Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez had these things to say about Hector Olivera:
“(His playing time) is just a byproduct of we want to see him playing left field and have myself and the coaches feel more and more comfortable of running him out there. But yeah, he puts the ball in play.” — on the Braves’ plan to play Olivera as much as reasonably possible this spring to help him get comfortable with his new position and revamped swing
“We’ve seen him juice some balls, but we don’t know if this guy is going to be a nine-home-run guy or a 15-18 home run guy. We might not know that until later this year. But it’s nice for him to get comfortable in the United States, all those things we’ve talked about. Get his family here, just think about baseball.” — Gonzalez said the Braves still can’t be sure of what kind of player Olivera is, but Olivera has a better chance to show them now
“He doesn’t take things for granted. There’s nobody that works harder than him. He’s here early, he works, and as coaches, that’s what you want to see and what he gives us. He gives us that every single day.” — on Olivera’s work, especially as he makes the transition to left field
“He feels more comfortable (in his second year). He knows the coaching staff, knows the routine on how to be a major leaguer. From that standpoint that’s a burden that he doesn’t have to worry about anymore.” — on Olivera’s overall outlook this spring
More: Olivera is more comfortable and it shows
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.