LAKELAND, Fla. -- Making every effort to calm his nerves and stay within himself, Max Fried purposely avoided knowing whom he would face before he made his Grapefruit League debut.
But when presented the challenge of facing Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez and Justin Upton during the sixth inning of Monday's 10-7 loss to the Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, the highly regarded Braves pitching prospect provided a glimpse of why he has a chance to reach the Majors this year, despite never having previously pitched above the Class A level.