Braves' future is in kids' hands

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Freddie Freeman made the rookie mistake of breaking out a pair of shiny red spikes at his locker.

"Who talked you into those shoes?" Jason Heyward, sitting across the way in the Atlanta Braves clubhouse, asked in a disparaging tone.

Freeman shrugged off the insults.

"I make 'em look good on my feet," he finally declared.

If all goes according to the Braves' plan, there will be plenty of good-natured banter between these guys over the next decade or so.

A year ago, Heyward showed he's a star in the making. He homered in his first big-league at-bat. He was voted to start in the All-Star game. He finished second to Giants catcher Buster Posey in the NL rookie of the year voting.

Now, it's Freeman's turn.

He'll move up to the majors this season as Atlanta's starting first baseman, hoping to follow the same path as his good friend — which would only be appropriate, since J-Hey and Freddie seemingly have been in lockstep most of their young lives.

"Of course, we'd like to be the future of the team," Heyward said. "That's what people want to see. That's why we're here."

Born just 34 days apart in 1989, they met for the first time at an all-star game while still in high school. In the 2007 draft, Heyward was picked by the Braves in the first round and Freeman went in the second.

They started out together in the Gulf Coast League, and moved up the chain through Rome, Myrtle Beach, Mississippi and Gwinnett. Last year, when Heyward made it to the big leagues and Freeman played for the Braves' Triple-A club in suburban Atlanta, they lived together in Heyward's townhouse.

Freeman got a valuable preview of what to expect.

"You can't really try to do what other people want you to do," he said. "Just calm down and relax, go out there and be who you are, be who you were to get to the big leagues."

The Braves would be thrilled if Freeman came close to matching Heyward's production last season. It would be a bonus if he displayed some of the charisma that made J-Hey an instant hit with the fans.

"He's got that presence about him," said Fredi Gonzalez, the Braves' new manager, recalling their time together on the Braves' winter caravan. "If you had told me this guy was 21 years old, I would've told you, 'No way.' Just the way he handled himself, the way he spoke, the way he interacted with people, the way he carried himself. Man, this guy has it."

Despite a left thumb injury that kept him out of the All-Star game and sapped his power for a chunk of the season, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Heyward still managed to hit .277 with 18 homers, 72 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Most impressive was his discipline at the plate, with was evident from his team-leading 91 walks and .393 on-base percentage.

"What Jason did last year was amazing," teammate Brian McCann said. "I would like to have seen what he could've done if he didn't get hurt. He carried us (much) of the year."

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Freeman is coming off an impressive Triple-A season, batting .319 with 18 homers and 87 RBIs before a late-season call-up to the Braves. Gonzalez plans to bat him low in the order — probably seventh or eighth — so he doesn't feel any pressure to be one of the team's main run producers.

He's already considered a defensive upgrade over anyone the Braves had at first base in 2010, and he has a smooth, line-drive swing that should produce more power as he gets older.

"With Freddie, the sky's the limit," McCann said. "Once he learns the pitchers and learns what they're trying to do to him, he's going to do exactly what he's been doing his whole life — hit."

The same could be said of Heyward with a little experience under his belt.

"I'm more comfortable with everybody. I know who's who," Heyward said. But, he quickly added, "I'm still a kid."