Spring Training Workouts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Spring Training Workouts
On Monday we were back in Ft. Myers early for more Spring Training workouts. Again we watched them stretch out on the new “agility field” before they spread out to the six practice fields for their drills. This time I mostly watched rounds of live batting practice, where pitchers throw to their teammates. Some of the fields held minor leaguers like Alex Hassan and Juan Carlos Linares, or pitchers like Jesse Carlson, and I was able to get up close and take some good photos. After a while I found a field where Alfredo Aceves was throwing to Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez, and stayed to watch that.
Bobby Valentine watches live B.P.
I also discovered where the players disappear to from time to time. We had read in the morning that the players get to take a break for “snack time” every day, when they’re served granola bars and applesauce. Between Fields 5 and 6 there are some bullpen mounds where pitchers can throw. They’re set back from the pathway, so we can’t get up close, but I noticed a lot of players continuing on behind the mounds, where I thought there were more mounds. Instead I finally realized that this is where they have picnic tables where they can eat their snacks.
Off in the back, pitchers Franklin Morales and Carlos Silva eat their snacks. No word on whether they're provided with sippy cups for their Gatorade.
After watching various different combinations of pitchers and hitters in live B.P., I headed back up to Field 1 to watch batting practice (thrown by a coach) to Gonzalez, Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, and Cody Ross. They were joined by minor league prospects Jose Iglesias, Che-Hsuan Lin, and Will Middlebrooks.
Jacoby Ellsbury, Che-Hsuan Lin, and Will Middlebrooks watch batting practice.
I happened to be walking past Cody Ross as he left to go in when he was done hitting, so I was able to get his autograph. When they were done hitting, the infielders all went back out to another field to take ground balls, about 100 per person, according to what I overheard from a coach. We stayed around until everyone was done, and ended up getting autographs from first base prospect Lars Anderson as well as minor league catchers Dan Butler and Max St. Pierre.
Adrian Gonzalez joined his fellow infielders in taking extra fielding practice after finishing B.P.
