The North Port Report: López Leads B Squad Against Twins in Ft. Myers
Here's everything you need to know from Braves Spring Training in North Port, FL from Friday
Welcome to The North Port Report, your nightly notebook from Braves spring training. Each evening, we’ll run through the biggest developments from camp: roster battles, injury updates, standout performances, and the small details that matter more than they seem in early March. The games may not count yet, but the information does.
Here’s what stood out today
The Braves made the trip to Ft. Myers for the first night game of spring training, taking on the Twins with a mostly B squad.
Reynaldo López was consistently throwing in the 93 mph range as he continues to build up towards Opening Day. You could see how his lack of max effort was causing some issues late in innings, though, with López struggling to get the third out in most of his four innings. When he was starting in 2023, runners in scoring position and with two outs were the situations he tapped into his inner reliever and reached back for high-90s gas; without that, he sometimes labored in his efforts to get out of the inning. Talking to the AJC’s Chad Bishop after the outing, López explained that he struggled to command his fastball tonight, which didn’t help matters.
Depth starter Martín Perez, in camp on a minor league deal, gave Atlanta three scoreless innings, although he got tagged for two hits and a walk in the third frame. It took a great relay from Kevin Kilpatrick to John Gil to home to cut down the runner attempting to score on Orlando Arcia’s double. For the outing, Perez got eight whiffs on 21 swings and a 38% CSW. Lefty Hayden Harris gave up a leadoff double in the 8th and then got himself out of it with a groundout and two strikeouts.
On the offensive side, Atlanta did all their scoring in a 4-run fourth inning. They did it a variety of ways, too - a single deflected off the second baseman and into right field, a runner coming in via balk, and a Josè Azocar double. Azocar and catcher Jonah Heim led the team with two hits each (both of Azocar’s were doubles, leaving the bat at 107.4 and 108.5), while youngster Cody Miller singled and stole second base in the top of the 8th inning.
Quick Hits
Jonah Heim won three challenges for Reynaldo López while behind the plate, which was needed: Entering tonight, the Braves had the 2nd-most lost challenges from their battery with 10 lost in 17 attempts. Their 41% success rate was the 5th-worst in baseball by the defense despite attempting more than all but seven different teams.
Ozzie Albies and Chadwick Tromp’s Netherlands team lost to Ronald Acuña Jr’s Venezuela squad 6-2 this afternoon and Acuña’s already salivating about the bet he had with Ozzie about the outcome of this game.
Nacho Alvarez Jr. hit a home run for Team Mexico in their 8-2 win over Great Britain to open Pool B play in Houston. It wasn’t very well struck - 97.1 mph - but he got it out to left in Houston’s Daikon Park without the aid of the Crawford Boxes.
Roster Battle Tracker
Stock UP
Jonah Heim isn’t having the statistical results he’s wanting this spring, but the process has been sound and the hits started to come today. He went 2-4 in this one, getting a groundball single down the first base line in the 4th and then ripping a 99.1 mph line drive in the 5th.
Heim being able to hold his own at the plate gives the Braves more flexibility both early in the season to use Baldwin as the DH and then later on as a highly-qualified third catcher should Sean Murphy start hitting when he gets back in mid-May.
Stock DOWN
Depth outfielder Brewer Hicklen went 0-4 with three strikeouts today, giving him six punchouts in just 16 at-bats this spring. It’s been a rough go for the former Milwaukee Brewer, who was traded early last year and then DFA’d two other times before signing a minor league deal with Atlanta in November.
Observation of the Day
This is an awesome time of year. I was simultaneously watching this game on one screen, Auburn baseball taking down Winthrop at home, and Team USA playing Brazil in the WBC. And that’s after watching three or four other WBC games during the course of the workday
Baseball is the best, and this is a surprisingly good time for it.
Tomorrow’s watch list
Grant Holmes gets the start tomorrow at home versus the Orioles in a Baltimore split-squad matchup. I’m curious to see which pitchers get run behind him; we’ve yet to see Joel Payamps1, Daysbel Hernández, or Didier Fuentes.
I could swear I watched him pitch, but his MLB.com page doesn’t show any appearances