Like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, there is no spring tradition quite like the veteran supernova. At each and every Spring Training facility across baseball lurks the great story of a career minor leaguer, waiting for his chance to fulfil a dream by reaching the big leagues.
While camps are lousy with players like this, it is the rare breed who catches fire for a few weeks and attracts all manner of spring attention. Spring Training is essentially a information-less vacuum by the second week of March. Beat writers are like nature, they abhor a vacuum. Into this void goes the upbeat story of the plucky underdog for whom everything goes right one spring.
For the Braves — more specifically, Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat writer Dave O’Brien — their great spring hope is Evan Gattis.
