Spring Training 2020

[notin]

Other than Brock Holt, who else besides Chavis is considered your platoon 1man, and your sometimes 2Bman. Not a likely combo of talents.

 

 

Brock Holt as a platoon 1b? Bad idea...

[Donnie Sadler was short]

Some Photos from my visit to Red Sox Spring Training 2020:

 

Big Papi sharing advice with Devers:

 

 

Big Papi signing a ball for a kid:

 

 

When I figure out how to rotate the photos, I will straighten them out. Until then tilt your head to the left.

 

Is Brasier the one taking these photos?

[jad]

Is Brasier the one taking these photos?

 

Good guess! It was actually Verdugo, but it's fine, because he was drunk.

[S5Dewey]

A few notes from the past few days...

 

Say what you will about Chavis @ 1B but he and Bogearts combined for one of the slickest 3-6-3's I've ever seen. Chavis not only got back to the base but they had the runner by two full steps.

 

Put no faith in the scores you've seen over the past couple of games. There's been a steady "breeze" (Hah!) of 15-20 mph blowing in from center field holding everything up. Today's game ended with a 450' HR being caught 400' from the plate after the wind got done knocking it down... or up.

I've seen it all over the past couple of games. I've seen fly balls get into the wind and go straight up, I've seen a routine fly ball clank off an outfielder's glove on what should have been a routine play, I've seen infielders stagger around like a group of drunks trying to figure out where a ball is going to come down and who's going to field it, and I've seen a SS head back on the OF grass for a popup, then come walking in, then start sprinting in, and eventually diving for a ball that eventually fell between the mound and 3B. He made the play, BTW, after juggling it into, out of, and back into his glove.

 

JDM continues to hit the ball well when he's not trying to dink the ball to RF. He put a dent in the wall today on a ball that was hit so hard the wind didn't have a chance against it. As much as I had to admit it since I've been critical of JDM's defense he made a very nice play today on a ball hit into the LF corner. (Don't ask me why he was in LF...no idea) holding the hitter to a long single.

 

Speaking of outfielders, Pillar hit a line drive double off the LF wall today

 

2B continues to be manned by a revolving door of players I've barely heard of.

 

Eovaldi is looking very good in every outing. I know, I know... injuries..but I refuse to vulture around waiting for an injury to happen. I'm confident that if he stays on the field this year he'll be the ace of the staff.

I can't be critical of Perez. He gave us five (I think) scoreless innings today and I didn't find his pace to be noticeably slow. Brazier continues to look good as does Workman. Things were breezing along nicely (see what I did there?) until Matt Hall and Chris Mazza did their best to let an easy win slip away.

 

JBJ got another hit today (1 for 2 IIRC) by not pulling the ball. He hit a shot up the middle that almost hit the bag. He also hit into a DP today that's worth mentioning only because I don't think I've ever seen a player sprint as hard in ST as he did in trying to beat the throw.

 

Under the heading of "something nobody cares about", the coveted Mayor's Cup goes to the winner of the ST series between the Sox and the Twins and the Sox kept themselves in the running with their win today. They play 5 games this year and the Twins had a 2-0 lead going into today's game.

 

As a final bit of trivia, the Twins had a late game replacement today named Joe Cronin.

 

Thanks to a700 for joining me for a few games earlier. It's always a pleasure to share baseball conversation with him.

 

And @ Slasher.. If you need more material for your avatars come to Ft.Myers & bring your camera.

 

The Sox are on the road tomorrow. I'll be back with more viewpoints and inconsequential happenings and complete irrelevancies sometime during the middle of the week.

Edited March 9, 2020 by S5Dewey

[Slasher9]

Buchholz and Will Middlebrooks crush your theory...

 

kate upton is a whole nother level.......

[Slasher9]

@A700 & @S5:

thanks for the reports from the Fort (and the pix). your updates every year during ST are my favorite posts during spring training. keep em coming!

[notin]

kate upton is a whole nother level.......

 

And that has nothing to do with Verlander’s miraculous turnaround once he and several other pitchers got to Houston.

 

Watch for Greinke to have a Cy Young caliber season this year....

[a700hitter]

 

Edited April 6, 2020 by a700hitter

[a700hitter]

LOL!! No one knows why these photos are going on the site sideways.

[a700hitter]

 

With so many players in camp, there are duplicate jersey numbers. This fella is wearing Marco Hernandez's #40.

 

BTW, I have rotated my photos on my laptop to the right in hopes that when loaded to the site that they would rotate straight. No such luck. It must be something on the site that I just can't figure out.

Edited April 6, 2020 by a700hitter

[mvp 78]

LOL!! No one knows why these photos are going on the site sideways.

 

It's cause you're old gramps. Maybe you need to get one of those "softer than a 3 minute egg" kids to fix them for you.

[mvp 78]

 

With so many players in camp, there are duplicate jersey numbers. This fella is wearing Marco Hernandez's #40.

 

BTW, I have rotated my photos on my laptop to the right in hopes that when loaded to the site that they would rotate straight. No such luck. It must be something on the site that I just can't figure out.

 

http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=644407#/career/R/hitting/2019/ALL

[a700hitter]

It's cause you're old gramps. Maybe you need to get one of those "softer than a 3 minute egg" kids to fix them for you.

They don't know either, so I shooed them to go outside to play and get dirty.

[Bellhorn04]

LOL!! No one knows why these photos are going on the site sideways.

 

Everything is going sideways this offseason.

[mvp 78]

kate upton is a whole nother level.......

 

Verlander is out with a lat strain. Busy weekend.

[Slasher9]

Everything is going sideways this offseason.

 

well done. +2 points.

[Slasher9]

Verlander is out with a lat strain. Busy weekend.

 

definitely...definitely the way i would want to get on the IL.

[mvp 78]

definitely...definitely the way i would want to get on the IL.

 

I always thought you'd go out like this: https://tht.fangraphs.com/tht-live/silver-anniversary-of-bizarre-wade-boggs-injury-6-9-11/

[oldtimer]

Have good seats behind home plate for the game tonight at Cool T stadium. Hope some regulars play.

[oldtimer]

Have good seats behind home plate for the game tonight at Cool T stadium. Hope some regulars play.

 

Back from the Atlanta game. Ryan Weber looked very good against the regular Atlanta lineup. Peraza also impressed at 2nd base.

 

Duran made a tough catch that was wrongly ruled a trap in center but there is no appeal in ST. He struck out twice and hit into a double play, despite making solid contact (foul) and a line shot for a double play. Casas got up once and strck out when cutting at a pitch off the plate.

 

Nice night for a game.

[moonslav59]

Back from the Atlanta game. Ryan Weber looked very good against the regular Atlanta lineup. Peraza also impressed at 2nd base.

 

Duran made a tough catch that was wrongly ruled a trap in center but there is no appeal in ST. He struck out twice and hit into a double play, despite making solid contact (foul) and a line shot for a double play. Casas got up once and strck out when cutting at a pitch off the plate.

 

Nice night for a game.

 

Thanks for the update.

 

Looks like Weber is pushing for the opener slot/5th starter.

[notin]

Thanks for the update.

 

Looks like Weber is pushing for the opener slot/5th starter.

 

But who’s fourth?

[Bellhorn04]

But who’s fourth?

 

Looks more like Weber would be #4, and the fifth game would be a bullpen game.

[notin]

Looks more like Weber would be #4, and the fifth game would be a bullpen game.

 

 

Isn’t Weber supposed to be an opener? Or is Weber expected to log actual IP?

 

We’re talking about a pitcher whose gone over 5 IP exactly one time and hasn’t gone over 4 IP in multiple games since 2015...

[Bellhorn04]

Isn’t Weber supposed to be an opener? Or is Weber expected to log actual IP?

 

We’re talking about a pitcher whose gone over 5 IP exactly one time and hasn’t gone over 4 IP in multiple games since 2015...

 

It sounds shaky as hell, I know.

 

I'm as interested as anyone to see how Bloom and Roenicke cobble this together.

[Slasher9]

It sounds shaky as hell, I know.

 

I'm as interested as anyone to see how Bloom and Roenicke cobble this together.

 

this could get ugly quick. or be an amazing season. who knows!

[vegasbob]

Congrats to Ryan Weber for being able to compete effectively for a role in the starting rotation, but over a multiple game stretch and when the opposing team rolls to the third time through, say the 5th inning, a good hitting team will be all over him. Excellent choice for an opener or second man in where his offspeed breaking stuff can confuse a hitter once or maybe twice but not much longer. There will also be games where Weber will get pounded early, like , say, a garbage can in the dugout.

I do wish him well because the team needs him and he's battling with all he has to offer.

[oldtimer]

Isn’t Weber supposed to be an opener? Or is Weber expected to log actual IP?

 

We’re talking about a pitcher whose gone over 5 IP exactly one time and hasn’t gone over 4 IP in multiple games since 2015...

 

He didn't go long last night but that was a spring training game.

[Slasher9]

Back from the Atlanta game. Ryan Weber looked very good against the regular Atlanta lineup. Peraza also impressed at 2nd base.

 

Duran made a tough catch that was wrongly ruled a trap in center but there is no appeal in ST. He struck out twice and hit into a double play, despite making solid contact (foul) and a line shot for a double play. Casas got up once and strck out when cutting at a pitch off the plate.

 

Nice night for a game.

 

thanks for the update OT. we had 70F and sunny here in Jersey yesterday so it feels like baseball season.

[mvp 78]

Congrats to Ryan Weber for being able to compete effectively for a role in the starting rotation, but over a multiple game stretch and when the opposing team rolls to the third time through, say the 5th inning, a good hitting team will be all over him. Excellent choice for an opener or second man in where his offspeed breaking stuff can confuse a hitter once or maybe twice but not much longer. There will also be games where Weber will get pounded early, like , say, a garbage can in the dugout.

I do wish him well because the team needs him and he's battling with all he has to offer.

 

Expectations are probably twice through the order, not CG's.