With three weeks left until opening day, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said it’s time for some hitters to start producing if they hope to win one of the remaining position battles or available spots in the bullpen or on the bench.
Second base and center field are open, along with a possible left-field platoon spot opposite Jonny Gomes, other bench jobs, and potentially right field for part of April. Nick Markakis is recovering from December neck surgery and hasn’t played in a spring-training game, but Braves think the veteran right fielder still might have enough time to be ready by opening day.
“He’s swinging the bat in the cages,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t know exactly the target date for him to be on the field, but he’s getting really, really close. We had to get him in some kind of shape before we run him out there.”
Only three weeks remaining before they play games that count, and the Braves have more jobs being contested than they’ve had in a long time at spring training. There’s no more time for just tracking pitches or doing some of the other things that hitters might typically do in camp. Not if you’re one of those competing for a spot.
“You’ve got to start earn a spot, win a spot,” Gonzalez said. “If you go out and say you’ve got open spots, you’ve got open competition, then you’ve got to be able to produce a little bit. You hate to tell a guy, hey, you won a spot hitting .155, and the other guy is hitting .360 doesn’t win the spot. Then you come out looking like a fool, if you say there’s an open competition.”
Eric Young Jr. is the perceived leader in the center-field competition, but the Braves might want him to move over to split time in left field after center fielder Melvin Upton returns from a foot injury that could keep him out for at least all of April. Todd Cunningham and Eury Perez are also competing with Young for the center-field job or for backup outfield spots, so Gonzalez started Perez in center – the rookie went 2-for-2 with two doubles and a walk – and played Young and then Cunningham in left.
Cunningham and Perez might also be competing with Zoilo Almonte in right field if Markakis isn’t ready to start the season. Almonte, who is out of minor league options, went 1-for-4 with a double and is batting .185 (5-for-27) this spring with one extra-base hit and three walks. Perez is 7-for-21 (.333) with three walks.
“There’s a lot of openings, a lot of competition out there,” Gonzalez said. “You start putting people in different spots to see how your roster shapes up. You move Perez over to center field to see if he can play center field. You put (Pedro) Ciriaco at shortstop, at third base, at second base. Guys you’ve got a pretty good feel for, the guys you’ve got a pretty good grip on the way they play – the (Phil) Gosselin, because they’ve been with you for a year – you don’t look at them as much. But some of the newer guys – we put (Jace) Peterson at shortstop to see if he’s a guy if you carry on the roster, he can play short in a jam. All that kind of stuff.
“Chris Johnson played a little first base today, because against a tough left-hander if you want to give Freeman a day off, you want CJ in there, he needs to get some reps in. So yeah, you start looking at how you’re going to shape up your roster here in another three weeks. Give these guys an opportunity to win a spot.”
