Smiles continued all around as practice took place today at Carpenter Complex. Infield drills were held on Carlton Field for the first time this year. One handed glove “look it in” drills at all four positions followed by standard infield and then hard one hoppers. A new technique using rubber baseballs for high chops and side to side roller agility drills concluded the workout. From our view Alexeis Azuaje stood out playing the third base position, he’s got very good hands, agility and footwork. Kendall Simmons excelled in particular in the side to side drills from our vantage point.
Pitchers then took the field for PFP’s. Batting practice followed on Ashburn and Roberts fields. Bryson Stott had a good round on Ashburn as did Azuaje, Jamari Baylor turned on a couple and sent em over the left field wall. Jordan Viars was very impressive on Roberts, he’s got that “sweet lefty swing” and generates both bat speed and power. He drove one over the center field wall that appeared to end up behind the bridge crossover on the Ream Wilson Trail - that’s a shot ! Jordan is just 18 years of age.
Practice concluded with bullpen sessions on the seven mounds. We saw lefty Erubiel Armenta and righty Blake Brown throw, two big arm relievers who should be part of the Reading bullpen this spring. Gunner Mayer was on the bump after Armenta and while we couldn’t see them from our vantage point ( fences obstruct our view ) I believe that Mick Abel and Andrew Painter also threw today. All five have power arsenals as their repertoire.
All in all a good day. The photo collage below features photos taken by Mark Wylie from Wednesday. It’s reflective of the “smiles all around” theme of the day as it was obvious the ball players were excited to be back on the fields practicing their trade.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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