Shafer Positive in AAA

Jordan Schafer knows that he needs at bats and to keep a positive frame of mind while he is at AAA Gwinnett for the Braves farm team. Schafer who has suffered through injuries the last two years was battling for one of the outfield spots in Spring training but didn't make it as the Braves kept Matt Young, Martin Prado, who moved to left field, Nate Mclouth and Jason Heyward. That meant Schafer would be at Gwinnett to begin the year. "He put a couple of good swings on the baseball. He's working hard at it. He's trying to find himself," said Gwinnett Manager Dave Brundage after the Braves 8-5 loss and sweep by the Columbus Clippers, a Cleveland Indians AAA affiliate. "One of his weapons is bunting and taking advantage of that and advantage of his speed. I thought he laid down a nice bunt there and moved the runner up and also pick up an RBI in that situation. He's doing what a number two hole hitter does and that's doing a lot of the little things."

Schafer had been the leadoff hitter but was dropped to the number two spot in the order in the last week. "All three could hit leadoff and all three could hit second," he said. "I can only put one guy in each spot. There's an art to hitting in the two hole as well as there is in the one hole."

Schafer himself knows he needs to be in AAA rather than being an extra outfielder in the majors and not getting but one at bat per game. "The season started off pretty well for me" Sheafer said. "the first ten or twelve games I felt pretty comfortable. Than I went through a stretch for four or five games where i was trying to get something back. Tonight I felt a lot better." Sheafer had two RBI's in a game for the first time in a Gwinnett Braves uniform. "The more at bats I get right now the better off I'll be just because I have missed so many at bats," he said. "Just to get back to where i feel comfortable every day instead of ten games I feel good and ten games I don't feel good, I am just trying to get back and be consistent. For the most part I feel pretty good."

Although Schafer wants to be in the big leagues, he knows he is going to have to earn his way back up. And at 24, he has a bright future in the big leagues.  He also doesn't care whether he is batting first or second. "It doesn't matter to me," he said. "Basically you are trying to do the same thing. Get on base for the guys behind you. I am trying to use bunting a lot to try to offset things. It's something I've worked on during spring training." He has been trying to bunt at least once every game. And he knows that if it's a sacrifice situation and he doesn't get a hit, at least he doesn't get counted for a time at bat. "That's kind of win win. if you get it down and you don't get a hit, it's a sacrifice," he said. "I have to take advantage of those opportunities."

Schafer is batting .250 with four stolen bases and two doubles with no home runs or triples. Schafer is still pulling for his friends at both the AAA and the major league level. "For me right now I need to be here and get at bats everyday," Schafer said. "Nate's played well. I don't need to go up there and be a fourth outfielder. I just need to make sure I get at bats because i've missed so many at bats over the last two years. It's way better for me to be here and get at bats every day. You want to be there (in the big leagues) but it's better that I am here getting at bats every day."

Schafer knows his attitude has to stay focused. "I've been through a lot the last three to four years" he said. "You have to learn to take positives out of situations." So you may not see Schafer patrolling centerfield just yet at Turner Field, we at Coolray Field are blessed to see this positive bright star for the Gwinnett  Braves.