WASHINGTON – When Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was weighing whether to keep Evan Gattis in the lineup Friday by playing him at first base, a position the rookie catcher had barely played in pro ball and not in nearly two years, Gonzalez employed a baseball adage he's used before.
“I know that he’s going to get four at-bats,” Gonzalez said. “We don’t know that he’s going to get four groundballs hit to him in the course of the game. I mean, he’s a big part of our lineup right now, a big part of our offense.”
After Gattis homered for the second consecutive game Wednesday at Miami, Gonzalez mentioned the possibility of playing him at first base in Friday’s series opener against the Nationals, even though Gattis’ only pro-ball experience there was seven games at Class-A Rome in 2011. “I’ve done crazier things,” Gonzalez said at the time.
He wanted to keep letting veteran Gerald Laird catch rookie pitcher Julio Teheran, who started Friday’s series opener against the Nationals. But Gonzalez also wanted to keep Gattis’ hot bat in the lineup, since he was hitting .391 with three homers, six RBIs and an .826 slugging percentage in just 23 at-bats before Friday.
So with the Nationals starting a left-hander, Ross Detwiler, in the series opener, Gonzalez had Gattis take groundballs Friday afternoon and, satisfied he could handle it, penciled him in the lineup at first base.
“This is not crazy; this is not crazy at all,” Gonzalez said when reminded of his comment Wednesday. “He took groundballs. He looks fine. He’s played it before. He looked good. He’s comfortable with it, we’re comfortable with it. Go get ‘em.
“If we’re winning the game late in the game or something, we can make a move, get a better defender in there, or leave him in the game and put him behind the plate and do something else someplace else, depending where the lineup falls.”
Chris Johnson, who’s filled in at first base with Freddie Freeman on the disabled list, moved back to third base Friday and left-handed-hitting third baseman Juan Francisco was out of the lineup.
Gattis saw where Gonzalez mentioned the possibility after Wednesday’s game, but didn’t think he was serious.
“I didn’t think anything of it until today,” said Gattis, who said he took the early bus to the ballpark at 1:30 p.m. Friday for early batting practice and to take groundballs, as requested. But he didn’t know he was actually going to play first base until Gonzalez posted the lineup. Gattis said he was ready, and had a simple goal.
“Do more good than bad, hopefully,” he said, smiling. “And, you know, just play baseball…. Physically it’s a lot easier than catching. Just make the routine plays. That’s the idea.”
Since those seven early season games at first base in Class-A ball in 2011, Gattis hadn’t even fielded any grounders other than briefly during batting practice prior to a spring-training game in 2012. But the 240-pound slugger said he played first base on some high school select teams and sparingly during college, and felt good enough there during Friday’s session.
“I don’t think I’ll be that uncomfortable over there,” said Gattis, who was honored the Braves wanted his bat in the lineup badly enough to make the move.
Gonzalez said it was a “perfect storm” of circumstances Friday – facing a lefty, Freeman on the 15-day DL, Teheran pitching — and he didn’t expect to make a habit of playing Gattis at first base. Gattis did play plenty of left field in the past year at Double-A Mississippi, in winter ball and in spring training, and handled that position well.
When catcher Brian McCann returns from the DL after completing his recovery from shoulder surgery, perhaps in late April or early May, the Braves could keep Gattis as a third catcher, fifth outfielder and pinch-hitter. Being able to play first base can only further strengthen his case, although his bat has already done plenty in that regard.
Gonzalez said Gattis told him he’d be fine Friday and that he’d at least get in front of any difficult grounder and “knock it down.” Many expected the Nationals to bunt a few times toward first base to test Gattis.
Gonzalez said it could get interesting if their speedy leadoff man Denard Span tried that on Gattis.
“If Span bunts a ball over there, he may just tackle him over there at first base,” Gonzalez joked.
