Gonzalez leads club’s fresh start

Fredi Gonzalez always looks forward to the start of a new baseball season. But the Atlanta Braves manager admits that may be the case even more so this season after the way the 2011 campaign ended.

The Braves appeared to be a lock for the National League playoffs at the start of Spetmeber, when they led the St. Louis Cardinals by 8½ games for the wild-card spot. But a few key injuries conspired to send the Braves reeling to 18 losses in their final 26 games – including the last five of the season – while the red-hot Cardinals managed to eclipse them on a dramatic final day of the regular season before going on to win the World Series title.

Gonzalez, who was in his first season managing the Braves after taking over for the legendary Bobby Cox, conceded there was great frustration over the collapse.

“It was just tough. I’m not going to lie,” Gonzalez said. “It’s going to be in the record books forever. That being said, I like the way our club handled that situation after the season ended. Nobody pointed fingers at anybody. Everybody accepted responsibility, which is good. It was a breath of fresh air. I think this is going to make us a better team going forward.”

A new season brings renewed optimism, and Gonzalez was spreading it Wednesday afternoon when the annual Braves Caravan made a stop in Columbia at Academy Sports in the Village at Sandhill. Gonzalez was accompanied by outfielder Jason Heyward, pitcher Julio Teheran, and former player and current broadcaster Brian Jordan, as the four signed autographs for a gathering of 450 fans that stretched out the front door and wrapped around the building.

Gonzalez conceded, however, that he went through many “what ifs” over the offseason before beginning preparations for this season.

“You’ve got to do it,” he said. “We’re all human beings and you try to dissect it and figure out what you can do differently in all kinds of situations. You learn from it, and if there is something to learn, you move on.”

The Braves made no major offseason moves although they traded pitcher Derek Lowe and did not re-sign shortstop Alex Gonzalez. But the manager still believes they can compete for the NL East title with the Philadelphia Phillies, who won the most games in baseball last season, and the Miami Marlins, who will open a new stadium with some flashy new acquisitions.

The Braves maintain a solid mix of veterans – third baseman Chipper Jones, catcher Brian McCann, second baseman Dan Uggla and pitcher Tim Hudson – and younger players – Heyward, first baseman Freddie Freeman, and pitcher Craig Kimbrel – that should keep them in the pennant chase. Throw in late-season addition Michael Bourn in center field, and Gonzalez is happy with his roster.

“This is a good group. That’s why we didn’t make any moves, really,” he said. “It’s a good young group, and guys have the opportunity to have bounce-back years.”

No player must bounce back in a bigger way than Heyward, whose breakout rookie season of 2010 was followed by an injury-plagued season that kept him from repeating his first-season numbers. A shoulder injury contributed to big drops in average (.277 to .227) and RBIs (72 to 42). He’s also ready to erase the bad memories of the September meltdown.

“It’s more motivation, but it’s no different than losing a series and wanting to get back out there the next time. The only difference is we had to wait five months to do so,” Heyward said. “It was good for a lot of us to get healthy, which we had a little bit of an issue with going into the end of the season. But that’s what is awesome about baseball. You’ve got another 162 games to go back out there and prove something.”

Heyward, 22, insists he’s healthy and ready to get started again. He has been hitting at Turner Field with Jones and new Braves hitting coaches Greg Walker and Scott Fletcher.

“Basically, it comes down to breaking bad habits that came from the injuries,” he said. “That’s part of the game, and that’s part of living and learning personally at a young age.”

Jordan, who was so frustrated in the broadcast booth by the swoon that he wished he could have put on a uniform again, once played with shoulder injuries and knows how they can affect a swing, which left him sympathetic to Heyward.

“It becomes mental. He has to continue to work hard and get back to the swing he knows. He clearly has the ability,” Jordan said. “This year he feels healthy and looks healthy. I think he’s going to go in with a great attitude and have a great season.”

With pitchers Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens now healthy, the Braves hope Jones can avoid injuries, outfielder Martin Prado also can come back from a down season, and rookie shortstop Tyler Pastornicky can step in and perform. Jordan is convinced Gonzalez is the man to put the pieces together and finish what they couldn’t last season.

“You look at the East now and the teams are proven,” he said. “It gets tougher, but if the Braves can stay healthy, they have a shot at the playoffs this year.”