fly boys

Mycal Jones, penciled in as the Mississippi Braves’ second baseman for 2011, might be playing a new position when he arrives in Pearl in April. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Jones, who is going to big league camp this month, will get a “look-see” in center field, Atlanta farm director Kurt Kemp said in an interview this week. Kemp said Jones played outfield as an amateur and has the speed and instincts scouts look for in a center fielder. Other candidates for the 2011 M-Braves outfield include Antoan Richardson, L.V. Ware and Cory Harrilchak, all natural center fielders. “That would be a real jackrabbit outfield,” Kemp said. At spacious Trustmark Park, where several top prospects will be pitching this season, that’s the kind of outfield you’d want. Jones also showed good power last season, belting 15 homers during his tour of three levels of the Atlanta system. The ultra-swift Richardson, a standout for the 2010 M-Braves, may well stick with Triple-A Gwinnett this season, but Ware and Harrilchak figure to be with the Double-A club. Ware made a cameo with Mississippi last season, while Harrilchak played at Class A Rome (.306) and Myrtle Beach (.269) and then had a strong stint in the Arizona Fall League. Kemp said Harrilchak, a lefty, can play right field or left. The crowd of outfielders contending for jobs at Gwinnett might push off-season signee Beau Torbert, an independent league star in 2010, to the Mississippi roster. Torbert, who’ll be 27 in May, hit .394 with 24 homers in the American Association.
P.S. Curious to see where Jordan Schafer lands this season. The talented but star-crossed outfielder reportedly is healthy and will get a shot with the big league Braves this spring. But he hit just .201 in Triple-A last season and a miserable .175 in 18 games with the M-Braves before his wrist ailments sidelined him. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Schafer, also a center fielder by trade, back in Double-A trying to restore his swing and his confidence.