By JON COOPER
FOXSportsSouth.com
March 8, 2011
FOXSportsSouth.com's Jonathan Cooper recently ran a two-part interview on the state of the Atlanta Braves heading into Spring Training 2011 from the viewpoint of general manager Frank Wren.
Here is the complete interview with Wren.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: First off, congratulations on your contract extension. Do you feel like it's vindication for you toward your critics?
FRANK WREN: I'll just say it's very gratifying that the people that run the organization feel that we've got things headed in the right direction.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: It was a very successful off-season. The marquee move was acquiring Dan Uggla. How important was that move?
WREN: It's something we've been looking for for a couple of years. That right-handed power that you can depend on and you can pencil in for 158 games a year. We feel like it really improves and balances our offense.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: You also fortified the bullpen. How do the new additions (George Sherrill and Scott Linebrink) fit in?
WREN: We knew we needed to replace that veteran experience and that guy that had done just about everything in the bullpen and the young guys could lean on when things don't go well and inevitably they're not going to always go well. That really played into our decision, what [Sherrill and Linebrink] could bring not only as pitchers but as people.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: The Braves appear to have addressed the team's main weaknesses. Do you feel all the pieces are in place to start the season?
WREN: I don't know that you ever feel like you're finished. You feel like there's things you can improve upon. So I know that we're always looking and seeing if there are additional pieces that fit the club well. I think for the most part the 25 guys that will go north with us are somewhere here on the complex. But we're always looking to improve if we can.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: How do you feel the rotation stacks up?
WREN: I think our rotation is one of the stronger rotations in all of baseball. I can't say it's the strongest but I can say it would be in the conversation with some of the strongest rotations in the game. That's where it all starts. We've put a focused effort there the last couple of years to make sure that we had a starting rotation that would allow us to compete on a nightly basis. We feel like the last two years we've been able to do that.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: The biggest questions coming into Spring Training were the health of Jair Jurrjens and the battle for fifth starter. Where do those issues stand?
WREN: J.J.'s 100 percent. He feels great. He feels like he's ready to continue his career that got derailed last year and there's no reason why he shouldn't. I think that gives us four real good quality starters. Then the fifth guy, from a talent standpoint is going to be quality as well. It's going to be a younger guy that needs to establish himself at the Major League level, whether it's Beachy or Minor, it's going to be a real good competition. We've also got a veteran in Rodrigo Lopez, who threw 200 innings last year for Arizona, that could also be there if we feel like that's the direction we should go.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: The Braves have a wealth of young arms coming up, including Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino, Randall Delgado and others. Can you talk about this wealth of young talent?
WREN: That's one of the fun aspects of Spring Training, seeing some of the good young arms, the Delgados, the Teherans, the Vizcainos, guys like that, [Brett] Oberholtzer. Our Major League staff, our Major League players get to see some of the young guys coming and it's also fun for us to see them in that environment for the first time. That, to me, is the most interesting part of Spring Training.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: The infield's biggest issue involves the corner spots, with Freddie Freeman breaking in at first and Chipper Jones coming back at third. What's your take on the corner men?
WREN: Freddie Freeman is just like we have seen him the last two Spring Trainings. He's fit right in. He's not assuming anything. He's going to work his tail off all spring and put himself in the position to be the Opening Day first baseman, which I think we all expect him to be. Chipper's gone through all the drills. He's going to have days where, obviously, the knee doesn't feel quite as good as some other days. But he hasn't had to come out of anything. He's been able to get all his work in and slowly but surely is gaining more confidence in making all the movements it takes to play third base.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: It probably shouldn't have been a surprise that that Chipper has come back so strong, wanting to go out the way he did last season.
WREN: No. I think Chipper, especially the way he was playing right before the injury last year, he was playing like we all expect Chipper Jones to play. His mindset all winter long was 'I'm going to come back and show everybody exactly what I can do.' He seems like he's on a mission.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: What are your thoughts on Martin Prado and his move to left field?
WREN: He looks very comfortable out there. But it's really hard to tell until you start playing games. You start playing games and you're reading balls off the bat, it's a whole different story. But talking to Eddie Perez, who managed in the Venezuelan Winter League for a couple of years when Martin was playing left field, he said Martin is a very, very good left fielder. He thought he did a great job out there. So he doesn't have any reservations about recommending him to play out there. We also know how hard Martin works. He can do a lot of different things and he works real hard at it. If he feels he's deficient in left field he'll just work that much harder to make sure he's not. That's just his make-up. You wish you had 25 like him because he is going to do whatever it takes to be a good player and whatever it takes to beat you.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: How do you see Jason Heyward doing in his second Major League season after a tremendous rookie campaign?
WREN: I've said this many times, I think we just saw Jason scratch the surface of his abilities last year. As he learns the league and learns the pitchers and gets more comfortable, and hopefully we can keep him healthy, we'll just see him grow by leaps and bounds. So I'm really looking forward to seeing what this year and many more hold for him.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: Are people at the Disney Complex feeling safer parking their cars now that the tents are up behind the right field wall?
WREN: (laughs) Yeah. The tents are up. We literally last spring had balls ricocheting everywhere. We've got those big left-handed hitters and when you have that, that's what you have to deal with.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: This has become Brian McCann's team. Do you like the progress he's made growing into a leadership role?
WREN: Very much so. I think Brian is very respectful. He respects the veteran players. He respects the game. We're seeing him finally realize that he's becoming the go-to guy. He's realizing that he's the one that has all these All-Star appearances and Silver Sluggers and is realizing how much the other players look up to him. That's just because Brian is so down-to-earth and so unassuming. He just never really saw himself that way. I think it's finally starting to sink in. What we've all known and what we've all thought he's starting to understand and he's definitely taking a bigger role. We really saw it when he stepped forward talking to our young players at the Rookie Development Week. He was one of the big hits of the week.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: How did the idea for Rookie Development Week come about? Have you noticed any tangible results from it yet?
WREN: I think there are. It's not a program that we originated. It's something that I know other teams have done, but we really wanted to do something like that here. We've seen benefits already. One of the big benefits is how comfortable some of our young pitchers are in this camp after spending a week with [Pitching Coach] Roger [McDowell] and the other coaches in that program. All these young guys who have never been to a big league camp before came in with a comfort level with the staff. One of the unintended benefits that we didn't realize at the time was it was a chance for our Major League staff to bond and get to know each other for five days, while they were there working with the young players and planning meetings for Spring Training, things like that. So when they arrived, it wasn't like you were putting a new staff together. It was, 'Okay, we were just together three weeks ago.' So there were some intended benefits and some unintended benefits that made it a worthwhile program.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: What are your thoughts thus far of Fredi as manager?
WREN: He's very comfortable. I think part of it is having been here and coached with Bobby all those years and having a familiarity with everyone. Also, it's not his first camp, having managed for three or four years with the Marlins and having his own routine and how he likes to run his camp. So it wasn't all new to him. Even though it was new coming back here, he experienced managing and he had run spring training camps so he knew what he wanted to see and accomplish in the camp. So I think it was a little new for us because he brought some new things to the table as far as the way he's running spring training, but all in all, it's been a very smooth transition. I think the other thing is it's great having Bobby out here. Bobby's out here every day. He and Fredi have such a great relationship that there's a great comfort level.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: How do you think the experience the kids gained in last year's playoffs will payoff this year?
WREN: I think it showed them all what we really strive and play for and how special that time is. You dream your whole life of playing in the Major Leagues. That's just the first step. Sometimes it's hard for younger players to understand that. But once they taste the postseason, then they realize that's really what it's all about. Now our guys have had that taste. I see it, I hear it, feel it from our players, they want more of that. They want to make sure that we are in a position to get back to the postseason and hopefully go a lot further.
FOXSPORTSSOUTH.COM: Is it motivation hearing how some are conceding the division to the Phillies?
WREN: I think the Phillies have earned all the accolades and credit they're getting. They've won the division a number of years in a row and now they go out and get another starting pitcher (Cliff Lee) to add to what was already a very good starting rotation. But I know our guys feel like we can compete in this division. I think they feel like it's going to be a battle all year long. I think from our standpoint, we like where we sit, we like what's ahead of us from a competition standpoint and we're up for the challenge. I'm looking forward to the first home weekend when we have the Phillies in town and we go head-to-head with them. It will all start then.
