NORTH PORT, Fla. – On Friday, Adam Duvall walked into a clubhouse with lockers for Max Fried, Tyler Matzek, A.J. Minter, Ozzie Albies and others from his last stint with the Braves, which included a World Series championship.
“Walking in there, it was very nostalgic, it was a lot of memories that came back,” Duvall said. “That’s good. That’s fun to experience. It’s fun to have those feelings come flushing back when you’re seeing all the guys again. Hopefully, that’s a sign (of things) to come.”
It could be, especially because the 2024 Braves, who were talented before signing Duvall, improved by adding him. Duvall was only one of the handful of gifted players still on the market at this time of the year.
“It’s weird how we got Duvall almost on, like, a discount, man,” Matzek said. “When they told me the deal, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s unbelievable.’ He’s such a good player, and to get him for what (they paid him), it was kind of a shock.”
The Braves got Duvall – still a productive hitter when healthy – for $3 million. That could be a bargain. Duvall joins many of his former Braves teammates and even a former Boston teammate: Chris Sale, whom Atlanta acquired over the winter.
When asked about how Sale’s clubhouse presence could impact the Braves, Duvall began talking about Sale’s confidence and how he’ll do whatever it takes to win.
Then he went to another point, one that seemed to come from personal experience.
“Just the veteran presence,” Duvall said. “Going through the free agency process, it just seemed like some teams didn’t value that, didn’t value the experience – from proven veteran players that had a good year. There’s still some out there – which is disappointing for the sport, too. But that goes a long way, having those guys that have won before, that can bring a young guy along, that can be a presence in the locker room and maybe call something out when it needs to be called out. It just didn’t seem like teams were really valuing that in their models, in their projections. It’s gotten very stat-heavy and prediction-heavy as far as the free agency process.
“But with that being said, that’s what (the Braves do). They do a good job of looking at the human being, looking at what moment they can create in a big game, in the postseason. That’s important, especially when you’re playing for what we’re playing for here.”
Since debuting in 2014, Duvall has accumulated almost 12 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. His main knock over the last couple years: Due to wrist injuries, he hasn’t played a full season since 2021. Games played matter. The best ability, as they say, is availability.
But during that 2021 regular season, he led the National League in RBIs and won a Gold Glove. In only 92 games last year, he hit 21 homers and drove in 58 runs.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
To Duvall, the devaluing of certain veterans is a concerning trend.
“I think it’s definitely something that needs to be addressed, it needs to be looked at,” he said. “Because it is. It’s important that you have that veteran presence. And we’re talking about guys that are still performing. It’s not like guys are on their way out. These guys are still performing at a high level. Like I said, the models and the algorithms and the projections of some of these teams, they just don’t see it as that. They value age as a very big number, and we all know that people age differently and it’s not always the same. For a computer to spit out that, it’s really irrelevant.”
This offseason, Duvall said, was stressful. “The ebbs and flows of that process can be daunting at times, especially in kind of the landscape where we’re at now,” he said. “It’s not necessarily in a great place, as far as free agency.” To deal with it all, Duvall returned to something he knows.
Baseball.
“I just tried to get lost in my preparation,” Duvall said. “That’s something that I’ve always done. I’ve felt good whenever I try and prepare, and try and get the work that I know that I need to be ready. I felt like that was – not a distraction, but that was a good deterrent from thinking about the free agency process every single day.”
This brings us to Saturday, when Duvall spoke to reporters on his second day in camp. He has a home, and it’s a familiar one. He knows the Braves. The players. The coaches. The staffers. Everything.
Duvall, who lives south of Nashville, worked out at Lipscomb University. The Louisville, Kentucky, native also spent time at the University of Louisville as he prepared for the season.
Now, Duvall is trying to get in as many live at-bats as possible before Atlanta’s March 28 Opening Day in Philadelphia. He said the Braves are formulating a plan to get him into minor-league games on the backfields.
No matter how Jarred Kelenic – the other end up the left field platoon – performs this season, Duvall is a nice addition.
“He knows what it takes to win the World Series,” Matzek said. “He did it with us, and so hopefully we can repeat that. He knows how to play in pressure situations, he knows how to play in big games.”
“One of my favorite all-time guys to manage,” Brian Snitker said.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
How did this all come together?
Well …
“It eventually came together,” Duvall said. “That’s the main thing.”
The “how” isn’t important. Duvall is back with Atlanta for a third stint, and he’s excited to be here.
“This team means a lot to me, the guys in there and coaching staff and front office and everybody,” he said. “It’s awesome to be back.”
For weeks before he arrived, the Braves have talked about their “World Series or bust” expectations. They know they’re good enough to win it all, just as they did when Duvall was on the team three seasons ago.
But when they opened camp, they didn’t have Duvall.
Now they do, and they know this only improves their chances at hoisting a trophy months from now.
“He’s a stud,” Matzek said.
