Foltynewicz thought Braves skipped hearing

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — Losing his arbitration case against the Braves last week wasn’t what bothered pitcher Mike Foltynewicz, it was looking over during the hearing and seeing no one he recognized from the team in attendance.

The team actually had two of its front-office representatives in addition to an outside attorney at the hearing, but Foltynewicz apparently didn’t recognize them and was under the impression Tuesday that the team basically blew off the hearing.

“It would have been nice if someone from the Braves were actually there,” Foltynewicz said as pitchers and catchers reported to spring training Tuesday. “I took a couple of days out of my schedule to go out to Arizona and go sit there ... and almost missed my son being born. It’s just a respect thing. But at the end of the day, we’re here (at spring training), no worries, business is business.”

The Braves were represented at the hearing by chief legal officer Greg Heller and Danielle Monday, a baseball-operations assistant.

Foltynewicz found out about the hearing outcome Saturday shortly after his wife, Brittany, gave birth to their first child, a boy named Jett, who was three weeks prema- ture. Mother and child are healthy and staying at the Orlando rental Foltynewicz is using this spring.