LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- It was obvious there was something different about Kelly Johnson during the second half of last season. But never did the young Braves outfielder give any indication of how much his right elbow was bothering him.

After playing through the pain, Johnson opted to have surgery in the offseason. He reported to camp with much more flexibility and the confidence that he can fight for playing time in left field.

"For me, it feels like it's at 110 percent, because I haven't been there forever," Johnson said. "Now I just have to worry about the throwing more than anything."

Johnson began feeling discomfort during the 2003 season, when he was still being used as a shortstop. He was told surgery wasn't a wise option at that time. He played pain-free in 2004 and didn't begin feeling the discomfort again until last summer.

After recording just one hit in the first 30 at-bats of his big-league career, Johnson, who was promoted from Triple-A Richmond in late May, caught fire. He was named the National League's Player of the Week after hitting .417 (10-for-24) with three homers and a league-best 11 RBIs from June 13-19.

During a 25-game stretch from June 13-July 9, Johnson hit .351 and was the club's regular left fielder. But that was about the time elbow began bothering him to the point that he couldn't extend his left-handed swing across the plate to reach outside pitches.

"I was able to foul those pitches off, but it got me behind in too many counts," said Johnson, who recorded just 10 hits in his final 67 at-bats of July.

Johnson rebounded and hit .282 in August. But Ryan Langerhans was proving himself offensively, and by early September, he had become the club's everyday left fielder.

Langerhans, who is superior defensively, appears to be the favorite to win the starting left-field job this year. With both he and Johnson being left-handed hitters, Johnson understands there's a chance he could begin this season in the Minors.

It's something that doesn't bother him. But for now, he's just focusing on proving he's healthy and fighting for a job that he held for a good portion of last season.

"I'm here to compete and do whatever I can," Johnson said.

Devine impresses: Brian Jordan, Jeff Francoeur and Eddie Perez all got a first-hand look at just how impressive Joey Devine can be. Each of them struggled to get a bat on the ball while taking batting practice against the young right-hander on Wednesday.

Devine was humming a live fastball and dazzling them with a slider that had enormous bite.

"It's good to see Joey do so well," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "That's the best I've ever seen his breaking ball break."

Devine, who was the club's top selection in last year's draft, seems unfazed by the forgettable events of last year. He became the first pitcher to allow grand slams in both of his first two big-league appearances and then served up the season-ending walk-off homer in the 18th inning of the Braves' Game 4 National League Division Series loss to the Astros.

Cox will continue taking a long look at Devine as he determines who will be the club's closer. Chris Reitsma is the favorite and Anthony Lerew has improved his chances with an impressive first week of camp.

Cox delivers preseason speech: When Cox addressed his team before the first full-squad workout on Wednesday, he reminded each of the players in camp about how influential the 18 different rookies used last year had been.

Cox also reminded some of the young players in camp that they would be given plenty of chances to prove themselves this year. With eight different Braves slated to play in the World Baseball Classic, there will be more opportunities for them to prove themselves.

"Everything went well," Cox said. "The first day with the full squad is always fun."

James aching: The Braves opted to give Chuck James a chance to rest his aching back on Wednesday. They don't believe the ailment is serious and there's a chance he could begin throwing again later this week.

Cox has taken an early liking to James, who made two September big-league appearances after breezing through three Minor League levels last year. The 24-year-old southpaw could be a surprise addition to the starting rotation when camp ends.

"He's not afraid of anything," Cox said. "He's just one of those aggressive guys that is convinced that he's getting you out."

Braves bits: Chipper Jones says he's overcome the flu bug that bothered him last week and is now working to regain the weight that he lost. ... John Smoltz, Francoeur, Adam LaRoche and John Thomson played a round of golf on Wednesday afternoon with two-time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen.