DENVER -- After the regular season's first week, it's obvious Mark Teixeira hadn't completely lost his mind back in January, when he indicated Mark Kotsay could prove to be just as good as his predecessor Andruw Jones.

"We lose Andruw Jones and we put in a guy who is just as good as Andruw Jones," Teixeira said during the Braves FanFest. "When Mark Kotsay is healthy, he's just as good as Andruw Jones. So we're really not missing a beat."

While some Braves fans raised eyebrows at the time, they at least have had a chance over the past week to understand Teixeira wasn't simply complimenting Kotsay, who at the time had just been acquired in a trade with the A's.

Six games into the regular season, Kotsay has shown these fans that with a healthy back he still has above-average range and an extremely accurate arm, which has enabled him to already notch two key outfield assists.

Dating back to the beginning of his 1998 rookie season, Kotsay leads all Major League outfielders with 112 assists and 31 double plays.

"Andruw is one of the best center fielders in the game," Cox said. "Kotsay is one of the most fundamental players I've ever met in my life. He's caught every ball that he should have caught and made some [plays] that he shouldn't have made. His arm is so accurate it's unreal."

While Cox still has the utmost admiration for what Jones did while winning 10 consecutive Gold Gloves for the Braves from 1998-2007, it's obvious that he has already taken a great liking to Kotsay, who is letting his actions prove that his back is healthier than it's been since 2004.

"This guy is a ballplayer," Cox said. "He knows how to run the bases. He knows the game and I'm happy to have had him on one of the teams I've managed in the last 20 years. This guy is so impressive, it's unreal." Kotsay played in a career-low 56 games after trouble returning from the surgical procedure performed on his back last year. This was obviously at least a concern to Braves general manager Frank Wren when he acquired the 32-year-old outfielder.

But throughout Spring Training and the season's first week, the back hasn't been an issue. Given that he has maintained his aggressive approach with numerous dives in the outfield, there's reason to understand why this is somewhat surprising.

"I can't say that I'm not a little surprised that he hasn't had a problem at all," Wren said. "You expect him to have one day where it felt a little sore. But he's been great and you just hope that continues."