A Minor League level.

"He feels he belongs, and he's showing everybody that he belongs," Braves All-Star catcher Brian McCann said. "He's a presence in our lineup."

Less than a month before potentially making his Major League debut, Heyward has already shown his Braves teammates that with his speed, power and maturity, he could immediately play a significant role in their attempt to get Cox back to the postseason one more time before he retires at the end of the season.

"He's going to be the next superstar that comes out of Atlanta," Chipper Jones said. "It's not a question of if, but when. It could be as early as this year. He's an impact player. Every ball that he hits in Spring Training, you can hear the crowd go, 'Ooh, ahh.' The ball just jumps off his bat. He hits balls that other people don't hit. I have no problem saying this kid is going to be a superstar right now."

Heyward is hitting third in the lineup Monday. The Braves are in Lakeland to face the Detroit Tigers at 1:05 p.m.

Right handed pitcher Tim Hudson will start for Atlanta.

It appears that the battle for the final spot on the 25-man roster is between Brooks Conrad and Joe Thurston. Conrad is currently hitting .462 and Thurston is .500; both players are in Monday's starting lineup.

Monday's lineup:

Omar Infante - ss
Melky Cabrera - cf
Jason Heyward - rf
Troy Glaus - 1b
Eric Hinske - DH
Matt Diaz - lf
David Ross - c
Brooks Conrad - 2b
Joe Thurston - 3b
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Source: MLB.com

Heyward has shown that he can play right field. He has a good arm and covers a lot of ground.
- Photo2 by Tim Evearitt