With two options, Braves will have hotshot at shortstop
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — It seems the Atlanta Braves can’t really go wrong. One way or another, they’ll have a rookie they can trust at shortstop in their quest for the National League East title.
All winter, Tyler Pastornicky heard the Braves shortstop job was his to lose. Then in spring training, he started hearing footsteps from fellow rookie Andrelton Simmons, who began turning heads in camp.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez tipped his hand late in spring training when Sim- mons was sent back to the minors and Pastornicky was given the gig.
He has more experience, having hit .365 in 27 games after being promoted to Class AAA Gwinnett (Ga.) last season. Pastornicky, 22, was also the Class AA (Pearl) Mississippi player of the year.
Simmons, also 22, hasn’t played above Class A. Although he led the Carolina League with a .311 average last season, the Curacao native would have been the first Brave to make the leap from Class A to the big leagues since Rafael Furcal in 2000.
Both players agreed that the compe- tition had been friendly. “(Simmons) is a great player who does a lot of things well. I’m just trying to control what I can do,” Pastornicky said.
But his spring batting performance jeopardized his standing as the favorite to win the job. Pastornicky did not get an extra-base hit until March 24, and he finished hitting .221 with a .267 onbase percentage.
But Pastornicky rallied with 10 hits in his final 28 at-bats, staving off Simmons’ unlikely bid.
“His bat’s been coming around,” Gonzalez said. “He’s kind of settling in a bit. But he comes from a baseball family (his father, Cliff, played 10 games for the Kansas City Royals in 1983), and his body language has been good all spring. I’ve never seen his head down or with a lack of confidence.”
Simmons, sidelined by a sore left side for several days late in camp, said he had learned to drive the ball more consistently this spring. But he said before he was reassigned to the minor leagues he would be OK with his fate.
“It’s all I could ask for, getting a lot of at-bats in (spring training) games,” he said. “I’d be happy to play anywhere. I’m not too worried about whatever decision they make.”