LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Hector Olivera still whips the bat over his head a bit too frequently, still turns his torso too much at times in his swing, still doesn’t walk much at all, and still hasn’t hit for a lot of power, with no official homers in 61 spring at-bats, though he hit one in a game that got rained out after four innings.
But here’s the thing: The Braves third baseman-turned-left fielder is batting .393 with six doubles and a team-high 12 RBIs, and hitting Kevin Seitzer, said Olivera, who reached the majors as a 30-year-old rookie in September after a whirlwind season with seven teams in two organizations, works hard and is improving.