Braves are confident Freeman will start hitting

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By David O'Brien

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

MILWAUKEE -- His first week as the Braves’ starting first baseman was not easy for rookie Freddie Freeman, who went 1-for-4 on Thursday against Milwaukee -- and raised his batting average by 25 points.

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Braves rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman (right) has started six of seven games and hit .130 (3-for-23) with a double, one RBI, two walks and six strikeouts.

Benny Sieu, MCT Braves rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman (right) has started six of seven games and hit .130 (3-for-23) with a double, one RBI, two walks and six strikeouts.

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Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com Kenshin Kawakami will start Monday night for Double-A Mississippi.

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That’s because he was hitting .105 when the day began.

The Braves knew that the 21-year-old would struggle at times, but are confident that he will make adjustments and thrive, much as he did at every level in the minor leagues.

"To me, and talking to L.P. [hitting coach Larry Parrish], it looks like he’s expanding the strike zone a little bit, swinging at pitches out of the strike zone,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “Probably trying to create stuff that’s not there. That’s the case sometimes with young players.

“He’ll look at some film and L.P. will look at some film, kind of settle him down a little bit, and he’ll get going. He’s hit everywhere he’s been, and he’s going to hit.”

The Braves are counting on Freeman as a lineup regular and have no plans to platoon him or have another player get more than an occasional start at first base. Eric Hinske started Tuesday, but that was more to get Hinske at-bats than to rest Freeman.

The big rookie has started six of seven games and hit .130 (3-for-23) with a double, one RBI, two walks and six strikeouts.

Freeman has flashed his considerable defensive skills already, scooping balls and using his 6-foot-4 frame to stretch for errant throws.

He made a questionable play in the seventh inning Thursday, when he fielded Prince Fielder’s bases-loaded grounder and threw home instead of getting the sure out at first base. Rickie Weeks scored ahead of the throw to push the Brewers’ lead to 4-2, also the final score.

“I think it would have been difficult” to get the out at home, Gonzalez said, “but with him and his arm -- for me, he’s not a normal first baseman. He’s got range, and he’s got a plus-plus arm. So ... I’m not going to get on him about needing to get the out at first base because I’ve seen him do some stuff that other first basemen cannot do."

Kawakami set for Double-A debut

Double-A Mississippi opened its season Thursday night, but its oldest, most famous and most highly paid pitcher wasn’t scheduled to make his Southern League debut for a few days.

Kenshin Kawakami will start Monday night against Jackson in Pearl, Miss., which is not anywhere the 35-year-old could have imagined being a couple of years ago.

He’s owed about $6.7 million in the final season of a three-year, $23 million contract. Kawakami was dropped from the 40-man roster after going 1-10 with a 5.15 ERA in 2010 and losing his spot in the starting rotation.

The Braves tried to trade him during the offseason, but couldn’t get a major league team to pick up what they deemed an acceptable amount of the money he’s owed. When he missed the first two weeks of spring training because of visa issues getting out of Japan, the Braves’ chances of trading him before Opening Day further diminished.

The Braves had a few better offers from Japanese teams early in the offseason that would have covered about half of his salary, but Kawakami told Braves general manager Frank Wren he would not accept a deal to return to Japan.

First hit for Young

Rookie outfielder Matt Young got his first major league hit Thursday, a one-out single to left field in the ninth inning. He also made a diving catch for the second consecutive day.

“Good for Matty,” Gonzalez said. “He made a nice play yesterday in center field, and again today in left field. And his first base hit. That’s good. Hopefully there will be many, many more from him because he’s a good little player.”

Young, 28, made the Opening Day roster as a backup outfielder/second baseman after six full seasons in the minor leagues. He got his first start Wednesday in center field, and was back in the lineup again Thursday in left field.

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