Johan Camargo, relegated to the bench at multiple points this season, sure looks like a starting-caliber third baseman lately.
And the indicators general manager Alex Anthopoulos referenced when the team named Camargo its starting third baseman May 20 are beginning to produce results.
It’s been an up-and-down first half for Camargo, who opened the season on the disabled list, then became a casualty of Ryan Flaherty’s excellent start.
Before Flaherty even came back to earth, Camargo was set aside in favor of veteran Jose Bautista, who made it through only 12 games with the club before being released.
The consistent playing time now appears to be paying off. Camargo is riding a six-game hitting streak, recently capped by his two-hit, two-RBI night in a 5-1 win over the Cardinals on Friday.
Camargo has hit .351 (20-for-57) with 13 RBIs and a .393 on-base percentage over his past 15 games. He leads the team with 19 RBIs in June.
That’s not to mention his reliable defense, where he provides range and an arm capable of making all the throws at the hot corner.
“I just stay focused and maintain the process of everything I’ve been working on,” Camargo said through an interpreter. “Fortunately things are just happening. They’re coming a bit at a time.”
Flaherty led the National League with a .362 batting average on April 23, but the team indicated the recently signed Bautista would soon supplant him at third, with Camargo sticking in a utility role.
The Bautista flier proved a bust, with the former All-Star hitting .143 (5-for-35) with two homers before he was jettisoned. Flaherty cooled considerably and has since played sparingly, now possessing a .248 average with a .672 OPS in 133 at-bats.
Camargo was hitting .226 with two homers and 13 RBIs when the team declared him its starting third baseman. He had bounced between utility duties and the starting lineup, including filling in for Dansby Swanson at shortstop.
Since he was named the starter, Camargo’s hit .266 (33-for-124) with a .350 on-base percentage in 35 games entering Saturday. He’s added five homers and 21 RBIs.
Charlie Culberson has seamlessly filled Camargo’s bench role, providing clutch hits and versatility in his own right. So it’s not as if the Braves’ bench was weakened when Camargo began playing regularly.
“I really liked what we saw last year, which is why we wanted to get him out there every day and see what he can do,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s had some ups and downs with some big hits thrown in too. He’s put us ahead, tied some games, had some really big hits. I don’t think situations or anything bother him. Just a first full year for a young guy adjusting to the league.”
Snitker often references Camargo’s important hits. The 24-year-old switch-hitter has hit .318 (14-for-44) with runners in scoring position.
Camargo insists he hasn’t made any noticeable adjustments during his run. Snitker mostly agreed, adding it’s easy to forget Camargo’s in his first full season still trying to learn the process.
“I think it’s more of an approach with him, nothing physical or mechanical,” he said. “It’s more a young guy trying to figure out his approach at the major league level. Now these guys have faced some (pitchers), they’re seeing them and seeing any common areas they’re going to, how they’re pitching, stuff like that. It’s more approach than anything else.”
So how was it that Camargo, with youth, athletic ability, defense and switch-hitting in his favor, couldn’t secure the job earlier?
Anthopoulos wasn’t sold on Camargo’s brief, and undeniably fortunate, sample size from a year ago. Camargo slashed .299/.331/.452 in 82 games.
“Being completely candid, coming into this organization, I looked at Camargo’s minor-league track record, and then you look at what he did last year, and everyone was telling me how excited they were,” Anthopoulos told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the “Truth, Lies and Sacrifice Flies” podcast. “But his batting average on balls in play was really high.
“I knew he was talented and had a good arm, (but) I don’t know how much I bought into what the performance was last year. There was certainly an element of luck there. Now actually, conversely, when we made the move with Bautista, his numbers didn’t look like they were that good. … But a lot of really good underlying components that made you think, ‘Wow. He’s got a chance to really emerge.’”
That hope is turning into reality. Anthopoulos compared Camargo’s situation with that of Edwin Encarnacion when he broke out into an All-Star in Toronto, citing several stats pointing to an upward trajectory.
Camargo may never prove more than an excellent utilityman capable of unsustainable productive spurts. But there’s only one way for the Braves to find out, and the early returns give reason for optimism.
About the Author
