watching and wondering

Jordan Schafer’s production has been a bit of a surprise. He hasn’t hit much since the Atlanta Braves summoned him from Triple-A, but the former Mississippi Braves outfielder has made an impact with his speed. On Saturday, for example, that speed forced an error in the eighth inning and he eventually scored the tying run in a game the Braves would lose to Texas in the 10th. In 22 games, hitting mostly leadoff, Schafer has scored 17 runs and stolen seven bases in 10 tries. His average is just .233 with an on-base percentage of .310. That’s inadequate for a big league leadoff man. At times, Schafer has looked much like he did when he was back in Mississippi last summer, when he showed very little as a hitter. Meanwhile, Atlanta activated Nate McLouth today and purged Joe Mather from the roster. Now what do the Braves do? Does McLouth go back to center field and Schafer to the bench? Do they both play? Is that wise? They are similar in type. Both are good outfielders, though Schafer has a better arm. Both are lefty hitters. McLouth might have more power — he was hitting .238 (.332 OBP) with three homers and 11 RBIs in 48 games before going on the disabled list. But Schafer is faster and more of a base-stealing threat. How Fredi Gonzalez, whose club is in a funk, uses these two will be interesting, to say the least. And when Martin Prado returns … then what?
P.S. Former M-Braves outfielder Matt Esquivel is still plugging away in the independent Atlantic League. He is hitting .333 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 24 games for the Long Island Ducks. His manager there, by the way, is former Jackson Mets infielder Kevin Baez.