Over a month ago, Adam Duvall talked to a reporter on the bench of the Gwinnett Stripers’ dugout before a game with uncertainty as to what his future would be in the Braves organization.
His production, on the other hand, was steady in Triple-A with the Gwinnett Stripers. He broke the Gwinnett home-run record, with 29. A long-awaited opportunity for him became available when Braves right fielder Nick Markakis went down with a wrist injury, so Duvall was called up and has since been a bright spot in the lineup.
On Thursday, he was in the Braves clubhouse before the team’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. Instead of one reporter, there were several, with a variety of large cameras, microphones and recorders in his face. Since he was called up Saturday, he’s hitting .500 with four home runs. In the Braves’ past two wins over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday and Wednesday, he’s hit three.
“I mean, I feel blessed because a lot of work went into coming back here,” Duvall said. “I wanted to be able to come up and contribute right away … and I’ve done that.”
Braves third basemen Josh Donaldson said he’s able to relate with what Duvall has gone through over the events of the last year.
He experienced it with both injuries and while spending time with both the Oakland Athletics and their Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento early in his career in 2012.
“You’re in that situation of not really knowing, but you still have to prepare like you’re going to get that opportunity,” Donaldson said. “Mentally, in the back of your head, you have to know that when I get that opportunity, I have to be ready. I think he’s shown that so far.”
Duvall said the biggest thing he found out about himself was finding what made him successful before and repeating that. As a power hitter, it was fine-tuning his swing, with the help of Stripers hitting coach Bobby Magallanes.
Manager Brian Snitker admired the fact that he never really heard anything from Duvall other than that he was having success.
Snitker said there was never any push from him to get called back up, even when his numbers showed he could still compete in the major leagues.
“Obviously there comes a point, where you’re doing well and you want to get back to the big leagues, but at the end of the day I kind of looked at it that I just got to get better,” Duvall said. “(And) it was a breath of fresh air to get back and have some success.”
