KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) -Javy Lopez looks as though he never left.
"I've got my old locker, my old number," Lopez said Saturday, surveying his surroundings after the second workout of his second go-around with the Atlanta Braves. "You can't ask for anything better."
Of course, a lot has changed since Lopez last played for the Braves in 2003. Back then, he was a three-time All-Star catcher who had just put up the best season of his career - .328 with 43 homers and 109 RBIs.
He left for a big-money deal with the Baltimore Orioles, but never came close to matching what he did in Atlanta. After three seasons of steadily dwindling production, Lopez found himself out of a job last spring when he was cut by the Colorado Rockies.
His career appeared over.
"It was hard for me," Lopez conceded. "When you're watching TV, watching the games, you're like, 'I should have been there."
He sat out the entire season, "doing the things I haven't done in 20 years." He traveled extensively with his family, visiting Mexico, Las Vegas, California and Puerto Rico. He became a Little League dad, cheering on his 12- and 8-year-old sons.
But Lopez never lost his desire to get back on the field. He began working with a personal trainer last August. He stayed in touch with the Braves, especially good friend and former catching mate Eddie Perez, now the team's bullpen coach.
Perez is the one who set up Lopez with another of the team's coaches, Chino Cadahia, for twice- and three-times-a-week workouts at a metro Atlanta high school, mainly to work on Lopez's suspect defense.
Impressed with his work ethic, Cadahia sent word to the front office: Hey, this guy might be worth taking a chance on. The Braves signed the 37-year-old Lopez to a minor-league deal, inviting him to camp as a non-roster player to compete for a backup job behind All-Star Brian McCann.
Lopez is content to take on a reduced role.
"I'm happier than ever," he said. "I'm going to be a backup-slash-coach."
There are no guarantees, of course. Lopez is battling for the No. 2 job against two much-younger players, 26-year-old Brayan Pena and 24-year-old Clint Sammons. The Braves will keep the player who's most capable of filling in for McCann every fourth or fifth day.
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