He’s gone from prospect to suspect to scrap heap, and now, after so many people had written him off, outfielder Jordan Schafer is finally playing at a high level. Albeit as a bench player, a role he doesn’t want to keep on a permanent basis.
Schafer had a pinch-hit single leading off the eighth inning Thursday, when the Braves were down just a run, before a grand slam by Yasiel Puig in the bottom of the inning turned a close game into a 5-0 Dodgers win. For Schafer, it was his 18th hit in 51 at-bats (.353) over his past 23 games, including two doubles, two triples and two home runs.
“He is a big piece of our success, a big weapon off the bench,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said Friday before the second game of the series. “He’s done a good job. He’s a great guy to have to lead off an inning coming off the bench. Like he did last night. Pinch-run, put him in there for defense, like we have before, like when (Evan) Gattis is out there in left field. He gives you a lot of options off the bench, to do a lot of different stuff.”
Schafer had a .314 average and a .422 on-base percentage in 86 at-bats, with a team-high seven stolen bases in nine attempts. He had played in 42 of the Braves’ 59 games, including 19 starts — two in left field, seven in center, 10 in right.
The rest of his games came as a defensive replacement or as a pinch hitter (4-for-12 with a home run).
Call it coming full circle, or simply growing up and managing to stay healthy and out of trouble. Call it whatever you want, Schafer doesn’t much care. He’s just trying to make the most of an opportunity in his second go with the Braves, who claimed him off waivers in November after he was dumped by the lowly Astros.
“I’m happy and content where I am right now,” said Schafer, 26. “I love being here. But like I’ve said from the beginning, I’m young and I want to get to play every day again. Whenever that comes, hopefully I can take advantage of that.”
His production has surpassed expectations. Braves general manager Frank Wren said this spring that Schafer could provide something for the Braves that no one else did off the bench, with his exceptional defense and speed.
But it’s the overall hitting that has been a bit of a revelation because the player that Braves fans remember from his first two seasons either seemed to be hurt all the time or got too pull-conscious for long stretches after hitting a home run. Schafer credits countless hours of work with hitting coach Greg Walker and assistant hitting coach Scott Fletcher, beginning during the winter after Schafer traveled to Atlanta to get to know them and start working.
Since the beginning of spring training, Walker has spoken highly of Schafer’s work habits and potential, called him possibly the best bunter he’s ever coached and said Schafer was good enough to become an everyday player again for someone.
Gonzalez laughed as he recalled trying to converse with Schafer in years past, when he was with the Braves or Astros, and Schafer had on sunglasses or seemed detached. “Schafer being Schafer. Young kid stuff, where you want to grab him by the throat,” Gonzalez said, smiling. “Now you can sit down and talk to him. I enjoy being around him.”
Medlen back home: When Kris Medlen faces the Dodgers on Saturday, he'll pitch in the ballpark he grew up revering. Medlen is from Norwalk, a Los Angeles suburb about 30 minutes from Dodger Stadium.
The ballpark was spiffed up with a massive offseason improvement project.
“I love this stadium,” he said. “I went to some games here where it was pretty packed when I was growing up. This place gets pretty rocking. Sometimes I forget I’m in the big leagues; you get kind of spoiled up here. But every time I come here it, like, takes me back. To what I thought about the whole environment, how cool I thought it was. I love coming here.”
Medlen is 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA in four games at Dodger Stadium, including one start in 2010.
