The Atlanta Braves played its first spring training game on
Saturday and if you had Connor Lien in the office home run pool, then you need
to collect your winnings.
Lien hit the first home run of the spring training season
for the Braves as they fell, 4-3, to their division rivals, the New York Mets,
in Port St. Lucie. When I first heard this news, my first thought was, “Who the
heck is Connor Lien?”
As it turns out, Connor Lien is somewhat of a mystery man.
So far as I can tell, he doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page, which prompted me
to dig a little deeper.
According to MiLB.com, the “Official Site of Minor League
Baseball,” Lien was born Connor McClain Lien on March 15, 1994 in Annapolis,
Md. (This fact makes me feel particularly old since Lien was born about two
months before I graduated high school.) Lien went on to play for Olympia High
School in Orlando, which isn’t too far from Port St. Lucie.
Lien isn’t the only professional athlete to have come out of
Olympia High over the years. Professional baseball players to have come out of
the school include Brewers shortstop Brad Miller, Twins shortstop Nick Gordon
and Reds outfielder Jesse Winker. This is pretty remarkable when you take into
account that the school first opened in 2001.
Lien, age 24, is listed at 6-foot-3 and tips the scales at
225 pounds. He bats and throws right and was drafted by Atlanta in the 12th
round of the 2012 June free agent draft. He began his professional career
playing in the Rookie League for two seasons with the Gulf Coast League Braves
and the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League.
From there, he moved up to Single A ball, playing two
seasons at that level in 2014 and 2015, for the Rome Braves and the Carolina
Mudcats. For the past three seasons (2016, 2017 and 2018), he played Double A
ball for the Mississippi Braves of the Southern League. This is the same league
that includes the Montgomery Biscuits, the Mobile BayBears and the Pensacola
Blue Wahoos.
On Saturday, Lien, listed as a center fielder, pinch hit
twice. He struck out once, but also hit the team’s only home run, their first
of spring training. He hit the home run off of 23-year-old Stephen Villines.
I also found out that Lien wears jersey No. 5 and also has a
Twitter account. You can follow him at @clien48. As of Monday afternoon, he had
840 followers, but if he keeps hitting home runs, he’ll probably pick up a lot
more.
If Lien hopes to make the Braves roster at the end of spring
training, he’ll have his work cut out for him. As an outfielder, he’ll be
looking to take one of the spots held by such standouts as Ronald Acuna, Ender
Inciarte, Nick Markakis and Adam Duvall. While not impossible, it’s a tough row
to hoe for Lien.
In the end, it’s nice to see new blood in the Braves
organization, rising to the occasion early in spring training. All of these
young guys are doing all they can to make the Major League team, and it’s fun
to watch them compete. Who knows, maybe one day soon, Lien will be a household
name among Braves fans.
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