LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- After struggling mightily in his first stint in Triple-A and being demoted to Double-A at midseason, Joey Terdoslavich was no longer mentioned as a potential replacement for third baseman Chipper Jones. But that doesn't mean he's been forgotten.
Terdoslavich is still well-regarded in the organization, and Friday he served up a reminder that he can still hit.
He hit a leadoff homer in the ninth inning of the Braves’ 2-1 loss to Detroit in a Grapefruit League opener at Champion Stadium. Terdoslavich entered the game as a pinch-hitter, fell behind in the count and pulled a hanging 1-and-2 slider from left-hander Jose Alvarez, driving it onto the grass berm beyond the left-field fence.
“Felt good,” he said. “Threw me a first-pitch fastball, change-up, fastball, slider. Kind of just caught it right.”
Terdoslavich, 24, will work some in the outfield as well as third base this spring, his first time playing the outfield since college. He isn’t a candidate for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but could make a good impression for later with a solid spring.
After hitting .286 with 20 homers, an .867 OPS and Carolina League-record 52 doubles at high Class-A Lynchburg in 2011, Terdoslavich was bumped all the way to Triple-A Gwinnett to begin the 2012 season, and moved from first base to third base. He hit just .180 with four homers and a .515 OPS in 53 games for Gwinnett before being demoted to Double-A Mississippi, where he was switched back to first base and got back on track offensively.
Terdoslavich hit .315 with 34 extra-base hits (five homers) and an .852 OPS in 78 games (298 at-bats) at Mississippi, helping him secure a non-roster invitation to major league spring training for the second year in a row.
“It was kind of a restart," he said of the midseason turnaround. "I was trying to find myself at Triple-A and towards the end I felt like I started swinging the bat well. Then got sent down and started swinging it better, balls started falling, and just kind of put together a good season down there.
“I took a lot of positives out of it. First time I really struggled, and I learned how to deal with it, to fight my way back and try to salvage my season.”
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez plans to use him some in the outfield and possibly both infield corners this spring.
“I know that he’s a guy we like a lot in our organization,” he said. “It was nice to see him hit a home run there.”
Short hops: Left-hander Paul Maholm will get the start for the Braves Saturday when they play the Yankees at 1:05 p.m. at Champion Stadium. Maholm went 13-11 with a 3.67 ERA last season with the Cubs and Braves, including 4-5 with a 3.54 ERA in 11 starts after going to Atlanta along with outfielder Reed Johnson in a trade-deadline deal in July…. Braves batters had six hits, no walks and eight strikeouts in Friday's loss. Among their lineup regulars, Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla had one hit apiece… Utility infielder Ramiro Pena impressed with a back-handed defensive play…. Minor league first baseman Ernesto Mejia went 1-for-2 with a single and strong fielding play…. Saturday's game will not be televised, but can be heard on 680TheFan, 93.7 FM and the Braves Radio Network.
