Not much going on at Bowa Field this morning, a few of the infielders were out at around 9:30 working on “soft hands” drills with the paddle glove and smaller mitts. We saw Alec Bohm ( he’s always out there for every drill 👏 ), Nick Maton, Ronald Torreyes and Rhys Hoskins. Rhys also was working on his scoops at first base for low throws.
After a brief break a larger group of infielders worked on situational plays on Ashburn Field. I’m pretty sure that Hoskins and Brad Miller were at 1B, Jean Segura and Scotty Kingery at 2B, Nick Maton and Ronald Torreyes at SS and Alec Bohm at 3B. The catchers were Edgar Cabral and Rafael Marchan. While those drills were going on Andrew Knapp, Rodolfo Duran and Jeff Mathis took BP on Carlton Field.
I left the Complex at around 11 or so to head home ... with only port a potties available wasn’t an option to stay 😥. The life of a fan isolated to the parking lot 🤪.
Learned that live BP sessions were held today on the stadium field.
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Here are some notes from today’s Zoom call with Joe GIrardi and Spencer Howard
Joe GIrardi :
RHP Ivan Nova will start the first Grapefruit League game vs Detroit in Lakeland. It hasn’t been determined yet whether the game will be seven or nine innings.
Said Howard has looked really good this spring and he seems stronger , the goal with Howard this spring is to build up his innings
Zach Eflin and Bailey Falter impressed today in live bullpen sessions ... keep an eye out for Bailey ... I’m telling ya he can pitch in the show 😎
the planning is on an eight man bullpen ... Hector Neris and Archie Bradley are locks ... Jose Alvarado, if he’s able to stay healthy is a very a strong candidate ... some guys competing for starting rolls could end up in bullpen
It shouldn’t be assumed that if Spencer Howard doesn’t make the startling rotation that he would be sent to AAA. They would also consider him out of the bullpen if he has a strong spring
he’s eager to see how the center field competition shakes out .. will be interesting to see who steps up this spring
Spencer Howard :
Feels strong, knows it’s early but feels really good both mentally and physically right now
the gap in time between spring and when the season restarted with summer camp had a negative effect on him both mentally and physically. Will use that as a learning edge going forward to stay sharp.
having fans return to the stands would be huge ... feeds off the energy. Also hoping that his family can get to a few games.
said shoulder issues last year were mostly rotator cuff inflammation. His off-season routine focused on incorporating his body more, especially the hips. In 2019 the shoulder issue was more acute, didn’t have similar sharp pains last season. He’s confident that with the therapy he did this off-season that the shoulder issues are behind him. So far in his bullpens he’s letting the ball go very well ( I can attest to that ... saw him yesterday 🤓) and feels the velocity is back to where it should be albeit he’s not checked the speed read outs himself.
In regards to the competition in camp he’s confident in his abilities and if he can remain healthy then things will take care of themself.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️