LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – An hour before the Braves’ workout Sunday, first baseman Freddie Freeman put in his contact lenses and went to the batting cage with a familiar-looking guy who was in an unfamiliar role.
Chipper Jones, guest instructor this week at spring training, popped open a Red Bull and walked with Freeman across the field at Champion Stadium. The Braves icon was in uniform but initially unnoticed by fans shouting Freeman’s name in hopes of getting an autograph. Jones had on a Braves jacket, sunglasses and ballcap, and the 40-year-old retiree briefly had the anonymity he said he’d sometimes prefer.
But as soon as they realized it was him, a buzz went through the crowd and Jones obliged by signing autographs. Many autographs.
“It’s always nice seeing him,” Freeman, 23, said of the third baseman who retired after last season. “It’s a little different with him leaning on a fungo (bat) than being in a hitting group with us, but it’s always nice to have Chip around.”
Jones arrived Saturday to spend several days in camp, helping out wherever he’s needed, chatting with his former teammates and getting to know some new players and prospects. Freeman sought him out immediately.
“We became really close the last few years,” Freeman said. “I don’t know if (the morning session) was going to work with him or just hanging out with him. It’s just nice being around him. He’s always got positive things to say and he always knows what he’s talking about.”
Does he pick Jones’ brain and bounce ideas off him?
“Definitely,” Freeman said. “He said everything looks great, so I guess that’s pretty good coming from a Hall of Famer.”
Jones spent most of the afternoon watching batting practice on Field 5 behind the stadium, seated on a bucket next to the batting cage. A sunflower-seed company slogan on the side of the bucket read, “Eat. Spit. Be Happy.” Jones seemed to have all three covered.
“He’s a rookie coach, we’ve got to bring him along and show him the ropes,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said, trying to to keep a straight face. “I will address the issue of the bucket, sitting on that for two rounds. Coaches can’t be doing that. It’s a bad example for the young kids.
“No, it’s good to have him out here. He’ll be welcome anytime. The guys like having him around.”
• Epic batting practice: Jones has been around a long time, but seldom has he seen a more impressive batting-practice session than Sunday, when the wind was blowing out on Field 5 and several Braves hitters smashed balls onto neighboring fields while hitting leisurely fastballs thrown by coaches.
First, prospect Evan Gattis unloaded on pitch after pitch, hitting line drives that seemed to defy physics as they carried beyond the left- and center-field fences. Another hitting group had Jason Heyward and the Upton brothers, B.J. and Justin, who all hit towering shots over the fences and across the divide between Field 5 and adjacent fields.
Duly impressed was one Braves broadcaster making his first visit to spring training this year.
“Joe Simpson has been around baseball for 50 years,” Gonzalez said. “He comes up and goes, is this field regulation? I said yeah, why? He said, they’re making it look small. Gattis and the Uptons. I said, Joe, the wind’s blowing out. He said, bull****. Not that much.”
