ATLANTA — Jimmy Baseball has become a fan favorite in Atlanta. He’s long been loved by friends and family members in his native San Diego. But they may not have had as much fun watching him do his thing the past few days.
Jim Jarvis, who gained the Jimmy Baseball nickname as a child, further endeared himself to Atlanta fans when he delivered a go-ahead double in the eighth inning of a 7-6 win over the Padres on Wednesday night at Truist Park.
Jarvis and his two brothers have always enjoyed playing baseball, but they didn’t necessarily attend a lot of Padres games while growing up in the San Diego area. Still, was the significance of this game-winning hit enhanced by the fact it came against the hometown team?
“I don’t have any real feelings towards the Padres, so it doesn’t evoke anything like crazy,” Jarvis said. “I think it’s probably crazier for my friends and stuff back home watching it. Probably pissed at me, but who cares?”
Jarvis has exceeded all expectations since the Braves acquired him from the Tigers in exchange for reliever Rafael Montero before last year’s Trade Deadline. Taken in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, the University of Alabama product has never been a highly rated prospect. Jarvis was a likeable defensive player who played a total of three games above Double-A before this year.
But while hitting .308 (16-for-52) with an .826 OPS for Atlanta, he has led Braves fans to clamor for him to remain the primary shortstop even when Ha-Seong Kim ends his current Minor League rehab assignment on Aug. 1.
“It feels like these days are just flying by,” Jarvis said. “I’m trying to enjoy it as much as I can. It’s like you get to the field and it’s just all a blur. Then, the game’s over, you go home and do it again. But it’s been really fun.”
Michael Harris’ first-inning groundout accounted for Atlanta’s only run on Wednesday until Jarvis laced his go-ahead double off Wandy Peralta into the right-field corner. The fleet-footed infielder scored moments later on Brewer Hicklen’s double.
“There’s a lot to like there from what we’ve seen,” manager Walt Weiss said. “He’s shown a knack for just knowing how to play the game.”
Jarvis played his first two big league games in May, spent most of the next two months with Triple-A Gwinnett and then returned to Atlanta’s roster on July 2, two days before Kim began his current injured-list stint.
Like the fans, Weiss and his coaches have enjoyed the athleticism and energy Jarvis brings to the field on a daily basis. The 25-year-old made possibly the defensive play of the year with the diving catch he made in a May 8 win at Dodger Stadium. He’s also shown a strong arm and a good feel for the game. Jarvis prevented a run from scoring in Sunday’s win over the Rangers by deking Nicky Lopez, who slid into second on a hit to the left-center-field gap.
As for Jarvis’ bat, the numbers are better than the Braves would have expected from a guy who had produced a .652 OPS in 77 games for Double-A Erie when the trade was made last year.
But Jarvis has held his own. He singled against Mason Miller’s 103.1 mph fastball in Tuesday night’s loss. He became the 22nd big leaguer and the first Braves player to record a hit off a pitch thrown 103 mph or harder since 2015, when Statcast began tracking this data.
“It’s a little crazy to expect this, but it’s definitely surreal,” Jarvis said. “This is, what I’ve been kind of dreaming about and thinking about my entire life.”
