Braves News

Seitzer encouraged by workouts with Upton

One of the toughest tasks that new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer will be charged with is trying to get outfielder B.J. Upton back on track after two disastrous seasons in Atlanta. Seitzer recently spent three days in Florida working with Upton according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Seitzer came away from the sessions encouraged with Upton's willingness to make adjustments.

"I feel really, really good about it, because [Upton] was very open to everything that I suggested," Seitzer said. "We had a really good three days together -- three pretty intense days together. I think he feels pretty good about what I'm going to bring, and I feel good about the adjustments he has made."

According to Bowman, Seitzer also recently spent time with Freddie Freeman and Chris Johnson and is trying to get a feel for the Braves roster.

2015 Prospect Watch: Top 10 catchers

MLB.com's Jim Callis takes a look at the Top 10 catching prospects in Major League Baseball and Atlanta's Christian Bethancourt checks in at No. 9 on the list.

A star on Panama's 2004 Little League World Series team, he has shut down pro basestealers since he signed in 2008, thanks to his strong arm, quick release and uncanny accuracy. Bethancourt is a contact hitter who has yet to show much in the way of power or on-base ability, but his defense can carry him if he gets more consistent as a receiver.

Bethancourt will get his chance to prove his worth and he is penciled in to be the Braves' every day catcher this season. Boston's Blake Swihart tops the list and is followed by Rangers' prospect Jorge Alfaro.

MLB News

New MLB commish would be open to limiting defensive shift, speeding pace of game

New commissioner Rob Manfred is looking to make the game of baseball more accessible to the next generation of fans and a couple of his ideas involve a pitch clock to speed up the pace of play and limiting defensive shifts that have become more and more frequent.

"Pace of play is an issue that's driven by our society today," Manfred told ESPN. "Our society is a very fast-paced society. Attention spans are shorter. I think that it's very important to us at least symbolically to say to fans, we understand that you want this to move as quickly as possible and we're going to continue to modernize the game, without harming its traditions, in a way that makes it more enjoyable and more attune to the society that we live in."

The pace of the game has been a focus for several years but only lately has the reality of a pitch clock on the field becoming a reality. Manfred also wants to put offense back into the game and wonders if limiting defensive shifts would do the job.