3/13/22 : Today at the Complex - 9 to 4 😎

My buddy Jim Peyton and I put in a full day of observations today at the complex as we arrived shortly after 9 AM and didn’t leave till the last practice event concluded at 4 PM - a long day of baseball - for love of the game eh 🤓

The Morning :

It was chilly by Florida standards this morning with temps in the low 40’s but didn’t deter some of the fellas from arriving in their usual attire of shorts and t-shirts. Canadian born Ben Pelletier advised that he was used to the cold from where he grew up as he arrived styling golf shorts and a classy button down shirt. Darick Hall said there are cold days in Arizona where he’s from - snow covered mountain areas even around some of the lakes he fishes at. Here in FLA we bust out the winter jackets when it’s below 50 degrees 😃.

We ventured up to the Bowa half field where big league infield coach Bobby Dickerson was holding class specifically with Alec Bohm at third base. Coach Dickerson was offering specific tutoring on footwork and how to deaden the ball on grounders - “killing it” I believe he said although from our perch above the field couldn’t exactly hear. The concept seemed to be getting in the proper position, establishing control of the ball and having momentum to make a proper throw. Various drills with grounders off the bat as well as thrown rollers were used. It was a great tutorial to watch. Rhys Hoskins, Nick Maton, Johan Camargo and Bryson Stott later took part later in infield drills held by both Dickerson and Larry Bowa.

Side bullpens were also thrown adjacent to Bowa Field - we saw lefties Christopher Sanchez, Jose Alvarado and Damon Jones throw. We then ventured into the stadium where we watched a group of hitters taking BP - Adam Haseley, Bryson Stott, Simon Muzziotti and Mickey Moniak were the first group we saw. Johan Camargo and JT Realmuto followed. Moniak drove a few deep over the right field wall.

A walk back to the Complex made for a pleasant surprise as we saw former Phillie Andres Blanco chatting with Daniel Brito. Both are two of my favorite Phillies personalities and we chatted briefly welcoming Daniel back and wishing him well with words of encouragement. Andres told me he’s in a happy place in his life living in the Tampa area with his wife and children. I asked him about possibly coaching and he said that he’s already a coach - teaching his kids. Always liked his energy and enthusiasm to play the game - Daniel is cut out of the same mold.

The Afternoon :

After a quick trip to Wawa for lunch we returned to the complex to watch a five inning scrimmage on Roberts Field. The stands were full with Phillies fans and it’s the first time in a long time I’ve heard group cheers there as fans loudly applauded the fellas when they took the field.

The following pitchers threw an inning each : Jaylen Smith, Carlos Betancourt, Yoan Antonac, Manuel Silva, Ji Tae Lee, Jose Ulloa, Gabriel Yanez, Tyler Adams, Jhordany Mezquita and Andrew Brown. Yanez threw a perfect inning and Brown impressed with his velocity and curve ball - I think he’s geared up to continue the success he was having at Jersey Shore last season before going on the IL. Smith threw the ball well also as he started off the scrimmage.

Edgar Made had a good contest at the plate with a long double and an RBI single. Rixon Wingrove singled and doubled. Carlos De La Cruz stroked a double as did Oscar Gonzalez.

Felix Reyes made the defensive play of the day with a long running catch up against the fence in right to rob extra bases. He’s one we’ve touted for his offensive prowess but today he threw in a web gem 👏.

A slew of live bullpen sessions concluded the day on Ashburn, Carlton and after the scrimmage Roberts fields. We saw a bunch - Josh Hendrickson, Rafael Marcano, Ben Brown, Andrew Baker, Tyler McKay, Victor Vargas, Konnor Ash, Kyle Glogoski, Aidan Anderson, Tyler Carr, Jordan Fowler, Fernando Lozano, Tristan Garnett, Alex Garbrick, Maikel Garrido and Tommy McCollum. McKay continues to stand out in our observations - movement, velo and secondaries seem really tight. Marcano also had a strong session. We only saw glimpses of most as we tried to move from field to field to get around to them all, missed quite a few on Ashburn that we can’t list.

Madison Stokes hit a long home run on Roberts field as he turned on a fastball and drove it deep over the left field fence. Both he and Matt Kroon seemed locked in at the moment. Matt drove a long drive to left center field and made solid contact on other deliveries.

We saw Francisco Morales arrive, another young man I believe has a bright future as a big league hurler.

Back at em tomorrow with big league camp officially opening - more live bullpens for the minor leaguers, another scrimmage on Tuesday and minor league spring training games start on Thursday with 1 PM contests - AAA/AA Jays at Carpenter complex while the Phillies A level group travels to Dunedin to face the Jays counterpart at their complex.

Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️