I just don't see the "hit for power" criticism either, although I do think Yunel has the ability to hit between 10-15 per year.

In regards to his power, he will grow to that in time.  If you watch his at bats he is almost exclusively "inside-out" to right field, especially with the fastball and away.  He will pull the breaking ball if it is in but as he matures he will add that to his arsenal.  I don't think we are ever going to see 25 homers from him but he can easily rise to 12-15 within three years.  Hey, give me someone who is going to drive in runs with "oppo" doubles any day.  After 30 ABs with runners in scoring position he is hitting .500!!!

First of all, Yunel and Edgar do have similar AVG, but Rents has him beat by over 100 points in OPS.  Sure, it's not as big of a drop-off as many casual followers of the Braves might assume, but it's not like nothing is lost with Renteria on the shelf.

Also, I can't believe that people were hammering me for critisizing Salty's stats because of the small sample size and yet lend credence to 30 AB's worth of results!  Yes, it's great that he's been so effective under those circumstances thus far, but he's not likely to keep that up.  

Moreover, there are 10 SS that have double-digit HR totals and 14 qualifying regulars that have posted better SLG than Yunel.  More specifically, I'd mention Hanley Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins and J.J. Hardy as viable examples of powerful SS.  That said, Yunel is about average for his position power-wise, so it's really not as though it's a negative trait and his other skills more than make up for it.  Oh, and his power won't improve dramatically in the future seeing as he's already in his mid-20s.  

As for the future SS in Atlanta, both Yunel and Lilli would be fine choices, but they have other positions (3B and CF respectively) that they might be called upon to fill.  In the end, that decision will come down to the totality of the Braves needs and not some head-to-head battle between both fine prospects.

All in all, I'm glad that we had the depth at SS to cover Rent's absence, but I won't credit Schuerholz for maintaining that.  He tried to deal him to Chicago for Garland and his cherished back-up to Cincy for Arroyo, but was turned down both times.  I'm not sure that the drop-off from Yunel to Orr/Woodward wouldn't be offset by the bump up from our 5th starters to Arroyo, either.  

Personally, I believe that Yunel is a key piece to our future puzzle and present hopes, so I'm glad that we kept him in the fold.  That said, I'm not so sure that it's as big of a deal as it's being made out to be here.

In the long run, Brent Lillibridge has more upside but is obviously riskier since we don't know what he can do in the majors. Escobar isn't he type of player that will never have any competition for the job so Lillibridge could come in if Escobar is starting and take that job away.

That's rare, and it's extremely good for us, especially this year.

Also, on power... of all the regular SS's in the league, there are only 10 with more than 10 HRs in MLB. That includes Jimmy Rollins (a statistical anomaly who's riding an early season power surge), JJ Hardy (another anamoly) and Edgar himself.

If they all finish out on this path, there may be 15-18 in MLB with more than 10 HRs, a far cry from the supposed power surge spoken of above.

Personally, I expect him to settle in at about a .310/.365/.435 line, which is excellent for a SS; those figures would put him near the top of the second tier of players at his position!  His glove and arm are apparently plus tools, but his speed and power are average.  His contact is obviously a plus as well.  That said, I still like Lillibridge in the long term.

Lilli has a similar career minor league line (including the drop-off in AA Mississippi) but was younger than Yunel was at every level.  He also adds the element of speed and has displayed better power at higher levels than Escobar.  

As for Rents, I definitely see this team trading him this offseason.  Don't get me wrong, I'm amazed by him more and more as the season goes along, but he will fetch (along with a prospect or two) a very capable starter before next year.  Simply put, he's worth more to us in another uniform than he is in our line-up.  That doesn't diminish what his worth as a player, but rather accentuates it since his trade value is astronomical now.