The Atlanta Braves have their first game of Spring Training right around the corner and manager Fredi Gonzalez informed the media that Mike Minor would be making the start on Saturday afternoon against the Tigers. This is the same Mike Minor who reportedly upset some members of the front office last week when he implied he'd demand a potential trade request should he not pitch in Atlanta this season.

#Braves will start Mike Minor in Saturday's Grapefruit League opener, but Fredi G. will wait to announce further pitching plans.

— David O'Brien (@ajcbraves) February 29, 2012

It is unclear if Gonzalez is looking to send a message or not by giving Minor the start -- these games mean practically nothing, anyway -- but it is an interesting bit of news nonetheless. Should he pitch up to his potential in 2012, Minor could very well end up being the best starting pitcher on the team due to injuries.

As Gonzalez said in the tweet above, nothing else has been set for the Spring Training rotation.

We also got a bit of Tommy Hanson news:

#Braves manager did say that Roger McDowell doeS NOT think Hanson will miss a start at beginning of season because of his concussion delay.

— David O'Brien (@ajcbraves) February 29, 2012

My money is on Jair Jurrjens to make the Opening Day start due to he will be the longest tenured starter with the club, but that would probably make most fans uneasy heading into the regular season, especially with the way Jurrjens struggled down the stretch last year. This final decision will not be made for at least a few weeks.