Patience pays off for Braves Country
The first time I ever saw Freddie Freeman in person, he was playing first base for the Rome Braves in 2008.
I had just gotten married and moved to town the summer before. Freeman had just gotten drafted in 2007 and I used to yell “LET’S GO FREE BIRD!” when he came up to bat. I’m sure the 18-year-old Canadian-born Californian loved me.
Since that season, I’ve seen countless games with dozens and dozens of future big league players at State Mutual Stadium in Rome — including those on opposing teams.
Both as a fan and as a writer, I’ve sat, stood and loitered around nearly every square inch of that minor league ballpark from the home clubhouse to the press box, the luxury suites and up on homerun hill watching my girls roll down the grass.
Heck, I even got to be part of a media swarm covering Tim Tebow in that ballpark, and managed to ask the Heisman Trophy winner a decent question.
The most fun I’ve ever had as a journalist was covering the 2016 South Atlantic League Championship season for Rome — a team that had Ronald Acuna Jr., Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Austin Riley, and Touki Toussaint on the roster.
That’s the season my friends Josh Brown, Wayne Cavadi and I started speculating that the franchise was close to being back on top because those players didn’t know or care about curses. They just won and had fun doing it night in and night out.
Also in 2016, Freeman and others argued to their general manager to keep Brian Snitker on board as manager when Fredi Gonzalez was fired. It wasn’t a popular move with the armchair quarterback crowd.
During the postseason that year, I wrote an opinion piece for a Braves site entitled “Brian Snitker the right man to lead the Atlanta Braves in 2017,” and it wasn’t well received with some fans who wanted a big name hotshot manager on board.
Two years later, the Braves won a division title — the first of four straight — and this season a battered, patchwork version of the franchise won it all, showing how much a good front office and careful managing matter to long term success.
Farm system development leads to sustained success and deep lineups when tragedy strikes. Knee-jerk, big money free agency signings destroy franchises. Just like the game of baseball itself, patience and solid discernment usually pay off.
That process starts in small ballparks all over America, including right here in Northwest Georgia. If you are a Braves fan and you and your family aren’t taking advantage of seeing the players of tomorrow develop a few miles away, then you’ve already missed out on so much.
You missed Freddie Freeman hit .316 with 18 homers in 130 games at 18. You missed Ozzie Albies hit .310 and steal 29 bases in 2015. You missed Ian Anderson learn how to control his incredible fastball only a couple of years before he made his postseason debut. You missed out on a magical 2016 season that saw a South Atlantic League title for the Rome team that seems to have been a seed for so much of the magic that lives in the Truist Park home clubhouse today.
In fact, with a little driving, you can follow your Braves draft picks through single-A at Rome, triple-A in Gwinnett County, and in double-A on the while they’re on the road in cities like Chattanooga and Birmingham.
It’s a special feeling to watch a kid develop into a big league ballplayer and then see that person on the big stage. It’s almost like following one of your kids through a special journey.
It’s also funny when some players pan out exactly like you expected, but some take a little more work to get polished up for prime time.
Going back to that special 2016 team in Rome, I knew immediately that Riley and Soroka were special. They left no doubt. But I also remember a “pretty good” Fried and a sloppy, but fun to watch outfielder in Acuna who was mostly memorable to me because of how loud and energetic he was postgame in the clubhouse.
One night I told my friend Wayne that the way these players were celebrating every win seems like a postseason atmosphere every single night. Turns out, these guys were just born winners and it still shines through in their confident play.
When I was a kid, the 1991 team shocked the world making it to Game 7 of the World Series, or the playoffs period. This year’s Braves also had no real business making it very far.
Last year’s Braves were better equipped and far more healthy, but couldn’t get it done against the Dodgers. That reminded me a lot of the 1996 Braves who blew the Fall Classic to the Yankees in legendary fashion.
In 2021, I watched the playoffs without nerves, but a grateful attitude that my scrappy team had even made the postseason at all. It turns out that maybe playing with house money makes gives fans and players more freedom to believe that anything is possible — after all, we’ve made it this far with nothing, right?
This baseball season I learned that victory is the same level of sweet whether you’re 13 or 39. Forever ... Go Braves!