Three days ago, Braves hitting coach Greg Walker told Justin Upton he wanted him to simplify the work he did before a game. Take a few swings off the tee to get a feel, take batting practice on the field, a few more swings off the tee before the game if he wants and go play.
No more swinging off coach flips in the indoor cages, tinkering, overthinking.
Upton went out that night, Thursday night, and hit a home run to the opposite field in his first at-bat for his first homer of the year. He hit a home run to left field in his next at-bat, estimated at 477 feet. He started a tear that has seen him put together three consecutive three-hit games, including the game-winning opposite field walk-off RBI single Friday night against the Nationals. Upton raised his early season batting average from .265 to .366 in three days.
“We’re trying to get it back to being just simple where he can go out and play the game and let his gifts let them happen, instead of trying to force things or out-think things,” Walker said. “Just trust your feel, trust your talent and that’s it. We made an agreement, we’re not going to stay in the cage all day fighting it and fighting it and fighting it. We’re just going to go get a good feeling and go out and take the test.”
Upton got off to a torrid start last April, hitting .298 with a majors-leading 12 home runs in his first season with the Braves. But the rest of the season was much more of a grind – he hit .256 with 15 home runs from then on out. Walker said he could see Upton working so hard, almost too hard, that he came into spring training with a goal of simplifying things for Upton.
Walker said Braves bench coach Carlos Tosca raved about the player Upton was at age 19, as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 draft, when Tosca saw him as the Diamondbacks third base coach.
“When he was a kid the game came easy to him,” Walker said. “Carlos Tosca told me that when he came into the Diamondbacks first big league camp at 19 years old, he was their best player. … Through the years I think he’s made it more difficult on himself. And we’re trying to find ways to make it easier and more fun for him because he works so hard and pushes so hard.”
Surgery set for Wednesday: Braves reliever Cory Gearrin will have his elbow ligament replacement surgery Wednesday in New York. Mets team physician Dr. David Altchek will perform the operation.
Gearrin received multiple opinions after an MRI revealed he had a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, including from Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla, and ultimately decided to go with Altchek, the surgeon who operated on both Braves pitchers Gavin Floyd and Anthony Varvaro.
Floyd is several weeks away from making his return from what is now commonly referred to as Tommy John surgery. Floyd pitched Sunday for Triple-A Gwinnett in the third start of his minor-league rehabilitation. He had a 73-pitch outing, surrendered two hits and two runs, and has had a smooth recovery. Varvaro, a native of Staten Island, went to Atlchek for his surgery coming out of St. Johns in 2005, before he started his professional career.
“Gavin and Anthony both had nothing but good things to say,” Gearrin said. “Gavin has been freakish the way he’s come back as well as he’s come back and done so well. I feel really good about it. … (Varvaro) had it a long time ago and he’s done great. Gavin being a guy who did it last year, I thought they had two good perspectives on the whole process and what to expect.”
Gearrin, who injured his elbow in a spring training game March 25 against the Tigers, will celebrate his 28th birthday on Monday, then fly to New York on Tuesday.
“Get a new ligament for your birthday,” Gearrin said.
He said he didn’t know yet whether Altchek would use a ligament from a cadaver or from his own hamstring or wrist.
“Some of the guys I talked to said when you go in, you have a plan and then sometimes they make adjustments,” Gearrin said. “You pick the guy and let him do what he’s going to do and trust the surgeon, so that’s what I’ll do. I feel as good as I can about it, just go from there.”
Minor in Rome: Mike Minor pitched five strong innings Sunday for Single-A Rome, allowing one hit and one walk.
