Braves suspend minor league manager
ATLANTA — The Braves banned minor-league manager Phillip Wellman for three games on Monday after he made national headlines for his antics during a Friday night ejection.
Wellman, the Double-A Mississippi Braves’ first-year manager, began serving his ban immediately.
“We thought that was the appropriate thing to do,” Braves general manager John Schuerholz explained.
Schuerholz declined to explain why the team believed the punishment was justified. In his first public response to Wellman’s diatribe, he stated, “Enough has been said about it. It’s all behind us now.”
Words cannot fully describe Wellman’s outburst, which occurred during a game in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His dirt-kicking, bare-crawling, and rosin bag-throwing antics produced almost two minutes of amazing footage. And
“I’ve seen it about 50 times now,” Braves manager Bobby Cox explained. “They have it on video. And when they get it on film, whether it’s Paris Hilton or a manager, it will go public.”
Braves teammates who have known Wellman from his minor-league days say Friday was not the first time he put on a show during an ejection. It was only the first time the footage surfaced.
However, Schuerholz stated that the team’s choice was not influenced by the exposure the recording had generated.
“We make our own decisions based on our own judgments and evaluations,” said Schuerholz. “We don’t need other people telling us how to react. I’ve been doing this for a very long time.
Wellman has rebuffed requests for comment on the episode. But on Monday, Cox commended his work in developing Atlanta’s minor-league prospects.
“Phil’s a great guy,” Cox said. “We love Phil. A couple days off for a minor-league manager isn’t too bad, either.”
Jarrod Saltalamacchia made only a brief stint at first base Sunday, but it could be the start of a new role for the youngster.
Cox said he was impressed with Saltalamacchia’s first-base debut against the Chicago Cubs and hinted Monday that he would give Saltalamacchia a more equitable percentage of playing time at the position.
“I could see that,” Cox stated. “It is a way to get Salty more at-bats and get him in there.”
Scott Thorman has been the Braves’ starter at first, but he was only hitting.225 as of Monday. Saltalamacchia had been one of the team’s most highly regarded prospects, hitting.270 through 14 games until Monday.
He is now the team’s backup catcher, but he has expressed an interest in playing first base on a regular basis in addition to his catching duties.
“I could easily do it,” he replied. “If that is what they want, I will do it. “Whatever it takes to stay up here.”
There was some concern about keeping Saltalamacchia in the majors without giving him adequate playing time to further his growth. However, Saltalamacchia has pleased the Braves enough that they have made room for him.
“Generally, if you never play a guy, you send him back down,” Cox went on to say. “But he is really good. “We know he’ll play every five days.”
SMOLTZ SET FOR TODAY: Cox announced that pitcher John Smoltz will pitch in the second game of today’s doubleheader against the Marlins, barring any last-minute flare-ups in his right shoulder. Smoltz missed his scheduled start on Sunday due to shoulder soreness, but reported feeling okay following a bullpen session before to the game.
On deck
The Braves and Marlins will make up for a rainout on April 14 with a doubleheader at Turner Field on Tuesday. The first game begins at 2:35 p.m., with Atlanta’s Buddy Carlyle (0-1, 9.00 ERA) against Marlins right-hander Sergio Mitre. And Smoltz (7-2, 2.82 ERA) is expected to pitch the second game at 7:35 p.m. Rick Vanden Hurk (0-1, 12.75 ERA) will start for Florida.
