The Atlanta Braves will have one position up for grabs in Spring Training and that's third base. As they take the field Friday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers, Fredi Gonzalez will have to keep his eyes on Juan Francisco and Chris Johnson as both guys will like to be everyday players in the upcoming 2013 season.
As we know, Chipper Jones is no longer in a Braves uniform. Well, he's made some Spring Training appearances, but he's made it clear he's not playing another game of baseball.
Last season, the Braves hoped Francisco could put it all together on defense and offense. He was given some time at third base since the aging Jones needed time off to remain healthy in order to stay in the lineup. Francisco did little to prove he could be an everyday third baseman, so the Braves did some shopping despite having to give up the one man who could have done it all.
Martin Prado was thought to be the next successor at third base in the Braves organization, but Atlanta went younger and stronger acquiring Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prado was sent to the desert along with Randall Delgado who showed signs of being a great pitcher despite struggling in 2012.
In return, the Braves also received third baseman, Johnson, who might be a little sloppy with his glove.
We live in a time were microscopic details exist about a player's game and Johnson's defense is not up to par. According to MLB.com, Johnson's defensive rating was -10.7, second worse only to Detroit Tiger's Miguel Cabrera who posted a -11.2. However, Johnson is no Triple Crown candidate, so he has to do much better than that.
Fredi Gonzalez's Plan
A lot of managers wish to be in Gonzalez's shoes right now. He's got a ton of power, speed and skill in his lineup and these guys are no slouches on the field.
Gonzalez isn't looking to cut anybody or keep guys on his bench if they could help the team every other day, so of course, his first idea is to set Francisco and Johnson as a duo at third base. Francisco is a lefty and Johnson is a righty, so it seems like the two are destined to become platoon players at third.
However, Gonzalez will keep his eye on both guys' performance. If one of them completely out performs the other, then he will be the everyday guy in the Braves lineup.
Francisco almost doubled his three years of production with the Cincinnati Reds in 2012. He hit nine homers, drove in 32 runs, but hit an abysmal .234. The Braves were conscious about his weight and the ball player looked thinner when he arrived to camp. As for Johnson, he's way better with the bat hitting .281, 15 homers and 76 RBI in 2012 with the Houston Astros and Diamondbacks.
Though not easy to do, these guys will be responsible for filling in the shoes of a legend in Atlanta and a future Hall of Famer.
The Braves will play in the Grapefruit League this spring and the action kicks off at 1:05 p.m. ET on Friday against the Tigers. In a way only Bane could say it...
Let the games begin!
