5 Things to Watch For During Atlanta Braves Spring Training

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Sep 25, 2015; Braves first baseman Freddie Fr eeman (5) connects for a base hit…with a grimace… during the first inning against the Miami Marlins. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

How Healthy is the Right Side of the Infield?

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The most vital cog of this offense – whatever it ends up being – is certainly Freddie Freeman. While he’s been able to swing a bat without pain for the past month or so, the bigger question is whether that will wrist hold up while facing live pitching in game situations.

If so, then it will make a huge difference in this lineup… one that just doesn’t have a serious middle-of-the-order threat without him.

The flip side is … kind of scary. Right now it’s Nick Swisher as Freeman’s backup, though it’s very likely we’ll see a lot of him this Spring for an entirely different reason. The Braves desperately want to dump Swisher on somebody before April begins. The only way to have a chance at this is if he sees a lot of pitches this Spring… and hits them hard.

I know – we hear it over and over: Spring stats are meaningless. Well, in Swisher’s case, good contact will go a long way to showing that he might be a decent bench bat, DH, LFer, or first baseman.

What if that good contact doesn’t happen? Well, that’s another story… one that could require Swisher’s release with no salary relief.

Secondly…

With Jace Peterson, it’s still quite possible that he will end up in a platoon situation at second base with either Gordon Beckham. But being the lefty-hitting side of that, he’d still have the lion’s share of the reps. The reported severity of his thumb injury does raise the eyebrows, and if it isn’t completely healed, that puts Beckham out there full time.

If either Freeman or Peterson continues to have hand issues – whether in Spring or during the regular season – then that’s most likely a signal for surgery to repair the damage… and end his year. Obviously, Freeman is the one to watch the most, for he’s irreplaceable.

Next: Is a Change-up the Magic Elixir?

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