LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Matt Kemp was among the early arriving Braves position players Tuesday, the veteran left fielder rolling into ESPN Wide World of Sports around 11 a.m. on reporting day for the team’s pitchers and catchers.
Kemp was soon on the field, doing agility drills and sprints alongside another early arriver and former Dodger, utility man Micah Johnson. Kemp appeared to have lost a little weight since last year and seemed to have more burst on the short sprints than he showed in the outfield last season after coming to the Braves in a trade-deadline deal that provided another significant boost to an offense that had already begun to improve.
Others non-catcher position players already in Braves camp Tuesday included Ender Inciarte, Rio Ruiz, Jace Peterson, Adonis Garcia, Ozzie Albies. Position players aren’t required to report until Thursday and the first full-squad workout is Friday.
In the clubhouse, Kemp in his first spring with the Braves has been assigned the locker stall that belonged for many years to retired future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, the last locker on the right side of the room. It’s just beside the clubhouse attendants’ room that functions as a town hall at times among veteran players during spring training.
Unlike Jones, who had two lockers for much of his career — his fan mail alone could fill half of one — Kemp and everyone else has one locker now.
The Braves have been known to position certain prospects or young players alongside veterans if they think the older player could and would be willing to help the kid feel more comfortable or just be a good example for him to observe during spring training.
To the immediate right of Kemp is the locker stall of outfield prospect Dustin Peterson, followed by those of Jace Peterson and power-hitting infield prospect Travis Demeritte.
On the back wall adjacent to the other side of the doorway to the clubhouse attendants’ room is a line of four lockers that has infield prospects Dansby Swanson and Albies flanked on either side veteran second baseman Brandon Phillips and veteran right fielder Nick Markakis.
The large room is divided by a wall, and what used to be considered almost exclusively the domain of minor leaguers and non-roster invitees — except Andruw Jones, who asked to stay there throughout his Braves career — now has some prominent veterans mixed in.
One group of locker stalls has starting-pitching prospect Sean Newcomb situation between 40-something veteran pitchers R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon.
