Braves infielder, former MCC Eagle Van Pope, hopes to get career back on track

Mississippi Braves third baseman and former Meridian Community College standout Van Pope, shown signing autographs before Tuesday's game against Birmingham, is trying to get back to top-prospect status this season after a disappointing 2007.

PEARL — Van Pope commanded attention, for many reasons, when he arrived here in the spring of 2007.

He was about to play his first Double-A season just a few miles from where he starred at Terry High. He was a top 10 prospect in the Atlanta Braves' organization, a power-hitting third baseman with a rocket arm who was being widely mentioned as the heir apparent to Chipper Jones.

The only question seemed to be, how long would he stay?

Roughly 14 months later, the 24-year-old Pope is still here - and there is reason to wonder what all the fuss was about.

Pope hit just .223 last season with six home runs, down from .263 and 15 the year before at Class A Myrtle Beach. He fell off the prospect charts. The "heir apparent" talk stopped.

"I was all set up last year - a top five prospect," Pope said prior to Tuesday's game, which he missed with a minor hand injury. "I guess I slipped off that radar a little bit."

He entered this season needing to reestablish himself, started hot and then - curse the luck - suffered a hamstring injury nine games in. He tried to come back - too quickly, perhaps - a week later and was reinjured, going on the shelf for almost a month.

Pope got back on the field on May 17. In 41 games, he is hitting .265 with two homers and 23 RBIs. He has made eight errors.

"Every year is a big year when you're in the minor leagues," he said. "I had a rough year last year. I didn't concentrate on some things as well as I should have."

There is a unique pressure on Pope, playing so close to his own backyard. There is a group at every game that cheers anytime his name is mentioned on the p.a. He is a popular target for autograph seekers before and after every game.

"That might have taken away from my concentration a little bit," Pope said. "But you can't blame it on that. ...

"I put a lot of pressure on myself. I've never not had success playing baseball, at any level. Last year was a learning experience."

Of course, that's all water under the bridge now. Pope's got 63 games left in 2008, almost an entire second half, to get his career back on track.

"His numbers are better," said M-Braves manager Phillip Wellman. "He's still playing a pretty good third base, and he's swinging the bat better. ... But he's got work to do.

"He's not driving in enough runs. He's not taking advantage of RBI opportunities. For a guy with his power, he's only got two home runs. He's making progress, but there's more to do."

Pope's defense is solid. He has what scouts call a "plus, plus arm." (Yes, he was an outstanding pitcher at Terry and Meridian CC.)

Wellman has been hitting Pope in the cleanup spot, enhancing his chances to be a run producer for a team that has struggled to score much of the season.

"There are adjustments he needs to make, mechanical and mental both," Wellman said. "He wastes some at-bats chasing bad pitches. But he is walking more. That's a good sign that he's starting to grasp the strike zone a little better."

The adjustment to Double-A pitching can be daunting. Jeff Francoeur, for instance, hit just .275 in his 84 games here in 2005 - and the majority of his 13 home runs were hit on the road. Trustmark Park is not a homer-friendly place.

"At the Double-A level, for any hitter, you have to be able to handle a lot of different pitches in the strike zone," said Kurt Kemp, the Atlanta Braves' director of player development. "Double-A pitchers can do more things in the strike zone. Hitters have to be more complete to succeed at that level. ...

"You need to be able to take an outside pitch the other way, and you need to be able to do some damage on a mistake in the zone."

Pope has yet to demonstrate an ability to do those things consistently, though, he says, it's not from a lack of effort.

"I work as hard as anybody," he said. "It's a job. You can't get to the big leagues without doing the work."

And, Kemp said, the organization hasn't given up on him making it.

"We never give up on anybody off of one bad year," Kemp said.

He cites the example of pitcher Charlie Morton, who labored for several years in the low minors before finally blossoming here late last season. He recently cracked Atlanta's starting rotation.

"People have asked me, 'How does a guy come from off the radar like that to make it to the big leagues?' " Kemp said. "Well, he wasn't off of our radar. We knew what he was capable of.

"We feel like Van had things to gain by going back to Double-A this year. I know he wasn't satisfied with last year, either. He needs to progress at his own pace. When you repeat a level, you should make progress, and I think Van has. Hopefully, he'll propel himself to the next level."