MIAMI — When Marlins third baseman Martin Prado went 0-for-3 with a walk Tuesday, it was just the second hitless outing he's had in 14 games against the Braves since they traded one of their most popular players two years ago.
They traded Prado to Arizona in a January 2013 deal that brought Justin Upton and Chris Johnson to Atlanta, and Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez believes the impact of Prado’s loss is still felt in some respects by the Braves.
They’ve made wholesale changes since he played for them, but the Braves still have some familiar faces including shortstop Andrelton Simmons, whom manager Fredi Gonzalez remembers following Prado around when Simmons was a rookie in 2012, taking his cues from one of the most respected players the Braves have had.
Prado finished 20th in the National League MVP balloting that season, batting .301 with 58 extra-base hits and a .359 on-base percentage. In 2010, he was an All-Star, batting .307 with a .350 OBP and .459 slugging percentage and finishing ninth in the MVP balloting.
But Prado’s contributions went far beyond stats, as anyone who’s played with him will attest. Prado became the glue that held together the clubhouse.
“He’s a special guy,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who was Atlanta’s third-base coach when Prado debuted in 2006, then faced him as Marlins manager for 3 ½ seasons before Gonzalez took over as Braves manager in 2011 and had Prado on his first two Atlanta teams.
“(Marlins broadcaster) Tommy Hutton asked me about Prado (during spring training) and what I thought about him. I said, he makes everybody on the team better. You’re going to call B.S. on this, but I think if he was here, I think our shortstop (Simmons) would be that much better. And here he’s won two Gold Gloves, won a Platinum Glove. But I think his total game would be a lot better if Martin Prado was at second base or third base or just on the team.”
The Marlins have already seen the kind of leadership from Prado that Gonzalez referenced. During spring training, Prado invited every Hispanic player in the organization to dinner a week before spring training, paying the tab for all 47 who showed up. That’s something Prado said he started doing when he was with the Braves.
“I used to do it with Atlanta every year,” he told The Miami Herald. “Tried to gather all the Latin guys, just to let them know when you’re up here, you can help guys down there. Just to show them that whenever they’re in the top, they can still reach out and help guys that don’t have a lot.”
“It’s always nice when you’re at the top, and you’re in the big leagues, and you have everything. But, the other side is that I came from the point I didn’t have anything, so I know what it takes, know what it feels like not having anything down there. I didn’t go to bed without food in my stomach. But I had it pretty bad.”
Prado’s ability to bring together everyone in the clubhouse, to eliminate factions, has been noted by former Atlanta teammates and by Gonzalez.
“He has that presence about him, and he makes everybody else accountable,” Gonzalez said. “He makes everybody else work like he works, and he cares. And he’s a hell of a teammate. In Simmons’ first year, I saw it. I saw Simmons follow him around like a little puppy dog….
“It didn’t matter if you spoke English or didn’t speak English, or you spoke Spanish, or you spoke Japanese — he found a way to blend in with all his teammates. Chipper Jones, in his speech on the field when they retired his number, he mentioned Martin Prado as one of his favorite teammates. This is Chipper Jones, a future Hall of Famer, and he (only) played with him maybe three years.”
Prado, now in his first season with the Marlins, was 17-for-51 (.333) with a .393 OBP in his career against the Braves before Wednesday night’s series finale at Marlins Park.
