"The Braves have seen their share of careers go careening off the tracks. Recently, there's been Jordan Schafer or Greg Norton, or even a Jeff Francoeur. A little deeper in the memory bank are images of a scuffling Reggie Sanders, or Raul Mondesi, or maybe the steady decline of Andruw Jones, foreshadowing his drop-off in Los Angeles.

What's unusual about Nate McLouth is that a miserable 2010 season popped up in the midst of his prime, at age 28, and only two years removed from making the National League All-Star team with the Pirates.

But what's even more unusual about McLouth is that he's showing signs of coming back. It didn't take a trade to another team, a fresh start somewhere else, before it started happening.

While the Braves went in search of another center fielder, trading for Rick Ankiel, McLouth was in Triple-A Gwinnett fighting his way back.

He has hit .310 (9-for-29) with eight RBIs in 12 games since his return from the minor leagues, and Ankiel has taken a seat on the bench in a serious slump of his own. That McLouth's season average is still only .187 tells you a little about how far he's had to climb."