Braves' Laird preparing to open season as starter

Laird, whose mother is half-Mexican, signed a two-year, $3 million deal with Atlanta in November to be Brian McCann's backup. Laird is expected to open the season as the starter while McCann recovers from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

The Braves expect McCann to miss only about the first two weeks of the season. Laird, who started 51 games for Detroit last season, wants to make sure he's prepared for any length of time he's asked to be the starter.

"I feel like I can bring a lot when the starter goes down," Laird said earlier this week during his first day at Turner Field. "I feel like I can fill in for a couple weeks, a month, whatever it takes. I knew the situation. When (McCann) comes back he's going to definitely help the ballclub. I can do whatever is needed to do. I can play every day, once a week or whenever they tell me to play."

Laird said the spring training games will be crucial to the process of learning how to work with the Braves' pitchers.

"It takes a little bit. Catching in the bullpen only helps so much," he said. "That's why when they asked me to play a little with Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, I decided not to do it. If I was an outfielder, I might have done it.

"Being a catcher with a new ballclub and getting to know the staff, I felt that was my priority. I felt coming in and out and not being here the whole time wouldn't have benefitted the staff. I want to stay and catch as many guys as I can because if I'm the guy for the first couple weeks or however long, I want to make sure I know what their tendencies are and what they like to do in certain situations."

Braves general manager Frank Wren said team doctors likely will hold McCann out of action at the start of the season even if the six-time All-Star is hitting and throwing well in spring training.

"If everything goes well in spring training, I don't think it will be more than a couple weeks before he is ready to rejoin us," Wren said. "I know that's probably two weeks too long for him, but we don't want to put him in a situation where he has any major setbacks."