Brooks Conrad is no prospect. Not even close.
He is not a prized piece of the Atlanta Braves' future, such as Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward, and Freddie Freeman.
Conrad is a nearly 30-year-old, career minor leaguer. His only major league experience came last year with Oakland. He had 16 at-bats and struck out in nine of them.
But Conrad is much different this year.
Since being promoted last Friday Conrad, has hit a home run in his first at-bat, hit a triple, made some great plays with his glove, and is anything but a sure out in his first major league action since his cup of coffee in Oakland last season.
In just six games Conrad is hitting .385 with a home run, three runs batted in, a double, a triple, and a single.
Most of those hits have come in clutch opportunities. His home run in his first Atlanta Braves at-bat ended up being the game-winner against the Nationals. His triple at Wrigley Field on Tuesday ended up leading to the game-winning run, as Brian McCann knocked him in a few pitches later.
Sure, pitchers will soon start to adjust and pitch him differently. As we all know, the hitters that makes his own adjustments in turn are usually the ones that stick in the majors.
Hopefully, Conrad can do that.
While Conrad has played in just six games for Atlanta, he has shown hustle, grittiness, and tremendous baseball IQ in those few games.
Soon, the Braves will have some decisions to make.
Greg Norton is scheduled to come off the disabled list this weekend. Does Atlanta keep him up and send Conrad back down?
How about in a week or so when Kelly Johnson comes off the disabled list? I know we’ve only seen Conrad for a week, but everything he brings to the game completely dwarfs anything Kelly Johnson has.
Do you really want to go back to Johnson’s inconsistency?
I know Martin Prado is the starting second baseman now, but Conrad is a guy you want to have. He’s the typical Bobby Cox type of player.
Remember Pete Orr? Conrad is like Orr with a tad less speed and more bat.
How about Keith Lockhart? The short, yet quick and sturdy second baseman was more than adequate during his time in Atlanta. He’s the same type of player as Conrad.
So, Conrad’s type is exactly what Bobby likes in Atlanta.
I would venture a guess that the second-half Braves of 2009 will look quite different than the first half.
Conrad’s arrival makes Norton expendable. I’d say he’ll be designated for assignment soon. I also believe that once Infante is back you’ll see either Johnson or Jeff Francoeur traded—maybe both.
And no, don’t expect much of a return. Maybe a Triple-A reliever or outfielder.
Conrad’s success, however short it may be, has opened up numerous possibilities for this Braves team. There are the tremendous positives that having a good utility player can bring—and one was needed since super-sub Prado is now a starter. Conrad can play third base, second base, and left field.
Am I saying that Conrad will lead the Braves to the NL East promised land? Absolutely not, but he definitely frees up space and increases the team’s flexibility to win some games that they lost in the first half.
Brooks Conrad is here to stay, and Braves fans everywhere will soon know who he is—if they don’t already.
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