VIERA, Fla. – There was cheering in one of the Braves' team buses early Monday morning, the one that had its TV tuned to the World Baseball Classic game between Netherlands and Cuba. Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons hit a tying two-run homer in the eighth inning for Netherlands, which pulled off a 7-6 upset win to advance to the semifinals.
After coming through with some big hits and many memorable defensive plays for the Braves as a rookie, Simmons has done the same in the WBC. The Curacao native has hit .360 (9-for-25) with four extra-base hits (three doubles) and team-highs of eight runs and 15 total bases in six games, with highlight-reel defensive plays almost every game.
“Some guys shrink from those moments,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said. “And when you shrink from moments, you’re forgotten…. The moments never get too big for him. A lot of guys – a lot of good players – the moments get too big and they can’t perform.”
Longtime former Braves center fielder Andruw Jones, another Curacao native and childhood idol of Simmons’, scored the winning run in the ninth inning for Netherlands, which became the first team to advance to the tourney’s final four. Japan has also advanced to the semifinals to be held in San Francisco Sunday and Monday.
Two more teams will advance from among the United States, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Italy, which play their second-round regional this week in Miami. Braves closer Craig Kimbrel struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning of Team USA’s 9-4 win over Canada on Sunday in Phoenix, including Reds slugger Joey Votto on a called strike to end the game.
Simmons has been away from Braves camp since Feb. 23 and will be gone at least another week after Netherlands advanced. But Braves officials agreed the experience he’s getting outweighs any negatives such as not getting as many at-bats or repetitions in the field as he would playing the Grapefruit League schedule.
“Oh, absolutely,” said manager Fredi Gonzalez, who was on the bus to play the Nationals in Viera, Fla., when Simmons hit his homer and the Braves whooped it up. “To play on that stage, and he’s being productive, he’s getting his ABs. The only thing that’s not good is (injuries). But it could happen here, too. You just wouldn’t feel as terrible because you would feel like you had some control over it.”
Braves utility infielder Ramiro Pena and pitcher Daniel Rodriguez both rejoined Braves camp Monday morning after their Mexico team was eliminated from the WBC. Pena and Rodriguez didn’t make the trip to Viera.
“I talked to them; they had a great experience,” Gonzalez said. “They’ve been playing significant games in the month of March.”
