Trash talk aplenty at camp as Braves players prep for Classic

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Along with representing their baseball-rich island nation of Curacao during the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Ozzie Albies and Jurickson Profar will have the chance to play for the Hall of Famer they idolized as children.

“I’ve known Andruw [Jones] since I was a young guy,” Profar said. “That’s the guy that we all followed growing up and now we’re going to have him as our manager. It’s really exciting.”

This has been an eventful stretch for Jones, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January. Now, the Braves icon will be serving as the manager for The Netherlands, the team he played for during the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.

Some of you might remember John Smoltz pitching to Jones during an exhibition game the Braves and The Netherlands played at the old Disney Spring Training complex 20 years ago. Smoltz threw a knuckleball and then attempted to playfully hit his great center fielder while asking for a new ball from the umpire.

Profar, who was 13 at the time, and Albies -- who was just 9 -- may not remember that comical sequence. But they remember the countless days they spent watching Jones and hoping they, too, would one day venture away from Curacao and earn a spot on a Major League roster.

Curacao, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is located in the Caribbean Sea a little more than 30 miles from the Venezuelan shore. The island’s baseball history is quite modern. Hensley Meulens was the first native to reach the Majors in 1989, and Jones became the third in 1996.

Some of those young Curacao kids who grew up following Jones started to populate the MLB scene more frequently about 20 years ago. Jair Jurrjens became the eighth big leaguer from the country in 2007. Kenley Jansen would arrive three years later. Both Andrelton Simmons and Profar debuted in 2012. Jonathan Schoop (2013) and Albies (2017) came along a short time later and Boston’s Ceddane Rafaela is the latest portion of the Curacao tree that Jones cultivated.

So, what will it be like to play for the guy who put Curacao on the map in the baseball world?

“I’m definitely excited for the moment,” Albies said. “It’s going to be fun. I’ve never [played in the WBC before].”

Albies will receive a great introduction to the event when the Netherlands opens play in Pool D with a game against his good friend Ronald Acuña Jr. and the rest of Team Venezuela on March 6 at noon ET.

“It’s so amazing that the first game we play is against Albies, Andruw and Profar,” Acuña said. “That’s going to be fun.”

It’s safe to say the trash talking has been constant since Spring Training started a couple weeks ago. Chadwick Tromp, an Aruba native who will serve as the Netherlands catcher, says this activity has been lopsided.

“We’re winning, it’s three versus one,” Tromp said. “It’s kind of a mismatch for now, but [Acuña] holds his own.”

You can hear his voice before you can see him?

“Yes, you can,” Tromp said. “You can hear it from a mile away.”

The Venezuelans will be favored, but …

“I’m very excited,” Profar said. “I think we’re going to beat them.”

Tromp provided a clue for how he plans to handle Acuña.

“I just told him I’m going to walk him,” Tromp said.

Do you think Jones will approve this approach?

“I think Andruw has a pretty good idea,” Tromp said. “We’ve had some conversations. We’ve had a phone call or two.”