Wearing the Braves uniform
A good fit for Georgia boys BY BILL SHANKS  | | Rising stars? These 11 baseball players are among the 15 Georgia boys who signed on in the Braves farm system. Sitting, front row, left to right: Jeff Francoeur of Lilburn; Blaine Boyer of Marietta; Clint Sammons of Stone Mountain; and Jonathan Schuerholz of Atlanta. Standing, left to right: Bryan Digby of Peachtree City; Jon Mark Owings of Dahlonega; Johnnie Wiggins of Stockbridge; C. J. Bressoud of Kennesaw; Josh Burrus of Marietta; Brian McCann of Duluth; and Kyle Davies of Stockbridge. |
It was Roy Clark’s first year as the Braves scouting director. He didn’t plan to create a philosophy of going after kids from Georgia; it just kind of worked out that way. “I did not even consider going heavily after Georgia kids,” Clark admits. “When I scouted the Carolinas (for the Seattle Mariners), Georgia was one of those states where no one wanted to go because it was so big and the players were not that good.” That was in the 1980s, when Georgia was only known for producing solid football prospects. But things changed in the 1990s. After years of not having a successful pro team in the state, the Braves started winning. The interest in baseball carried over to kids who wanted to play the game. They watched John Smoltz pitch and Chipper Jones hit, and then they wanted to do it too. Now, five years after taking over the Scouting Department, Clark goes after Georgia talent. He believes these players will want to play for the Braves, so they may be a bit easier to sign, but more importantly, they will have even more pride when putting on an Atlanta Braves uniform. Since 2000, Clark has drafted 34 players from Georgia high schools or colleges. Twenty-one signed with the Braves and 15 remain in the (minor league) farm system heading into the 2005 season. “The one thing about the entire Southeast that’s different now from other parts of the country is that everybody wants to be a part of a winning organization,” Clark observes. Clark’s very first draft pick set the tone for these theories. The Braves loved St. Simons Island resident Adam Wainwright as a pitcher, and they also recognized his huge desire to be a Brave. They knew about the story of the picture his mom had of Adam dressed in a Dale Murphy uniform when he was 3 years old. They knew he and his brother, Trey, watched the Braves every night at 7:35. He was their type of pitcher, their type of person. “I just considered myself a Braves guy,” Wainwright says. “Adam was a special talent,” Clark says. “He wanted us as much as we wanted him. So it was a good fit.” Early on in the 2000 draft, Clark found two more pitchers, Peachtree City’s Bryan Digby and Marietta’s Blaine Boyer. The latter let the Braves know that he wanted to play for his favorite team. Boyer grew up a Braves fan, going to games with his dad since he was 4 years old. “We’ve got history with the Braves, before we even played baseball,” Boyer says. “Imagine yourself being a Braves fan your whole life and getting drafted by them. You almost question yourself, ‘Why do I deserve this?’” In 2001, after the success of picking Wainwright, Boyer and Digby, Clark found another pitcher in South Georgia for his first-round pick, Sylvania’s Macay McBride, yet again another lifelong Braves fan. “Going to games at Fulton County Stadium was unbelievable,” McBride says. “I was there when they went from worst to first [in 1991]. I know the background and that’s what makes it so nice.” McBride finished the 2004 season in Double-A, so he could make his major league debut sometime this summer. “If it means staying in Atlanta, I would definitely consider it ’cause it’s so close to home,” McBride admits. “You can’t pay for comfort. There’s just more pride when you put on this uniform.” The Braves drafted Kyle Davies in the fourth round of the 2001 draft. The graduate of Stockbridge High School, just south of Atlanta, has emerged as the Braves’ top pitching prospect. There’s even talk he could push for a spot on the Atlanta roster during spring training this month. Kyle’s dad, Hiram Davies, grew up just a few miles from the old Fulton County Stadium. “He grew up right there,” Kyle says. “We’ve had season tickets for a long time. It is special to wear this uniform.” One of Kyle’s best friends, Parkview High School legend Jeff Francoeur, was the Braves’ first-round pick in 2002. Francoeur was a two-sport star in high school, and even signed a scholarship to play football and baseball at Clemson. But when the Braves expressed interest, Francoeur knew he had to play pro ball for his home team. Now he’s perhaps a few months away from taking over one of Atlanta’s outfield spots. The Braves believe he can become another Dale Murphy: a terrific player on and off the field. “I think there will definitely be some pressure, but it’s something I look forward to,” Francoeur says. “Dale never grew up here. So you’re talking about a kid that did grow up in the area. That’s why I maybe feel a little extra pressure ’cause I’m the hometown kid. The whole Atlanta area and my community is what made me and molded me into the person I am. The impact you can have on a community and on kids like that is amazing. It’s a good thing.” “I’ll tell you … we thought Chipper and Murph hit the Atlanta market,” legendary Braves scout Paul Snyder says of the two most popular players in Atlanta history. “If Francoeur ever hits it there’s no end in sight.” “I just love watching him play,” Clark says. “He can be as good as he wants to be. He is everything we thought he was going to be—and better. We’re looking for him to hopefully spend a long career with the Atlanta Braves and win a lot of championship rings. There’s just something special about him when he walks on the field.” Francoeur’s best friend may join him in the Turner Field dugout one day. Duluth’s Brian McCann was the Braves’ second-round pick in 2002. He’s a left-handed hitting catcher, one that may give Johnny Estrada a run for his money in a few years. “It’s overwhelming to think about,” McCann says. “Every time I go into the clubhouse, I look around and think I’m dreaming. It’s getting closer and hopefully it becomes a reality one day. But you’ve got to go one step at a time, and if you start thinking about it, you might not get as good as you can get.” Not all of the Georgia kids are going to stick around. But with so many still in the Braves system, the Atlanta dugout could be full of Georgia boys in just a few years.
 | | Left to right, Josh Burrus, Jeff Francoeur and Kyle Davies strike a pose with their "game faces." The same three played on a Braves little league team together in the early '90s. |
“If we do all make it up there, myself, Macay, Francoeur, Davies, [Josh] Burrus and McCann, people in Atlanta and people in Georgia and the Southeast are going to absolutely love it,” says Boyer. “It would be unbelievable to play in your hometown, where you grew up,” says McCann. “You could be just another guy, not even a superstar, and they’re going to want to come see you.” “I think it could be something special, much like the group in 1991,” Francoeur believes. “We’re just a bunch of guys that have been close together coming up. It’s a new generation. I don’t think I could even put into words what it would mean to me to wear that uniform.” That’s exactly why the Braves want Georgia kids. They feel it’s special too. Bill Shanks is the author of the new book on the Braves scouting and player development philosophies, “Scout’s Honor: The Bravest Way To Build A Winning Team.” He hosted and produced a weekly television show on the Braves minor league farm system called “The Braves Show.” The Waycross native has also been a TV Sports Director in Brunswick and Macon. Shanks can be reached at thebravesshow@email.com.
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