Baseball: Wilson keeps chin up after Braves release

New Zealand's Travis Wilson is convinced he will still become a major league baseballer, despite devastating news yesterday that the Atlanta Braves had released him from their 40-man roster.

Wilson had just finished his second season of Triple-A ball with the Richmond Braves when he heard the news from Atlanta that he was making way for pitcher Trey Hodges.

The Christchurch 25-year-old said there were two ways of looking at it.

"It's bad news obviously because the Braves have taken me off the [protected] roster - therefore pretty much saying we don't think you're going to make it in the big leagues with us.

"After six years as a minor league pro baseballer it seems that probably now I won't be with Atlanta.

"[But] there are 29 other teams out there that are going to have the chance to claim me on waivers and put me on their roster.

"If nobody does I become a free agent [on October 22] and have the chance to sign with whoever next year."

The former Black Sox softballer was signed by the then World Series champions as a baseball novice in 1996 with dreams of being the first New Zealander to play in the major leagues.

He was disappointed to be "designated for assignment" after only one year on the 40-man roster, and without being given a chance to play at major league level.

From next year, major leaguers will be paid a minimum salary of US$300,000 ($650,336).

Wilson ended the International League season with a respectable batting average of .263 (130 hits from 494 at-bats), including a career-best 13 home runs and 71 RBIs (runs batted in).

"I could have done better, that's the disappointing thing."

He said he had learned a lot about the game over the past two weeks.

"It's a business. There's no slaps on the back. You put up the numbers [then] you get to the major leagues.

"I don't have that much to complain about. I had an average year, and had the chance of getting called up, but I didn't exactly tear it up.

"I've got to take it on the chin like anyone else that gets fired from their job. It's not the end of the world ... there are other jobs out there." He is now tossing up whether to play winter ball in Venezuela or the Dominican Republic.

- NZPA