As Jose Martinez walked toward his position in right field during batting practice one day earlier this summer, he casually bounced a ball into the infield dirt.
The scene was striking: The baseball hit the dirt with a thud, bounced up waist-high, and Martinez caught it with his right hand. He then did it again. And again.
The 6'6" St. Louis outfielder could have been dribbling a regulation Spalding NBA basketball while crossing the half-court line at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.
Instead, the little Rawlings baseball yo-yoed from Martinez's hand to the dirt and up again in Atlanta's Sun Trust Park.