KISSIMMEE, Fla. --- Jair Jurrjens was only 6 years old when his father passed on a family tradition to him.

Fast asleep at their home on the island of Curacao, Jurrjens awoke to a commotion in the living room. He hustled out to see his older brother carrying around their father, the two of them gleefully celebrating a victory by their favorite team.

Francisco Cabrera had just come through with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the ninth that sent the Atlanta Braves to the 1992 World Series.

"My dad was a Braves fan since Hank Aaron was playing there," Jurrjens said. "He woke me up when Cabrera got that base hit. He woke up the whole neighborhood."

From that day forward, Carl Jurrjens' boy was a Braves fan, too. He faithfully followed those powerful teams of the 1990s, cheering on players such as Terry Pendleton, Jeff Blauser and his personal favorite, David Justice.

So, as one might imagine, there was another celebration on that tiny island when the 22-year-old was acquired by the Braves during the off-season.

"I was very, very happy," Carl Jurrjens said Wednesday, speaking by telephone from Curacao.

Jair (pronounced Ji-EER), one of Atlanta's top pitching prospects, is being given a legitimate chance to land a spot in a rotation that already includes John Smoltz, Tim Hudson and Tom Glavine.

Jurrjens showed his potential when he started seven games for Detroit late last season, going 3-1 with a 4.70 ERA.

The Braves were so impressed they dealt shortstop Edgar Renteria, a five-time All-Star who batted .332 last season, for the young right-hander and another prospect.

"It would be an honor to be one of the five starters here," Jurrjens said. "There's a lot of Hall of Famers in that group. I'm coming in and trying to impress."

Atlanta hopes Jurrjens, slender with surprising power, fills the void that soon will be available in a aging rotation with Glavine (41) and Smoltz (40).

Jurrjens may not be around at the start of the season, but the Braves believe it's just a matter of time.

"Like any young player, he needs a little refining," Chipper Jones said. "... But the kid's got the world by the tail. I look for big things out of him."