Braves Players Coming in With Extra Motivation

The Atlanta Braves enter the second week of spring training workouts already dealing with an array of problems. Injuries are building up, which means they have to work out who is the next best fit for opening day.

The dilemma comes when they're looking to bounce back from a 76-win season. Injuries played a role as well, but other factors held them back at times. Some players simply underperformed or had other reasons they weren't able to contribute to the level they could.

For one reason or another, something could be providing some extra motivation in the spring training this season.

“I think there’s a lot of guys in there with a chip on their shoulder right now," Braves outfielder Mike Yastrzemski said on Sunday, via WSB-TV.

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He remains firm in this team's ability to compete with anybody when the team is healthy. That's a big "when," even just a week into the season. Injuries have already started to pile up on both the offensive side and the pitching side.

Even with the key injuries that have been dealt, the Braves still have a team that can compete. Perhaps the injuries will provide some extra desire to prove everyone wrong.

Another reason Yastrzemski remains confident is the Braves' commitment to winning. He said during his introductory press conference that being around winners gives him the push to do more.

"It's one of those things where my game gets elevated when I'm on a team that wants to win," he said back in December. "And being in an organization that's committed to it has always brought the best out in me."

Two mindsets are attempting to be balanced here. One is the notion that individuals have an extra desire to win. The other is that, overall, the team has the same desires it always has, even after last season.

"Every year, we kind of have the same goals," Harris said, via 11Alive. "So, I wouldn't say just because last year ended the way it did, we have a different sense of urgency. We're going out there and trying to do the same thing. I wouldn't say it made us more hungry or anything, because it's always on our mind."

Players are coming in with chips on their shoulders, but the team doesn't have a different sense of urgency. Can those coexist? Sure. There's a difference between what motivates an individual and what a team's goals are.

A business-as-usual mindset for the unit as a whole could be there. The overall game plan is still the same. The Braves want to push for the World Series, not just get back in the postseason. However, some individual players have been given some extra motivation for one reason or another.

That motivation could be that they're returning from an injury, they had an off year or they just want to match the energy that they believe an organization brings, which is Yastrzemski's case. There are plenty of internal and external motivators for each player to latch on to.

Maybe that extra motivation will be what helps the team stay focused on the overarching goal. When looking to bounce back from a winning season, anything helps. When health isn't going the teams way, they need something else to do so. Having a chip on their shoulders could be a good start.

They aren't just defined by who has been hurt. Who is left can still get the mission accomplished.

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