Bobby Cox manages Braves Future Stars to win over big club

For the third consecutive year, former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox returned to the dugout to manage the Braves’ future stars in a game against the MLB club. Up until yesterday, Cox was 0-2 against the big club.

Now you can up that to 1-2, after the Future Stars smacked the big boy Braves, 13-4, on Saturday afternoon at State Mutual Stadium in Rome, Ga.

“I was smart today,” the Hall of Fame manager told MLB.com’s Joe Morgan. “I let the manager and the coaches run the team — [Class A Rome manager] Jonathan Schuerholz and the staff — and look what happened.”

Look indeed. Not that a meaningless loss to a group of prospects is anything to worry about.

Ok, yes, maybe it is.

One of the prospects that opened Cox’s eye as well as some others on hand, was starting pitcher Jason Hursh, who the Braves drafted with their first-round selection in last year’s MLB First-Year Player Draft.

“He’s got great movement on his fastball, which a lot of pitchers are more in love with velocity four-seamers now,” Cox said. “This kid’s got good sink on it. He’s gonna be a typical groundball pitcher with some strikeouts in there also, so I like him a lot.”

With all the injuries that have already befallen the Braves pitching staff, fans may be seeing Hursh at Turner Field before long if things don’t turn around.

Bobby Cox apparently agrees. “He’s gonna be a quick guy, I think, to get to the Major League club,” Cox said.