It made for a great anecdote last July, when Omar Infante got the call from Braves general manager Frank Wren telling him that he had made his first All-Star team and he thought Wren was calling to say he got traded. When the real thing came in November, that he had been traded with Mike Dunn for second baseman Dan Uggla, it wasn’t quite so funny anymore.
“At the beginning I was sad because I wasn’t expecting that news,” Infante said Tuesday, with Marlins third-base coach Joey Espada interpreting. “I was sad to hear from Frank, but it’s part of the business. He said they were very happy with the job I did in Atlanta, but it was a business decision.”
Infante arrived in Atlanta for the start of a three-game series against his former team with fond memories of the place where he spent three quality seasons. He hit .309 in 300 games, played six positions in the field — everywhere but pitcher, catcher and first base — became one of the Braves’ best clutch hitters and made the All-Star team for the first time as a utility player.
“Three great years,” Infante said of his time in Atlanta. “Great experience. Managed by a great manager Bobby Cox.”
The first Brave to greet him — with a bear hug by the batting cage Tuesday — was his old friend and fellow Venezuelan Martin Prado, who might have taken the trade even harder than Infante.
But the silver lining in going to Florida for Infante was significant, and that was an everyday job at second base. “That’s one of the good things about the trade,” Infante said.
In Atlanta, he couldn’t break out of that super utility role. He also said he immediately liked the idea of living in Miami, where he has uncles and cousins living.
Jurrjens set for Saturday start
The Braves confirmed that with his six solid innings in Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday night, Jair Jurrjens is ready to return to the mound Saturday against the Mets. Jurrjens will make his first start of the season after missing two starts with a strained right oblique.
Jurrjens gave up two runs on four hits in six innings Monday and retired the final nine batters he faced.
“He got better as the game went along,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who went to Gwinnett to watch Jurrjens. “His last two innings were pretty good. It had been about three weeks since he went on the mound in a competitive situation. It was good. He’s good to go for Saturday.”
Impressions of Teheran, Gomez
Gonzalez got a chance to mingle with the minor leaguers when he went to Gwinnett to watch Jurrjens. He sat in the stands flanked by first-round pick Mike Minor and top pitching prospect Julio Teheran.
Safe to say his impressions of Teheran have been good.
Gonzalez said he was interpreting for Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell, who sat on Teheran’s right side and was hinting that it won’t be long before Teheran is in the big leagues and dressing for the Braves’ chartered flights.
“Roger was kidding him, ‘You have a suit, a sports coat?’” Gonzalez said. “He goes ‘No.’ ‘You better get one.’ He’s looking at me like ‘What do you mean I better get one?’ ‘Meaning you’re going to be up here; you may help us sooner rather than later.’”
Another Gwinnett player who has made a big impression on Gonzalez is first baseman Mauro Gomez. Two weeks Gomez hit a walk-off home run in an exhibition game at Turner Field in his first at-bat in front of the major league coaches. On Monday night, Gomez sent a homer up the berm in straightaway center off former major leaguer Mark Hendrickson.
“When we left last night, I came here and talked to Frank [Wren] about him,” Gonzalez said. “‘Tell me more about this Gomez guy.’”
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