It’s been a busy but enjoyable spring training for Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who was grateful to keep his job after a disappointing 2014 season in which Atlanta finished 79-83, 17 games behind National League East champion Washington. General manager Frank Wren, several top assistants and scouts were fired before the dust settled.
It represented a 17-win reduction from the Braves’ division-winning season in 2013 and the first full-season losing record for a Gonzalez-managed team since his initial year managing the Marlins in 2007.
After Wren and top assistant Bruce Manno were fired with a week left in the season, others in the baseball operations and scouting departments were let go or reassigned. Longtime Indians and Rangers GM John Hart agreed to move from Braves senior adviser to take over as president of baseball operations and John Coppolella, a holdover from the previous regime, moved up to be his right-hand man and top assistant general manager.
After a dizzying winter full of trades — mostly for prospects, many of whom won’t be ready for the majors for at least another year or two — and free-agent signings that turned over nearly half of the Braves’ 40-man roster, Gonzalez welcomed a revamped and seemingly rejuvenated team to spring training and set about trying to piece together a competitive squad.
If Gonzalez hopes to still be managing the Braves when they move into their new ballpark in 2017, he knows they must play better, smarter and harder than they did in 2014. But if he’s feeling any pressure, it’s not apparent. The amiable manager has seemed even more at ease this spring than in his previous four seasons as Braves skipper.
With a few days left in spring training, he sat down with Atlanta Journal-Constitution Braves beat writer David O’Brien to answer some questions about the spring and the season that starts in Miami on Monday.
Q: Who or what has been the best thing about this spring training for you and the coaches?
A: I think the newness of the guys, all the possibilities of the jobs that are open and the players that we got to try to fill those jobs. We got good players. And trying to fill the team the way you wanted to, that's been cool.
Q: What’s been the most pleasant surprise?
A: You get surprised every spring training. Somebody comes in and does something. I think (infielder) Jace Peterson's been a surprise. Here's a kid that we get out of a trade, who you read about but don't know anything about. And he has been — not only his play, but his makeup, his character — he's been really a nice surprise.
Q: What are your main concerns? Or do you have one in particular as the season approaches?
A: I think the depth in our starting rotation is the one that's always concerning. And I'm sure there's maybe not 30, but 25 teams thinking the same thing. I don't know if we'd be able to survive if we had another two guys lost in the rotation like last year (when Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen were injured in spring training).
Q: You seem a little more loose, a little more relaxed this spring. Is that more from just a relaxed atmosphere here or what?
A: I don't know. I'm thinking I'm the same. I've always tried to be the same guy. But they (new front office chiefs) let you do your thing. Plus, the players have allowed you to do that. It's been fun that way. It really has been fun that way.
Q: What’s the first six months with John Hart in charge been like? Are he and John Coppolella easy to deal with?
A: Yes. You know what? They hear your voice. They'll come in and ask me my opinions, and they'll go in and ask the coaches. The coaches are the ones that are really happy. They've been freed up to do their work. And when we make an adjustment on the fly, John's right there with us. … It's been pretty much a do-what-you-want and they listen to us. There's still some, "Hey, we can't do this?" And then they'll explain why, because if we bring this guy on the roster, then this guy, he goes away. So maybe that will influence the way you think about putting together the team. For instance, let's give O'Brien a shot, because if he goes away he, doesn't come back, he's out of options or whatever, instead of a young kid who's under (contractual) control.
Q: What are the keys for this team to be successful?
A: Being healthy, No. 1. I think No. 2 is not miss on the little things — opportunities to score runs, the fundamentals. We can't be one of those teams that can overcome a mistake that's going to cost us three or four runs. We're going to have to minimize the damage and every opportunity we get to score runs, we've got to do it. We've got to take advantage.
Q: What would you consider a success for this team in 2015? A .500 record? Just playing well? Make the playoffs?
A: Our goal is always to make the playoffs. Anything short of that … I don't have any other goal short of that. And obviously, you get evaluated by the wins and losses, and everything else doesn't matter. So that's our goal. We could finish .500 — we could finish .500 and not make the playoffs, finish out of the playoff race — and at the end of year, evaluate yourself. And he goes, "You know what? Our team played good. We just weren't good enough." Or maybe somebody else played better than we did.
But I think our goal is to make the playoffs. Then your start thinking, OK, we didn’t make the playoffs, but every night our fans went home and they go, “You know what, they busted their butts, they played the game the right way. There might be a couple (more) pieces that they need.”
Q: Do you think the clubhouse is in good hands with veteran guys you brought in like (Jonny) Gomes and (Jason) Grilli and …
A: Yeah, I think so. With a guy like (Nick) Markakis and A.J. (Pierzynski), Jason, Jim Johnson. And I think with another year of Freddie Freeman being comfortable in the major leagues and a guy who's going to be with us for a lot of years, I think it's a good clubhouse. I really do.
Q: And do you feel like the organization is in good position for the future?
A: Oh, my, yes. It really is good. We've just seen, really, Peterson and (Mike) Foltynewicz from those trades that we made. There are still five (prospects) down there we haven't seen yet, guys in the minor leagues they're raving about. One guy (Max Fried) hasn't even pitched (recovering from elbow surgery). The other catcher we got from Colorado (prospect Jose Briceno), they really love him. We saw a little bit of (outfielder) Mallex Smith, he's going to be a good one. There's still some pieces down there we haven't seen. And (third-base prospect) Rio Ruiz, (Triple-A manager Brian) Snitker or (player development director) Dave Trembley told me he hit two home runs in a minor league game the other day, just a pure, great hitter. We just saw him a little bit because he had (a minor injury early during camp).
I think we’ve accomplished what one of our goals was, which was to restock our farm system. I think we’ve done that.
Q: Do you think you’ll be around to see it all come to fruition in two or three years?
A: I hope so. (Laughs.) I hope so. But it's not one of those things that you wake up every morning and go, "I've got to worry about this." I never have. And it won't change me. You just go out and do your job. Shoot, this is the only time that I've ever had more than one or two years on a contract when I'm managing in the big leagues. Because everything in the minor leagues and as a (major league) base coach is a one-year deal, so you kind of get used to it.
I like our people. I like our front office. I like the organizational structure, when you bring guys like Dave Trembley back and hire good scouting people. I feel like it’s in good hands and I want to be part of it. I want to be part of this for a long time.
