It\u2019s been less than a week since new Atlanta Braves OF Jurickson Profar arrived in North Port, Florida to meet his new teammates and coaches. He arrived with Pitchers and Catchers on Feb. 12. Already the 31-year-old Curacao native says he feels like he\u2019s at home.<\/p>\n
Profar told reporters at the Braves Spring Training facility on Friday he could barely contain his excitement over being there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t wait and I can\u2019t wait to put this uniform on opening day and the season. I can\u2019t wait,\u201d Profar said.<\/p>\n
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Former Braves All-Stars Andruw Jones, Jair Jurrjens along with current Braves 2B Ozzie Albies all hail from the same, small Caribbean island Profar does.<\/p>\n
When asked about why he came to Atlanta, Profar said that history and the team\u2019s reputation of having a great clubhouse and atmosphere are big reasons why he\u2019s here.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe chemistry that the team has and the talent and also I grew up watching the Braves,\u201d Profar said.<\/p>\n
Profar is expected to join an outfield that at some point this spring will include him, CF Michael Harris III and RF Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr.<\/p>\n
The trio, if they perform to their peak ability, could form one of baseball\u2019s most dynamic outfields.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s looking forward to playing with Acu\u00f1a, a player who he considers one the most elite talents in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Acu\u00f1a and Tatis, they are at a different level,\u201d Profar said. \u201cI think maybe Otani is up there with them. They are in a league of their own. If they\u2019re healthy, the sky is the limit for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
RELATED STORIES:<\/b><\/p>\n Braves manager Brian Snitker compared the affable Profar to a \u201cSwiss Army Knife\u201d and that he\u2019d be comfortable with him batting anywhere in the lineup this season. Profar said he has no problem with that.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I like to play baseball. I love playing every day and wherever they need me, I\u2019m there to help the team win,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n One of the things that Profar gushed about was the Braves pitching staff. And by that, he means not just Cy Young award winner Chris Sale.<\/p>\n \u201cSale, Lopez, they are really, really good pitchers. And I also said of Spencer Schwellenbach, I faced him twice last year, I think. And he\u2019s nasty. Yes, he\u2019s nasty.\u201d<\/p>\n [SIGN UP: <\/b>WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]<\/b><\/p>\n The switch-hitting Profar said he\u2019s keeping it simple this Spring Training with some simple goals \u201dJust stay healthy and work on things that I like to work on. Especially hitting.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked by reporters about the constant smile on his face and the endless laughter, his answer was pretty simple, \u201cYes, I laugh all the time. I can\u2019t help it. My grandma always tells me, when you sleep smiling and then when you wake up, that\u2019s the first thing they always see. That smile when I wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n The Braves first full-squad workout will be on Feb. 18 and their first Spring Training game will be four days later on the 22nd. Braves fans should get a good taste of their new outfielder early–and often.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Braves biggest free agent signee of 2025 is already at Spring Training and is anxiously ready to get started<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":34278,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n\n