Busy day with a wide range of activity - on field practice sessions for both major and minor leagues from 10 AM till 3 PM. A lot for an old fella to cover 🥸.
Today was the first day of minor league mini camp. The mini camp roster has been updated - now 77 players - 47 pitchers, 9 infielders, 9 catchers and 12 outfielders. There are other players here as well who are working with the rehab team - on occasion some of those individuals will also participate in mini camp practice activities.
Minor League Mini Camp Roster : 77
Pitchers : 47
LH’ers - Erubiel Armenta, Sammy Aldegheri, Tristan Garnett, Mavis Graves, Jakob Hernandez, Keylan Killgore, Taylor Lehman, Ethan Lindow, Brian Marconi, Jordi Martinez, Wesley Moore, Spencer Van Scoyoc & Danny Wilkinson
RH’ers - Chase Antle, Mike Adams, Josh Bortka, Jean Cabrera, Eiberson Castellano, Trey Cobb, Hans Crouse, Jesus Cruz, Jaydenn Estanista, Cristian Hernandez, Estibenzon Jimenez, Nathan Karaffa, Orion Kerkering, Adam Leverett, Zach Linginfelter, Gunner Mayer, Tommy McCollum, Alex McFarlane, Tyler McKay, Jose Pena, Tyler Phillips, Nicoly Pina, Yoniel Ramirez, Alex Rao, Matt Russell, Rodolfo Sanchez, Brett Schulze, Andrew Schultz, Eduar Segovia, Matt Seelinger, Enrique Segura, Noah Skirrow, Cam Wynne & Braden Zarbnisky
Catchers : 9
Jordan Dissin, Herbert Iser, Ryan Leitch, Adony Mejia, Rickardo Perez, Anthony Quirion, Caleb Ricketts, Leonardo Rondon & Gus Sosa
Infielders : 9
Erick Brito, Cameron Cannon, Chad Castillo, Hao-Yu Lee, Casey Martin, Pedro Martinez, Wendell Rijo, Bryan Rincon & Kendall Simmons
Outfielders : 12
Emaarion Boyd, Justin Crawford, Carlos De La Cruz, Cade Fergus, Yhoswar Garcia, Marcus Lee Sang, Leandro Pineda, Baron Radcliff, Gabriel Rincones Jr, Gavin Tonkel, Garrett Whitley & Ethan Wilson
Today’s Minor League Camp activities :
Twenty three pitchers threw afternoon bullpen sessions on the seven mounds area in from of the David Montgomery Training Center while the other pitchers in camp went thru PFP’s ( Pitcher’s Fielding Practices ) on Schmidt Field including separate drills on holding runners and getting acclimated to the pitch clock.
Position players were divided into four groups and each group went thru run prevention defensive drills, base running practice and batting practice - BP included game simulated situational hitting.
Minor League Pitchers who threw bullpens :
Mike Adams, Chase Antle, Erubiel Armenta, Trey Cobb, Hans Crouse, Jesus Cruz, Jakob Hernandez, Nathan Karaffa, Keylan Killgore, Taylor Lehman, Adam Leverett, Ethan Lindow, Brian Marconi, Tyler McKay, Tyler Phillips, Andrew Schultz, Matt Seelinger, Eduar Segovia, Noah Skirrow, Tom Sutera, Spencer Van Scoyoc & Braden Zarbnisky
Minor League Batting Practice :
Standouts to me were catcher Ryan Leitch who showed easy power continually launching drives over the left field fence along with outfielders Marcus Lee Sang who showed left hand hitter power to right field and outfielder Jordan Viars who had a very productive round making solid contact peppering baseballs to multiple fields including a really long one beyond the right field fence.
Ryan Leitch BP
Today’s Major League Pre-Camp Activity :
Big league camp officially opens tomorrow with Pitchers and Catchers however today in pre-camp work we saw the following :
Nine pitchers threw bullpen sessions on the mounds to the side of the Bowa half field : RH Zack Wheeler, LH Ranger Suarez, RH Taijuan Walker, LH Michael Plassmeyer, LH Jose Alvarado, RH Seranthony Dominguez, RH Craig Kimbrel, RH Andrew Baker & RH Billy Sullivan.
It’s only early spring bullpens but from this observers view Jose Alvarado seems locked in - Craig Kimbrel also impressed with velo and location as did Ranger Suarez. Both Zack Wheeler & Taijuan Walker seem on point as well. It was fun to see Billy Sullivan & Andrew Baker throw in front of the big league staff for the first time.
There was infield practice on the half field and batting practice on Ashburn Field.
Center fielder Brandon Marsh, Catchers Garrett Stubbs & Max McDowell along with Infielder Jim Haley joined the big league camp workouts today.
Jose Alvarado & Seranthony Dominguez bullpen action
Top to Bottom ( L to R ) - infield practice , Craig Kimbrel & Andrew Baker bullpen, Billy Sullivan bullpen
Hunger :
Baseball can be a humbling sport to play - at the pro level every practice or game has elite athletes on the field - all were standouts at the amateur level else they wouldn’t have been afforded the chance to play for pay. Often the separating factor is the hunger/desire to succeed. The grind of the minor leagues is one with little fanfare or notoriety, it’s a primary reason I correspond about the minor league practices and games I observe - to highlight and share the growth and accomplishments of the developing players. It’s not always talent that diminishes but also desire - when the hard work stops we’ve seen accomplishments waver. It’s indeed a humbling sport to play and without heart, soul, focus and effort all on full tilt the game will beat ya - it’s why I’m so very proud for those who do succeed and get to the show - they have truly earned it. It’s all part of it.
Reading Stadium News :
Via a press release issued by the Reading Fightins today was a milestone in stadium renovations as the topping out of the new Event Center took place with the highest steel beam being laid in place.
The press release went on to state the following :
“While the construction of the Event Center building will not be fully complete until the 2024 season, there remains a lot of exciting upgrades for the 2023 season. Fans can look forward to a new home run wall, ranging from right field to left center field, underneath the video board. Additionally, new LED field lights will be installed for the upcoming season. The new field lights will offer a lot of new and exciting features, including brighter illumination, and flashing lights for home runs, wins and other exciting moments. Installation of the new field lights has begun at the stadium as well, and is on schedule to be completed in time for R-Phils Opening Night in April.
When the Event Center is complete in 2024, it will showcase brand new locker rooms for both teams which will keep the R-Phils up-to-date with the latest Minor League protocols issued by Major League Baseball. In addition to new locker rooms, the new building will feature batting cages, female locker rooms, weight rooms and much more to enhance the player experience.
The new Event Center will also include many exciting elements for R-Phils’ fans to enjoy, starting in 2024. Most significantly, the Event Center will feature a second-floor event space, allowing for groups as large as 550 people to enjoy amazing views of the playing field at America’s Classic Ballpark, both during R-Phils games, and when the team is on the road. The Event Center space will allow for community indoor events such as banquets, weddings, and other large gatherings on both non-game days, and during R-Phils games. More details about the Event Center will be released at the beginning of April.”
Good stuff 🤓
Back at em tomorrow - Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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