Braves new shortstop Pastornicky is in the house
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The Braves got a look at their new shortstop in action Friday when Tyler Pastornicky took infield and batting practice a couple of hours after reporting to camp.
“Had a lot of fun,” said Pastornicky, 22, who fielded grounders while third baseman Chipper Jones did the same not far to his right. “I got to watch him a lot growing up. Pretty cool getting to be beside him.”
Pastornicky is penciled in as the Opening Day shortstop despite no major league experience. He hit .314 with a .359 on-base percentage, seven home runs and 27 stolen bases in 117 minor league games in 2011, including .365 with a .407 OBP in 27 games at Triple-A Gwinnett before a sprained ankle sidelined him for most of the last month.
“I’ve still got a lot of work to do, and nothing’s going to be given to me,” said Pastornicky, who hasn’t been told the job is his and will approach spring training as if he must win it. “I’ve still got to go out there and play hard and play my game.”
His uniform number is 1.
“I wore 77 last spring, so I’m working my way up,” said Pastornicky, a non-roster invitee to major league camp in 2011.
He was the last of the Braves’ projected starters to report to camp this year, because he hadn’t realized so many players would report so early. Pastornicky had previously scheduled a five-day trip to work out with veteran Braves shortstop Jack Wilson, who has a gym, batting cage and regulation infield at his home in Camarillo, Calif.
Wilson brought in a batting-practice pitcher and fungo hitter and even had a friend come over to play first base during the drills he did with Pastornicky.
Wilson, 34, has taken Pastornicky under his proverbial wing and will be his backup, once the older player recovers from a strained calf he got during one of their conditioning drills Tuesday. He’s expected to be out 4-6 weeks.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez said it was no a problem having Pastornicky be the last starter to report, and was pleased that he was getting tutelage from the strong-fielding Wilson.
“I had a trip planned to visit with Jack and get some work done out there,” Pastornicky said. “You get an opportunity like that, you’ve got to take advantage of it. It was great being out there. Got some work in and learned a lot.”
The Braves’ first full-squad workout is at 1 p.m. Saturday. Their usual workouts start at 10 a.m, but are moved back three hours Saturday and Sunday so players can get physicals in the morning.
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62 comments Add your comment
Old time Fan
February 24th, 2012
4:48 pm
Might have a good one here
Logan
February 24th, 2012
4:49 pm
If I’m Blue Cross Blue Shield I’m stearing clear of this team.
onlyonce
February 24th, 2012
4:59 pm
Pastornicky, who hasn’t been told the job is his
Don’t you think the kid can read, who else would he think is going to be the SS.
El Bravo
February 24th, 2012
5:02 pm
DOB, what can we realistically expect from the Pastor in his first year? I’m thinking .275 / .335 / .730 is realistic from looking at his stats at two different levels last year. He didn’t seem to have any problems adapting to AAA pitchers after his promotion…
iTiSi
February 24th, 2012
5:04 pm
Now that “The Pastor” is in the fold and set to go at short, wonder how long before “The Terd” will be pushing Chip off third? First time CJ goes down with an injury(soon, probably) “The Terd” will be called up. Going to seem a little weird having “The Pastor” and “The Terd” on the field at the same time. If only Skip were still around, bet he would have some fun with that one!
Bama Mike
February 24th, 2012
5:05 pm
Whose in left, rich fat guy at third and unproven SS. Just saying.
1eyedJack
February 24th, 2012
5:38 pm
Prado is in left, rich not so fat, just old guy, at third base and an unproven SS.
ViningsTom
February 24th, 2012
5:58 pm
Braves know how (not) to spend a dime, with the exception of Chipper ( or is it Chunker?)
Charles
February 24th, 2012
6:00 pm
Tough blow losing Wilson because if “the Pastor” fields like he did in the minors, he will need to bat .375 to make up for the deficient fielding. SS for the Braves is a hole big enough to drive a truck through.
Whitey
February 24th, 2012
6:01 pm
DOB…Please give us the correct pronunciation of the new ss name. I figured out Tyler
but need help on his surname.
shadetree
February 24th, 2012
6:13 pm
his sur name is MR. Pastornicky
Billy
February 24th, 2012
6:14 pm
Sweet I’m the first one over 12 years old, based on what I’m reading, to post something here. Glad Pastor is taking nothing for granted and has the ” I must earn the job attitude”. The guy at third base is in better shape than most 22 year old criticizers.
Elvis Andrus, you know, the ex Braves minor league SS who plays for the Rangers, the one who made 32, 30, 32 errors in the minors 3 years in a row and was called up to play SS and made 25 errors last year. How did that work out for the Texas team? Pastor has never made 30 errors so take that weak stuff outta here. The kid will improve by the day. That is how it works. Make mistakes in the minors, get called up, and get better as time goes by.
I just get tired of people who say paper or plastic and can I help you to the car for a living criticizing up and coming players they know nothing about. Hey Einstein Double bag my Milk for chrissakes
shadetree
February 24th, 2012
6:15 pm
da pastor and da terd
da pastor and da terd
hi ho da derry do
da pastor and da terd
shadetree
February 24th, 2012
6:16 pm
i knew a chris sakes
ohhhhYEAH
February 24th, 2012
6:27 pm
Seriously doubt “The Pastor” is going to stick….at all. For starters, it sounds nothing like a baseball name. My money will be that his nickname around the clubhouse and probably in the radio booth will be “P-Nicky,” because after all, baseball players add “y” to the end of everyones nickname anyway. Same goes for Terdyslovich. I doubt anyone (other than the immature crowd) will be calling him “The Terd,” “Terdy” would probably be more applicable.
Zing
February 24th, 2012
6:36 pm
Note the difference in attitude between Minor and Pastornicky… granted, this has sort of fallen into Pastornicky’s lap, whereas Minor has a lot more competition, but still.
JoeBrave
February 24th, 2012
6:41 pm
Woopity Shist! he is going to tank!
Paddy
February 24th, 2012
6:58 pm
ohhhhYEAH…..Pastornicky does not sound like a baseball name. Tell that to Ray Jablonski, Art kamanski, Bill Mazeroski and Sherrif”Roadblock”Jones.
valdosta native
February 24th, 2012
7:02 pm
What are, were, or could have been the nicknames for our starting lineup given by Bobby Cox DOB?
Michael Bourne – Mikey?
Costanza ….?
Martin Prado – Marty?
Chipper – Chip/Chipper/Larry
Uggla – Danny?
McCann – Mackey
F. Freeman – Freddie
Jason Heyward – Kid/J Hey?
Pastornicky – Kid/Sto-sky?
We need Bobby to dub some of these nicknames…
Billy Wagner
February 24th, 2012
7:58 pm
Dang, I miss it already…this rock farm is gettin’ boring. I think I made a mistake.
dedmammal
February 24th, 2012
8:19 pm
hows about Rev…(Reverend?)….Pastor-Nicky?
panamajack
February 24th, 2012
8:41 pm
Heyward showing signs of 2010-model J-Hey
Walker talking about Heywards monster shots, last year at this time they were talking about broken windshields in the parking lot. He didn’t break any windshields against live pitching though.
BravesfaninAugusta
February 24th, 2012
8:55 pm
I’m excited for the kid and can’t wait to see him play…. good analogy withe Elvis… we should never have traded that guy.
Ken Oberkfell
February 24th, 2012
9:24 pm
Tyler is good. My beard says so.
Jerry
February 24th, 2012
9:29 pm
Just think, if The Terd becomes a base stealing threat, he could be called ” The Terd Burgular”.
The Grinch
February 24th, 2012
9:49 pm
That’s funny, Jerry. Nice.
Chipsky
February 24th, 2012
9:58 pm
You guys are a bunch of nerds! Granted, we had stud defensively last year….. At least “The Pastor” has proven to put the ball in play. 27 stolen bases… who else beside Bourn is going to take bases? i hope we start stealing everything that isn’t bolted down.
The braves have been too conservative on the bases……
ray k
February 24th, 2012
10:32 pm
With Chipper, the rookie, and Uggla comprising the infield, Freeman is going to more of a gymnast than a first baseman.
JoeBrave
February 24th, 2012
10:39 pm
bulls.h.i.t he aint squat.
JoeBrave
February 24th, 2012
10:39 pm
Pastorstinky= Jordan Schafer. OVERRATED!!!
ohhhYEAH
February 24th, 2012
11:02 pm
Paddy
I believe i said “The Pastor” doesnt sound like a baseball name, as in a baseball nickname a teammate would should out.
ohhhYEAH
February 24th, 2012
11:03 pm
shout out*
Mr. Snarky
February 24th, 2012
11:22 pm
Everybody know’s that Constanza’s nickname is Georgy.
Mr. Snarky
February 24th, 2012
11:23 pm
I say we call him “Nick”.
Matt
February 24th, 2012
11:57 pm
Bobby would say come on kid or come on pasty removing the ornicky with McCann it was come on Mac with Uggla it would be uggs or uggy with chipper it was come on larry or come on chip. with freedie that one is pretty much on the dot. with prado it would have been marty i think too and yeah with michael bourn it would be come on bourny or mikey. with constanza it would be come on jose or come on stanzy or something like that removing the a in his last name and putting a Y on it. with heyward it was come on j-hey.
As for pastornicky who else besides simmons is up for a ss spot? Josh wilson? that kid has not did anything yet and then there is jack i am on the dl for 4 to 6 weeks wilson who if he comes back later will need to do rehab. other then those guys we don’t have much at shortstop this year.
ChopChamps95
February 25th, 2012
12:06 am
@JoeBrave, you sir are a friggin moron if you believe Pastornicky even has 1 fiber in his body that is anything like Schafer. TP is humble, has a hard work ethic, and is an all around nice guy. Schafer had character issues (still has them even now with Houston), had a pompous @$$ “Holier Than Thou” attitude, and was considered by alot to most fans here to be an overall d*ck.
TP hasn’t even played a major league game yet so to say he’s overrated is an absoutely ridiculous and stupid comment. He proved at every level in the minors he could handle his business so I for one will give him a chance to see what he can do here. JS on the other hand blew the infinite chance the Braves practically gift wrapped and gave him. I personally don’t think he was in any way, shape, or form ever deserving of that #1 prospect label he was given back in 08, the same year he was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy (though never proven to have taken them). Coincidence………maybe, just could have been unfortunate timing. But considering he hasn’t put up numbers even half as good since then, I doubt it.
southern bell
February 25th, 2012
1:26 am
To the gymnast comment about Freddie. He was already a gymnast last year at first base.
William
February 25th, 2012
5:17 am
Is this an improvement over last year at SS? Alex was a pretty good fielding SS. I hope the kid can hit and field. Let’s get the season started. Can’t wait till opening day.
Bobby's Chauffeur
February 25th, 2012
6:24 am
This is going to be a tough beginning of the year for some Braves fans. They won’t know how to react.. The good first …. You wanted more power in the outfield .OK I give you Jason Heyward. there is your new bat for 2012. Marteen will be back healthy and be much better than 2011. Your second baseman will continue to be amazing and be the guy with the best stats at 2nd, the same as the previous 5 years, but will be more consistent this year. A new SS with something to prove, that will get on base and be a thief. not a rally killer as we got from that slot last year. an amazing first baseman that will only get better. One of the best hitting catchers in the league. A pitching staff with all the upside in the world, so much to choose from. An probably the best bullpen in the major league’s. The bad….. Oh well, what could possibly go wrong… Last September anyone? I am ready for BASEBALL……. C’mon ump ..let’s hear. PLAYBALL !!!!
Bobby's Chauffeur
February 25th, 2012
6:28 am
Yeah… I forgot our centerfielder….. who would want that guy on your team…lol whaat’s to worry guys…
Stinger2
February 25th, 2012
7:03 am
Wait, watch and then we will see who was right about the Braves doing practially nothing to improve the team. If the Braves do well, I will tip my cap to Frank Wren and Freddi.
Paddy
February 25th, 2012
7:37 am
oooohyeah………My bad. Then you would have been all for Sherrif “Roadblock” Jones. One of the great baseball names imho.
larry
February 25th, 2012
7:42 am
2010 Heyward,2011 Freeman,Kimbel 2012 The Pastor.
Admiral Snackbar
February 25th, 2012
8:20 am
it’s a TRAP!
panamajack
February 25th, 2012
8:26 am
Bobby’s Chauffeur
What time wold you like us to wake you up?
Chris from the Rock
February 25th, 2012
8:56 am
Pastornicky’s nickname is indeed “Rev.” he indicated so in an interview on MLB Radio earlier this winter.
bobbymahlon
February 25th, 2012
10:11 am
One thing Pastornicky has going for him this year is the same thing that Chipper,Uggla and Alex had going for them last year is Freeman at first base. I said it last year and I’ll say it again he saved each one of them around ten errors apiece with all the throws he dug out of the dirt.
Poorbrave
February 25th, 2012
10:26 am
Agree with Billy @ 6;14 pm..The “Rev” will be ok…give the man a chance..damn he’s done nothing wrong yet!
The more I read about Walker and his asst..the more I like…Now lets have a report on Freeman.
Brave New World
February 25th, 2012
10:46 am
The Braves will win “only” 85 games in 2012 if it’s a dissapointing year, but they will win about 95 games, if everything goes well. Got a feeling this new kid on short is going to work out quite well. GO BRAVES!
stew
February 25th, 2012
11:29 am
Get Adam Jones to play CF. Trade Bourne for someone who can play left field. Trade JJ and Hanson and get someone who can replace Chipper (Wright). New team Jones, Wright, and left fielder.
panamajack
February 25th, 2012
11:30 am
I really could care less what they call Pastronicky as long as it isn’t something like McOut, Wayward, Linesuck, Uggly, get the point?
Ralph
February 25th, 2012
11:41 am
I have a huge problem with my PC when I try to post on this blog, any time I click on anything it jumps back to the top of the page and I have to scroll back down to the comment block and it will do that 3 or 4 times before I can post a comment then it will be ok unless I click my mouse for some reason, it only does that on this particular blog. I was intrested to know if anyone esle has the same problem. I don’t want to take my computer to a shop because it is only this webb site, Any ideas would be appreciated.
Fred ™
February 25th, 2012
11:45 am
Go Braves
ColoradoBravesFan
February 25th, 2012
11:53 am
Adam Jones makes no sense for the Braves.
1)Adam Jones low Career OBP of .319. Braves need folks to get on base.
2) Bad at stealing bases. career 44 SBs with 20 CS. Bourn will stael over 50 this season alone.
3) Jones has been rated as a below avg CFer by defensive metrics. Not sure on this as I really never have seen Lones on Defense very much. But Biurn is a really good CFer, both by metrics and eyeball test.
4) Adam jones ia a FA after 2013. If we trade for a CFer we need to trade for a young cost controlled stud. maybe like Peter Bourjous from the Angels. OBP last season of .327 in 2nd season OPS of .765 last year. Plays excellent defense.
Adam Jones doesn’t make sense for the Braves….
ColoradoBravesFan
February 25th, 2012
11:55 am
Ralph… it happens to me with Internet Explorer… but not with Firefox.
Cali Brave fan
February 25th, 2012
12:18 pm
Right on Billy . Really getting tired of the Chipper Bashing on this Blog. When healthy Chipper is one of the best 3rd baseman in the NL. And will you guys just shut up about the kid, give him a chance he mite be a keeper and if he isn’t we have a couple of kids in the minors with potential that are almost ready. I don’t give a rats ass who owns this team, you can’t have a high dollar player at every position you have to keep the salarys down by sticking a rookie are average vet in there somewhere. Remember how some of you guys trashed management when uggla got off to a slow start, well that turned out ok in the end.
l
honeybee
February 25th, 2012
1:12 pm
@ColoradoBraves fan Jones makes more sense than two other outfielders I can think of. Not mentioning any names,you know who they are.
Wes
February 25th, 2012
1:40 pm
Never though Id see the day a player could win the premiere defensive position on the Braves by default.
Ralph
February 25th, 2012
3:47 pm
@ColoradoBravesFan
Thanks for your help, I just tried on Google Chrome and no problem,
Texas2step
February 25th, 2012
3:53 pm
He already has a name, Ty, you idiots, don’t try to be the one who “named someone”, if you followed him you would already know this, go give lin a name, cookie?.
Loperty Knoll
February 25th, 2012
3:55 pm
Chipper has a nickname too, ah Chipper !
Daltonvol
February 25th, 2012
5:35 pm
After the ending to last season and with the soulless ownership that Braves fans have in place we’re in no position to expect seasoned players at every position….in an ideal world we ride the season with a stopgap and ease a talented prospect in gradually….but we didn’t even attempt that last year because our prospects weren’t even timed out in the minors yet….success stories abound and I’ll look forward to this upcoming season as I always do….optimism and mind numbing beverages watching highlight on the MLB Network….since TBS doesn’t show our team’s games anymore!