LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Eric Young Jr. is determined to show the Braves that he can be their center fielder and leadoff hitter, and took a positive step on both fronts Wednesday.
Young walked twice and stole a base in three plate appearances while batting leadoff, and made an inning-ending diving catch racing in front center during an 8-2 loss to the Mets in a Grapefruit League opener at Champion Stadium.
“I’ll take it,” Young said of the spring debut. “Get on base, get in scoring position and let the rest happen.”
The former Rockies and Mets second baseman and outfielder had plenty of experience batting leadoff, but not playing center. Young, 29, has started 197 games in left field, but has more starts at second base (46) than in center (34).
“He’s got the one ingredient that you want in center – he can fly,” Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said. “We’ve got time to get him ready. He’s eager to play center field.”
With Melvin Upton likely to miss at least the first month of the season with a foot injury, Young is a leading candidate along with Eury Perez and Todd Cunningham for the center field job. Young said he made himself into a good left fielder after coming up as a second baseman, and that he could do the same in center this spring.
“Yeah, I just want to get comfortable out there, get more reps, take as many as I can in batting practice,” he said. “With time and repetition, I’ll get better out there.”
Young and rookie Jace Peterson, batting second, were the highlight of the Braves’ offense. The speedy duo got on base five times in six plate appearances between them, including a double and two walks by Peterson.
After Wandy Rodriguez gave up a run in the first, the Braves scored twice in the bottom of the inning following consecutive walks by Young and Peterson. Freddie Freeman singled to load the bases before Jonny Gomes’ sacrifice fly and A.J. Pierzyski’s two-out single through the left side of the infield put the Braves ahead 2-1.
“The top of the order did what they’re supposed to do,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “EY got on base a couple of times, stole a base. Peterson got on base…. We were working some deep counts. I’m pleased with that, and with the energy and our defense.”
The Braves got a pair of spectacular catches in the third inning from non-roster outfielders Young and Cedric Hunter, a Decatur native and graduate of Martin Luther King Jr. High in Lithonia. Hunter, who had a brief stint in the majors with the Padres in 2011, made a running, leaping catch at the left-field wall to start the inning, and Young’s catch ended the inning and prevented any damage against Braves lefty Luis Avilan.
“EY makes a diving catch coming in and you forget how good a catch Hunter just made, because EY trumped him,” Gonzalez said. “I liked the energy. The energy gets a little lower when you walk people, and I think we ended up hitting three or four guys. Veteran (pitchers), not kids pitching in A-ball, Double-A. Guys who’ve been around the block a little bit got themselves in trouble.”
Veteran non-roster relief hopefuls Matt Capps and Jose Veras struggled. Capps gave up two hits, two runs, a walk and a hit batter in one inning of work, and Veras recorded just two outs and allowed five runs, two walks and three hits including a three-run homer by non-roster invitee Johnny Monell.
Chien-Ming Wang also gave up three hits and hit a batter in two scoreless innings.
