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Atlanta Braves Thursday Morning Chop: Utility, Logistics, and Longevity

By Alan Carpenter

A member of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division Fort Bragg, North Carolina, parachutes to the ground at Charleston Air Force Base after jumping from a C-17 Globemaster III, 15th Airlift Squadron Charleston AFB, South Carolina. Public domain photo.
A member of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division Fort Bragg, North Carolina, parachutes to the ground at Charleston Air Force Base after jumping from a C-17 Globemaster III, 15th Airlift Squadron Charleston AFB, South Carolina. Public domain photo. /
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Mar 1, 2016; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman Jace Peterson (8) bats during the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2016; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman Jace Peterson (8) bats during the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Braves News and Notes from All Around

Jace the Utility Guy

It’s hard to ignore the fact that Jace Peterson has been bounced around the diamond a lot here in the first week+ of Spring games.  Thus far, he’s played second base, shortstop, third base, left field and (yesterday) right field.  This, coupled with the extended playing time that prospects Mallex Smith, Ozhaino Albies, and Dansby Swanson are getting (appearances in every game thus far) pretty much tells you everything we need to know about future plans:

  • Coaching reactions to the play of Albies suggest his arrival in the majors could be sooner than previously believed, especially given his age (19) and experience (nothing above Rome… yet).
  • While early word is still that Swanson and Albies will be playing shortstop at different minor league levels, having both on the field and 2017 Opening Day SS and 2B is looking more like a reality, given their Grapefruit League play
  • Thus Jace looks to be slated as the future Martin Prado – a super-utility guy who can actually hit, too… a good weapon to have

Measuring the ‘quality’ of Spring plate appearances is difficult since pitching gets irregular as one goes deeper into these contests, but these prospects have been holding their own:

  • Mallex Smith:  .350, though 1 huge game buoyed this
  • Swanson:  .250, 2 XBH
  • Albies:  .353

All of that is with the Small Sample Size problem of roughly 16-21 plate appearances, but they also have 2 homers and 3 triples between them and seem to be using all fields, executing good situational hitting along the way.  On top of that, their defense has been good.

To speculate a bit further, all of this could allow Atlanta to move Erick Aybar at the trade deadline (or sooner if the Cardinals panic)… but that’s a ways off yet.

If there’s a concern, it’s that Jace Peterson himself is having trouble getting on track: he’s batting .067 (though with 3 walks and 3 RBI).

Next: Military Logistics

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