in praise of prado

It seems unfathomable now that Atlanta actually considered trading Martin Prado in the off-season for Colorado’s Seth Smith. No offense to Smith, the former Ole Miss star and a fine player now in Oakland. But without ex-Mississippi Braves star Prado in the lineup, Atlanta would very likely be lost in the wilderness of National League also-rans. Chipper Jones is a great hitter, when he plays. Michael Bourn had a superb first half, Jason Heyward is providing much-needed power and Freddie Freeman has had his big moments. But Prado is the Braves’ glue. A .296 career hitter, he slumped to .260 in 2011. Hardly seemed like a reason to panic. After Monday’s four-hit game in a big win over Miami, he’s at .303 for this season with 76 runs, 66 RBIs, 38 doubles, nine homers and 17 stolen bases. He leads the majors in two-strike hits. But forget the stats. Prado also has a baseball IQ that is off the charts. That was evident during his brief stints in Pearl — 39 games in 2005 and 43 in ’06, the year he first reached Atlanta. He can play anywhere in the field, hit anywhere in the order. He’s a heady baserunner. Need a ground ball to the right side? He can do it. Fly ball to score a run? Ditto. Bunt? Sure. To put it succinctly, he can play this game. Can’t imagine the Braves without him. P.S. Interesting, isn’t it, that you can put together an entire lineup of ex-M-Braves now with MLB clubs other than Atlanta. At catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Mauro Gomez, Brent Lillibridge, Yunel Escobar and Brandon Hicks around the infield. Gregor Blanco, Gorkys Hernandez and Jeff Francoeur in the outfield. Jordan Schafer off the bench. On the mound, Matt Harrison (or Scott Diamond). In the pen, Tim Collins, Manny Acosta, Francisely Bueno, Jaye Chapman.