Freddie Freeman knew it had to be difficult for Uggla, even if he showed no emotion. It was to watch for Freeman, one of Uggla’s closest friends in baseball.
“That was pretty tough,” Freeman said of the boos. “He played the game the right way. He was a great teammate. Everybody loved him in this clubhouse. Always hustled, just never did anything wrong. As a friend, that was definitely tough.”
The Braves are paying almost the entire $13.2 million that Uggla is owed this season, minus a prorated portion of the $507,000 major league minimum that the Nationals are paying for any time he spends on their roster.
Uggla hit .179 with 22 homers and a franchise-record 171 strikeouts for the Braves in 2013, then lost his starting job early in the 2014 season and barely played in the last two months he was with the team before being released.
There was a misconception outside the team that Uggla had become a problem in the clubhouse, a perception that was only amplified when he was suspended for a game before the All-Star break after showing up late for a day game in Chicago. He was then released after the break.
“He was never a problem,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “At the end, the way it ended, I think it was just a matter of frustration, just before the All-Star break last year. But he came over and I spoke to him. Spoke to him in spring training, spoke to him last winter. He’s never been a problem in the clubhouse. As a matter of fact, I think he’s always been an asset.”
Said Freeman, “To be put in a situation like he was put in, how he handled it – like an absolute pro. We all wanted him in this clubhouse. Just to see that reaction, it was definitely tough to see that. You never want to hear that. He gave it his all, it just didn’t turn out the way he wanted it to.”
Uggla hit more than 30 home runs in five consecutive seasons through 2011, his first season with the Braves, when he hit 36 homers. Gonzalez managed him for most of that time, first with the Marlins.
“I tell you what, the couple of years he was here when he was hitting 30 bombs, he was pretty good,” Gonzalez said. “But fans are fans. I’m sure Danny handled (getting booed) … well, like he did, with professionalism. Got an RBI triple, and never even showed any kind of emotion whatsoever.”
