Rising SS Jim Jarvis Reflects on Surging Stint with Braves Triple-A Team

Jim Jarvis was on the road in Akron when he received an unexpected call. The first of a six-game series was in the books. He batted ninth, went 1-for-3 while playing third base for the Double-A Erie SeaWolves.

Little did he realize this would be the only game he saw action in. It would also be his last with the team. He and his teammates had suspected that someone would be traded, but he never expected it to be him.

“I never thought that I was even in consideration for it,” he said. “And then, I got a call from one of our assistant GMs and talked to him for like 10 minutes.”

He was bound for the Atlanta Braves in exchange for relief pitcher Rafael Montero at the trade deadline. The Detroit Tigers wanted bullpen help, and he was the return. His next game would be on Aug. 1 against the Montgomery Biscuits. However, he’d be wearing a peach and white uniform representing the Columbus Clingstones.

He felt fortunate he had the chance to say goodbye to much of the staff in Erie. They happened to be in town for that series. While the opportunity was a blessing in his eyes, it was still an experience Javis described as surreal.

Fortunately for him, he wasn’t going to a part of the country that was completely unfamiliar to him. He played for the Alabama Crimson Tide for four seasons. It’s not exactly home, but he’s no stranger to the American South.

Javis has felt he has been able to channel what he’s learned from two organizations. All of that has helped him develop as a ballplayer. That development started to kick into another gear when he arrived in the Braves organization.

His entire slash line saw improvements in the 21 games he was with Columbus. His pre-trade .652 OPS jumped to .705 post-trade. He got his first taste of Triple-A shortly after and managed to take things a step further.

In 15 career Triple-A games, he’s batting .352 with a .972 OPS. This season, he’s reached base in all 12 games played and set Gwinnett’s single-game record for stolen bases with four. His effort led the way to a team single-game record of 10 stolen bases in a game.

“I’ve never thought about minor league records or, honestly, any kind of records. It’s kind of just something that’s in the background, but it’s kind of nice to have something that your name’s in, you know?”

While much of this is a testament to the work he’s put in and the tips and knowledge he’s received from two organizations, Jarvis attributed his performance to more humble factors. Some of it is up to fate, but it’s also believing in what you can do.

“Honestly, in baseball, it’s kind of a lot of luck. Like, there’s only so much you can control, like trying to put together good at-bats, but then after you put the ball in play, it’s kind of just up to where the defense shifts you and stuff like that. So, I haven’t really thought of anything specific. I have a lot of, or I had a lot of confidence coming in, just because of some conversations with people during spring training.”

He felt 90% of baseball is just confidence. If you can get yourself in the right headspace, success has a chance to follow.

Jarvis spent time in big league camp with the Braves during the spring. He didn’t have too many opportunities to interact with the big leaguers, but two stood out in particular when reflecting on his experience: Mauricio Dubón and Ozzie Albies.

With Dubón specifically, he got to talk positioning, depth and tempo.

“It was honestly a lot of IQ stuff, like little things that he’s picked up on.”

There was a passing of the torch of sorts when it came to spreading baseball wisdom. Dubón highlighted what he learned from three-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion Brandon Crawford while he was with the Giants.

All of that is something Jarvis can take and apply to his push to reach the major leagues. While he’s had the chance to hear wisdom from other major-leaguers, his brothers, Mike and Luke, are two of his biggest role models. He said he modeled much of his game off of them.

He’s one of three Jarvis brothers to play professional baseball and one of two to reach Triple-A, the other being Mike, who is with the Pirates organization. It’s hard to ask for better role models than the ones you were able to look up to growing up.

The 25-year-old shortstop isn’t officially a top-30 prospect in the system, but he’s very much on the radar. Each moment of talks, trades and at-bats has led him to bring in the big league’s field of vision. Perhaps, in the not-too-distant future, he’ll have the chance to take that major league and familial inspiration to the major leagues.