MiLB.com will be visiting each Spring Training site in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues this month to report on the most significant stories involving each club's Minor League system as players get ready for the 2008 season. We'll find out who's impressing the organization, who's hot and who's not, and sit down for an exclusive Q&A with a top prospect.
Team: Atlanta Braves Burning Question Will it be difficult keeping the potential pitching staff at Rome focused on the task at hand? Well, first it would be helpful to define what exactly the task at hand is. When the Braves break camp at the end of the week and scatter their prospects throughout the South, the logical landing place for some of their high-profile pitchers will be in Rome, home of the club's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League. And considering some of the hype the group will garner, particularly based on what they did collectively last season at Danville in the Appalachian League, it would be natural for some -- if not all of them -- to have thoughts that were drifting toward Myrtle Beach, Pearl and maybe even Richmond. All the available evidence points to southpaws Jeff Locke, Steve Evarts, Chad Rodgers and Jose Ortegano opening up at Rome and should that come to pass, it could be a devastating staff, one of the best in the Minor Leagues. The quartet was dominant last year in Danville, combining to go 20-3 with two saves and a 2.47 ERA. They struck out 209, walked 34 and held the opposition to a .211 batting average. "I think the best way to make sure they stay focused on things is to have them just keep doing the things they need to do in order to continue improving," Atlanta farm director Kurt Kemp said. "It's not about where they've been. If the focus is where they've been and living on the past, then it's our job to make them understand where they are going and focus on doing the things that will help get them to the big leagues. "If we focus on that as they make strides toward the Major Leagues, not too much is going to fall on the laurels of what they did at Danville or even in the Gulf Coast League. You have to learn what to be good at in Rome before you go on to Myrtle Beach and Pearl." Kemp pointed to Jordan Schafer, the outfielder whom many consider to be Atlanta's top prospect, as an example. Schafer had a tough year at Rome in 2006 and the Braves put him right back there in 2007. He eventually reached Myrtle Beach last year and wound up leading the Minor Leagues in hits. "He had to go back to Rome and now, 12 months later, he's in big league camp," Kemp said. "We've always trusted in Jordan and the lefties, that their makeup will allow them to focus on the those things they need to be focusing on." So press clippings, pundits and your friendly neighborhood MiLB.com reporter shouldn't have much of an impact on the group. At least that's the plan. Other News of the Day Lefty Cole Rohrbough threw a bit early in camp, but has slowed down some in recent days as he continues to recover fully from an offseason ankle injury and some tenderness in his arm. With the ankle injury perhaps a contributing factor to the arm soreness, Kemp said the club just wants to be cautious. While Rohrbough still appears headed to Myrtle Beach, he may be a week or 10 days behind the Pelicans' other starters. #ques_include {width:300px;float:right;margin-left:5px;} #ques_content {border-top:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;padding-left:5px;} .ques_schedule {margin-top:5px;font-size:11px;} .ques_dates {font-size:11px;font-style:italic;color:#999;} 
Brent Lillibridge had the second-most at-bats in Major League camp through Friday, evidence that the club is giving him a long hard look after he excelled last season at Mississippi and Richmond. Whether the Braves will find a spot for the scrappy infielder remains to be seen as the final week of Spring Training commences. Still Lillibridge is thrilled at the opportunity. "This is my second time in a big league camp and I'm more relaxed," he said. "I'm getting a lot of playing time. Last year I had about 15 at-bats, so this definitely feels better. I feel great swinging the bat and I'm in a good zone. I usually don't get in a zone where I'm this comfortable until May. If I can carry this through, it could be quite a good year for me." Outfielder Jordan Schafer was making the most of being in Major League camp through the end of last week, hitting .316 with six RBIs through 38 at-bats. "I've learned a lot since I've been here," Schafer said. "I've experienced a lot too, just being in this environment. I've really been picking [Mark] Kotsay's brain about all kinds of stuff. He's been around so long I can do nothing but learn from him." The natural next step for Schaefer is Double-A Mississippi, where he was sent by the club this weekend. While the Braves are thrilled with Schafer's progress, they are also excited about seeing 16-year-old Panamanian catcher Christian Betancourt, who only signed last weekend. He will report to directly to the club's Dominican Academy, but is someone worth remembering even though he won't have much of an impact for at least a few more years. The scouting report on Betancourt says he has an above-average arm, soft hands and is a line-drive, gap-type hitter. Five Questions with Chad Rodgers MiLB.com: If you could have dinner with anyone in history, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? CR: Tiger Woods. He's the role model for all athletes as far as I'm concerned. He represents everything you want to be in an athlete. For me, he's dedicated himself to winning and getting better. That's all I'm looking for. MiLB.com: What's your greatest accomplishment, on or off the field and why? CR: Winning the [Ohio State] championship as a senior in high school. I pitched in the semis that year. I was lucky to win it twice in high school. I believe it has carried over to what I'm doing with Atlanta. It taught me how to win and be a good competitor. Pitching in the state semis was big because it taught me what it was like to pitch in a big atmosphere. The Braves have a great atmosphere with all their clubs, so it definitely carried over and made for an easy transition. MiLB.com: If you weren't a baseball player, what would your occupation be right now? CR: I'd be in school at Kent State and I'd be studying to be a dentist. I love to go to the dentist. I'm always asking questions about his job and it's very interesting to me. MiLB.com: What was your most embarrassing moment? CR: Last year in an Appy League game [at Danville], I gave up eight runs in one inning against [against Bluefield on July 27]. You never like to be embarrassed on the field, but that one kind of got away from me. I felt like I let the team down. You never want to get embarrassed on the baseball field, so for me it was not one of my better moments. MiLB.com: Tell us something about you that no one knows? CR: Well, not too many people know that I'm a single-digit handicapper in golf. The people around here know it but not everyone else does. Lasting Impression The idea that the team in Rome will have a special staff has been a big theme for me this spring. But that's only part of the pitching surplus that Atlanta has on the way. What the Braves have been able to build down below is truly impressive, so if we continue to tout the pitchers at Rome that doesn't mean it's because there aren't other pitchers in the system to praise. The Braves are also expected to have a strong staff at Myrtle Beach. The Pelicans will have a staff that should include right-handers Tommy Hanson and Deunte Heath [who was drafted four times] along with lefty Cole Rohrbough. Hanson and Heath each spent the second half of last season in the Carolina League, while Rohrbough went 5-2 with a 1.17 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) while splitting time between Danville and Rome. "Hanson and Heath each made about 10 starts there last year and they are part of the core group of 19 to 21-year-olds that are coming up through the system," Kemp said. "They are a year apart [from the pitchers in Rome] and they will be part of the next generation of pitchers that the Atlanta Braves have for many years to come. We think a lot of this group coming through, but they have a long way to go to continue to meet the challenges at higher competition levels." Parting Shot The Braves spent so many years on top in the National League first in the West and then the East, that it's still a bit difficult to wrap yourself around the fact that they haven't won the division in each of the past two seasons. They may or may not regain that form this season. But with Tom Glavine and John Smoltz finishing up careers there will be a few openings in the Atlanta rotation in 2009 and 10. We love great pitching and the Braves sure have tons of it, so it will be interesting to see how this bevy of starters that we've been praising will develop between now and the time they reach Atlanta. Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. |
