Former Braves Catcher Reflects on Meeting Team Legends During Career

While his time with the Braves was brief, his connection with team does a bit further

The former Braves shared some fun stories about the team with his social media audience | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Former All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy only played two career games with the Atlanta Braves. But his connection with the team goes much deeper. 

The two-time All-Star shared a story on X (formerly Twitter) from a visit to Turner Field during his rookie season in 2010. It was a bit of a starstruck moment where timing is everything. 

Lucroy recalled being in the middle of a game scouting meeting with the Brewers pitching coach and a childhood favorite ballplayer walked in right as he was about to go over his scouting report. 

“We get to Chipper Jones and before we [started] talking about him he walks right in from the visitor's dugout, walks down the hall right past us and asks me, “So, how are you going to pitch me today,? And just keeps walking past us.” 

The coaches threw out some jokes but Lucroy remained silent. 

“I never said anything because the last time I had seen him in person I was 10 years old, and I was a little shocked on the timing of his entrance,” Lucroy said. “So yeah, that one got me pretty good. Still think about how weird the timing was on his entrance.”

According to another tweet, Jones was on of Lucroy’s heroes growing up, along with fellow Braves’ All-Star and Hall of Famer Fred McGriff. So, when still a young ballplayer getting to play along with those he grew up with, it’s understandable that he froze. 

Born in 1986, the Orlando-area native grew up watching the Braves, the only team in the south for a chunk of his childhood, on TBS as millions of others did. 

That hero of his chimed in. He got a kick out of the story.

“Can’t hurt to ask….No? That’s funny.” he quote tweeted. 

“I thought I was on candid camera or something. Your timing was impeccable,” Lucroy quote tweeted back. 

Lucroy’s connection with this era of Braves baseball goes even deeper than an encounter with Jones. Along with receiving a World Series ring in 2021, he got to work with Greg Maddux during the 2013 World Baseball Classic,

Even after a few years, meeting the greats, while easier, could still be a bit daunting. 

“I had been in the league for several years and had somewhat acclimated to meeting great players, until I met him and talked pitching/game calling,” Lucroy said. “I even got to do a mound visit with him. Talk about an experience.” 

It goes to show that even when you eventually grow up and become the ballplayer kids look up to, that inner child is still there ready to geek out at a moment’s notice.