Atlanta Braves Add a Bat to Compete for Roster Spot
By Kit Anderson
The Atlanta Braves opted to add another option to begin the season in left field. Signing former Blue Jay Ezequiel Carrera to a minor league deal. The Braves will give Carrera a chance to win the job in left temporarily.
Ronald Acuna Jr. will be in the Atlanta Braves starting lineup quickly after the first two weeks of the season. Until then the Braves must find a starter or a platoon to use in left field for the first weeks of the season.
Lane Adams has struggled leaving the door open. Signing Ezequiel Carrera was a great decision that will heighten the competition for the job in left. With a career .262 average he provides a solid contact hitter with decent speed and a low strike out rate.
He lacks power however, the biggest problem from the Braves lineup. Adding a bat like Dustin Peterson to the lineup might make more sense using Carrera as a bench bat if Adams cannot show he is capable of handling a roster spot.
Adams brings up the age old debate of whether or not Spring stats mean anything. For rookies stats are everything and for veterans it means nothing. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.
The eye test tells you all you need to know if you pay attention. The eye test for Adams right now isn’t good his swing doesn’t look the same as last year and his poor plate discipline early will have to be corrected in the next two weeks.
Competition for roster spots is heating up as Spring Training is near the halfway point and teams begin to make decisions. The Braves have plenty to make and now have added a capable bat to their roster as another possibility. The Braves next round of cuts should be especially interesting as the Braves make decisions.