By Tim Childers (@childers1788 @1788sports)

With a brand new Atlanta Braves season about to kick off, let’s take a look at what we can expect from the new-look club. After moving on from Matt Kemp after a year and a half, Atlanta has opened up a spot for their number one prospect, Ronald Acuña Jr., who will start the season at AAA Gwinnett due to service time rules. While this means that Braves fans will have to wait until mid-April to see the newest sensation, an extra year of control for Atlanta seems to be worth it. Here are the Three biggest talking points heading into the 2018 Atlanta Braves season.

Rotation Will Be Having New Faces Sooner Than Expected

From the start of the Braves rebuild, the front office has focused on developing controllable young pitching through the draft. While this has resulted in a lack of explosive offensive talent at the major league level sans Freddie Freeman, it has loaded the Braves farm system with a plethora of young stud arms. While the rotation will be anchored by Julio Teheran, the Braves will start to see their patience rewarded. With top prospects Sean Newcomb and Luiz Gohara becoming a part of the core rotation and Teheran and Foltynewicz at the top of the rotation, Braves fans should look to see the likes of Max Fried and Mike Soroka at some point this season.

Brian Snitker On The Hot Seat

After keeping the managers job after serving as interim manager in 2016, Snitkers future with the Braves is very much up in the air. While the Braves manager is well liked by the team, to the extent that Nick Markakis allegedly threatened to fight John Hart last season for verbally abusing Snit, his managerial abilities and future with the team are very much uncertain. While he has managed to beat expectations somewhat with a team lacking in talent, question marks remain on his ability to manage effectively, especially when it comes to the bullpen. With the Braves rebuild in its closing stages, Alex Anthopoulos and the rest of the Braves front office may look at outside options to lead the Atlanta club going forward.

Acuña Jr. Looks To Be The Real Deal

After a breakout season where he hit .325 with a .896 OPS split between A+ Florida, AA Mississippi and AAA Gwinnett, Acuña proceeded to dominate the Arizona Fall League. After leading Peoria to the AFL championship and earning MVP honors, he showed up to spring training looking to prove he belonged; and did he ever. Acuña finished the spring with a .432 batting average and a whopping 1.247 OPS to go with 4 HR and 4 SB in only 16 games. He was rewarded for this by subsequently being sent down to AAA Gwinnett, simply because the Braves get an extra year of control if they keep him down till April 14. While this means that fans will have to wait a few extra weeks to see him, it gives the Braves another year that they have one of the most exciting prospects in recent years. While Braves fans would be wise to be wary of prospect hype, especially after the underperformance of Dansby Swanson, Acuña Jr. has all the makings of baseballs next superstar.

The Atlanta Braves Open Their Season On Thursday At Sun-Trust Against The Phillies.

All Statistics Via Baseball-reference.com