The Braves might’ve set themselves up to have one of the better benches in baseball.
Third baseman Ryan Flaherty has exceeded expectations with nine hits in five games. Preston Tucker, thought of as No. 1 prospect Ronald Acuna’s placeholder in left field, blasted a mammoth home run Tuesday and was hitting .421 entering Wednesday, when he hit another three-run homer off Nationals pitching.
It’s a six-game sample size, but as the roster is fleshed out, it’s easy to envision a reliable bench.
Flaherty and Tucker won’t be regulars when Johan Camargo returns from the disabled list and Acuna is called up from Triple-A, likely in mid-April.
The current production of the team’s two new additions likely isn’t sustainable. But unless there’s a drastic dropoff, both can complete a well-rounded bench.
“Obviously making those signings turned out huge for us in the first few games of the season, Flaherty and Preston have been absolutely huge,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “Preston got us back in the game (Tuesday), (reliever) Shane (Carle) with the big three innings for us was pretty much the game for us right there. A lot of guys that just kind of came in and we just wanted to fill in, and now they’re making big-time plays for us to win us ballgames.”
The Braves had a productive bench a season ago, but this year’s group would boast improved athletic ability and versatility, two emphasized facets of today’s game.
Camargo and Flaherty are capable of spelling any position in the infield. Tucker can handle any outfield spot. As can Lane Adams, who has picked up where he left off as a pinch-hitter with a home run and four RBIs in three at-bats.
Charlie Culberson is the ultimate Swiss Army knife, even serving as the team’s emergency catcher. If one of the guys is injured or unable to find his footing, Danny Santana can provide the same versatility if called up from Triple-A.
“We’ve got some versatile guys in there, which is good,” Snitker said. “We’ve said it forever here. When we get back to the four-man bench, we need some guys who are versatile. Flaherty adds that, a guy like Camargo when he gets back, he’s in that same mold. You can move all those guys around all over the diamond. It’s going to benefit us down the road.”
Things can and will change. The Braves’ offense is humming, scoring seven or more runs in four of the first six games, and 13 or more twice.
It won’t come that easily all season, but as the team rounds into form, its depth appears to potentially be its forte.
“It’s good because you don’t know coming in,” Snitker said. “You don’t know what to expect. It’s a good thing, I’ll tell you that, because you can’t have enough ballplayers. And these guys are really solid ballplayers. So it’s good to see these guys. I know it’s early, five games or whatever, but I like how we’re going about it right now.”
