Camargo emerges as force at plate

PHOENIX — He had a double and a homer in Friday’s 12-3 win at Dodger Stadium and two doubles Saturday against the Dodgers. He hit the third-longest Braves homer of the season in Tuesday’s 8-3 win against the Dia- mondbacks. Things are going quite well for Braves rookie Johan Camargo.

The Braves move him between three infield positions — he made his 21st start at third base Wednesday in a series finale at Arizona — and all Camargo does is keep hitting while playing solid and sometimes sensational defense. Actually, “keeps hitting” might be a bit of an understatement for a 23-year-old switch-hitter who started the season in Triple-A. He didn’t get regular playing time with the Braves until his third call-up.

Since he was recalled June 2, Camargo had a .324 average with 20 extra-base hits (two homers), a .515 slugging percentage and .860 OPS in 136 at-bats over 44 games (34 starts) before Wednesday.

This from a guy who hit .267 with four homers and a .683 OPS in 126 games last season at Double-A Mississippi. How did he blossom so quickly and resoundingly?

“From last year to this year, the transformation of his body, No. 1,” hitting coach Kevin Seitzer said. “Getting so much stronger and filling out. And then the adjustments he made from last year I saw this spring, shortening up his swing, were incredible. He continued to make adjustments and when he came up from Triple-A — it’s kind of a delicate place for me because when they’re hitting .300 down there you don’t want to start changing stuff even though I saw a couple of major issues I thought might expose him up here.”

Camargo hit .311 with a .353 OBP and .853 OPS in 31 games this season at Gwinnett, but in his first two stints with the big league team in mid-April and mid-May, Camargo was 2 for 11 with five strikeouts in eight games.

“The first stint he was up, before he went back (to Triple-A), he did OK, but he was missing some pitches, not really giving himself a chance, especially on elevated fastballs,” Seitzer said. “When he went down, he and Johnny Mo (Triple-A hitting coach John Moses) worked on flattening out his swing a little bit left-handed because he had a tendency to uppercut and get uphill. And then when he came back it was better, but still he had a tendency to a little drifty-forward and would get uphill (with the swing). So just adjustment-wise.”it see was what like, thisall right,kid can let’s do

homer Camargo’soff Diamondbackseight-inning lefty Andrew Chafin came on a 94-mph fastball and traveled an estimated 437 feet, the third-longest by a Brave this season.

This wouldn’t have been possible from Camargo when he was a 160-pound prospect a few years ago. Between the physical strength and a lot of work in the video room and batting cages, he’s trans- formed himself as a hitter.

He has the combination of speed and power that makes for high ceilings in young players.

“And there’s going to be more pop coming because this is really the first year that he’s had any sign of man-muscles,” Seitzer said. “He’s going to fill out even more.”