Braves prospect has one big supporter in Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez but he will have to convince the front office that he is ready to start the season in the major leagues.
Braves News
With positions at stake, Braves' Grapefruit games eagerly anticipated
There are several positions and several spots on the Braves' 25-man roster that are up for grabs as spring training gets underway. For that reason, the Grapefruit League schedule has a bit more intrigue this season over prior years.
"I think this exhibition season is going to be fun because there's a lot of competition, and competition is good," said Gonzalez, whose Braves play host to the Mets in a Wednesday opener at Champion Stadium. "It's going to be fun watching that materialize. Especially now you've got Melvin (Upton Jr.) out, and you've got (Nick) Markakis we're taking it slow with, you've got a job at second base that's going to open. So there's a lot of spot where you're going to see guys getting after it."
Multiple southpaws vying for spot in Braves' bullpen
One of the areas to watch in the spring is how the Braves fill out their bullpen. Right now there are three lefty candidates to fill what looks like two spots but there are a couple of other names that could also get into that mix as well.
Luis Avilan, James Russell and Josh Outman appear to be the top left-handed candidates to fill what might just be two available spots in Atlanta's bullpen. Manager Fredi Gonzalez has added to the intrigue of the competition by indicating he has not closed the door on the possibility of having either non-roster invitee Donnie Veal or high-upside prospect Manny Banuelos begin the regular season in his bullpen.
Banuelos is a name that we have also heard could be in the competition to be the team's fifth starter but it appears early in camp that the Braves may limit his innings and have him start out the year in the bullpen whether that is in Atlanta or at Gwinnett.
Braves name Meyer to new position as pitching rehab coordinator
Former left handed pitcher Dan Meyer was given a new job title on Tuesday when he was named as the Braves pitching rehab coordinator. Meyer was previously the pitching coach at Danville. The club saw the need for the position after acquiring pitchers like Max Fried and Dan Winkler who will both spend the season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
"You look at what's our future in the organization - Winkler, Fried, guys like that - that's a really important role for us," Schuerholz said. "Even moreso right now. And we've got a guy in our organization that fits this role. A (pitcher), former top prospect, he's been through some rehab stuff, has a really good rapport with players, and so we saw this as a really good fit for our organization and a way to help him kind of grow his coaching resume."
Peraza set to showcase talent in bid for roster spot
When Grapefruit league games get underway on Wednesday, Braves prospect Jose Peraza will get he opportunity to show management whether or not he is ready to begin the season in the majors with Atlanta. In an effort to get him plenty of at bats, Peraza will play both second base and shortstop during the early part of spring training.
"Half [of the coaches] say he's ready to go and the other half say, 'Nah, give him a couple months, he hasn't gotten any higher than Double-A,'" Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "It's always a good discussion. It will play out. We'll see."
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