Spring 2017 – Week 3

The third week is in the books, and the fourth and final week of spring training starts tomorrow.

Week 3 was a wild one for me, in the literal and figurative sense.  I made two game appearances this week compiling a two inning appearance on Monday and a one inning appearance on Thursday.

My Monday appearance was not well received at all.  Unless you were a hitter on the opposing team then I’m sure you did not mind me being on the mound at all. The phrase that has become a code phrase for me is calling my outing as “unhittable”.  In my two innings of work I was unhittable, partly because the hitters were guessing so much if the pitch was going to be over the plate or be a foot outside.  The good news is that my second inning of the outing went much better and guys were putting balls in play and getting themselves out.  I look for the positive from Monday and think how the other team knew what was coming, knew that a fastball was going to be thrown, and still struggled to make good contact on the ball and have poor at bats.  The coaches were supportive, telling me to flush it and just go out next time and forget about Monday.  The other players that I roll with just let it happen, nobody wants to ask what was going on, especially now were nobody will feel sorry for you if you have a poor outing.  The way it has worked around here so far is that however many innings you throw that day you usually get that amount of days for rest.  This meant that my next appearance, hopefully, was going to be Thursday with a chance to redeem myself in my own eyes and the eyes of the coaching staff.

The days in between my outings were long, mainly because I was sweating it out wondering what I had done wrong on Monday, and how I was going to remedy the situation as quickly as possible.  From what I gathered with myself, as well as talking with my plethora of throwing partners, there was a small mechanical adjustment I was lacking during the first inning of my poor appearance. After working on that the next two days in catch play I was scheduled to pitch against the Orioles for the first time with 1 inning appearance.  One tip of advice that we talked about in one of the meeting and one of the veteran players in minor league camp told me is that nobody suffers alone.  He was reminded me that we have all been there and it is normal to want to get down, but since we have a large group of guys there is always someone who wants to help you out.  It can be hard in the minors with helping other guys out, but when your friendship is more important that who gets the next call up I think that both players will enjoy more success on the field.  That morning there was a forecast of rain, and the Orioles cancelled on us which meant that we were going to have an exhibition game.

This time around I felt 100% better than Monday.  If there was an exponent big enough to describe the turnaround then I would go with that.  It definitely felt nice to get back on the mound and throw in front of the brass that attends the home games. I try not to make each individual outing more important that another, and keeping the even keel is always nice in baseball, but I thought I needed this outing.  I needed something to show I’m not dead yet, and that I have strong final week coming before the coaches make a decisions on the season.  Besides those two appearances in the game I thought I would be ready for another appearance on Saturday, but instead I was watching the games and preparing myself for the final push.  Today was a front toss for me which is basically a practice bullpen without being a bullpen.  The catcher moves in front of the plate and the pitcher creates a good angle while working off the mound.  It is not a lob and it is not a full speed pitch but it is something that starters do between outings to make sure they are getting of the mound enough between starts.

The coaches making decisions on the season is out of my control.  At this point the stuff in my control is about 1% of the final week and the other 99% of the control is with the coaching staff deciding who goes where.  The first mini cut was this week, and now with the last week here there will be another one before camp is over.  The extended life isn’t a terrible one but I would like this year to be my year that I play from April to September.  The schedule from March 3, the first day of spring, until camp breaking on April 2nd, has been the same.  The good news about the same schedule the whole way is that you know what to expect and can get yourself into a good routine each day.  My roommate and I have a similar routine at the field and even better is having the same routine off the field.  From the time we get back from the time we go to bed we are sitting in the dark recovering ourselves for the next day.  Taking advantage of this downtime now is going to be critical when the season rolls around and the days + bus rides become longer.  I was in bed last night at 9:00 pm and if this was during the season, it would only be the 7th inning or so  The schedule shift will change when the season arrives, and that is part of the fun.  I think this week will tell a lot about what the staff is thinking, and the final picture of teams going into the season will emerge near the end of the week.

Jersey Patch

For those who know me, you know that I enjoy reading books in my downtime.  When I was at the store this week I was browsing the sport section and was surprised there was still a book about the prospectus going into the 2017 season.  I thought most of that information was posted online now and there wasn’t a market for a physical copy of baseball prospectus.  The curious cat that I am wanted to flip through and see what some of the reports were on guys who I had now gotten to know over the last six weeks.  Talk about negative reviews.  I’ve noticed in my research of this prospectus book the scouting reports are overwhelmingly negative.  It would be nice if the positive strides or positive parts of the season were highlighted and celebrated more than the negatives.  The good news for me is that I am low enough on the prospectus totem pole that I am not featured in any books about scouting.  One thing that I’ve noticed talking to guys in the locker room is that we can all agree there is enough negative chatter outside the locker room.  Each player has different goals, expectations, and a history of baseball that the added negative chatter will only hurt.  The nature of the game is being competitive with the guys in your locker room because ultimately they are your competition getting into the majors.  The competitive nature of the business would lead some people to think that players don’t form close bonds or that everyone only looks out for themselves which I think is as far away from the truth as you can get.  When I think about making it to the major leagues I don’t think about doing it because someone is doing bad so I get a chance, but think that I am doing so well that a team has no choice but to find a spot for me.

Speaking of major leagues and finding spots, during the games this week the minor leaguers were fortunate enough to get to see some big league pitchers throw in our games.  We had seen Porcello before, and this time around it was bullpen guys like Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly.  Both of these guys are velocity pitchers, as most bullpen arms in the MLB are now.  It was nice to see them warm up and go through their routines that have given them success throughout their careers.  I know Kelly is making the transition from starting pitcher to reliever and as I know first hand making a big transition can take time. The best part of watching them warm up is seeing their pitches first hand.  It gives me confidence in my pitches because you see their pitch and I think okay so that is what the killer curveball looks like, I can do that.  If I can’t do it today, I know what it needs to look like eventually to have success at the big league level.

The final countdown is upon us.  The personalities of each guy are starting to emerge now that I have been around them for a month plus. Learning what each guy enjoys on the field, how he approaches his day, and also what each guy likes to do off the field.  I talked with another older veteran guy who has big league experience and when I asked if I annoy him when I ask him whats up he said no.  He is in the camp of well I don’t know who I will be playing with this season I am keeping my head down and not talking to many people.  That is a strategy I have heard before from guys hat are new to an organization but I try to be as open as possible with the new guys.   My next two to three outings are going to be my final impression on the decision makers.  Here is to a good week of baseball and controlling the controllable.  I am not the only guy sweating it out wondering what their future is going to be like after this next week, and this is the time of year where every baseball playing is feeling the same nerves.  This next week is a culmination of the past two months as well as the rest of my wild off-season.  Nobody cares how hard you work, just that you get results on the field, and this week will be the last chance for that impression.

After this week the intensity of baseball goes up one more notch from the back fields in Fort Myers.

Spring Training 2017 – Week 2

I have now been in Fort Myers for a month.  One month has felt like it has flown by, especially now that each day ends in the afternoon rather than the morning mini camp days that were the standard.

Spring is in full swing and four games are in the books.  I originally started in the Portland group, and after a few MLB campers were sent down to Pawtucket, I was shifted down in camp. For those of you who have been with me through spring before you know that the groups can change on a daily basis.  Also, if you are in one group it does not mean you will pitch for that group but can be shifted anywhere to any team that needs a guy that day. My current group is the Salem group, which is nice because most of the guys I hang with off the field are in this group.

The schedule for the early part of the week was the same as mini camp.  Position guys strolled in, the days were still done by lunch, and everyone was getting used to being in spring.  At the end of last week and the start of this week everyone had played and pitched in a scrimmage to prepare for the games against other clubs.  Up to this point it seemed as whole we were left in the dark about the game schedule.  Then wouldn’t you know it the entire game schedule was posted.  The first thing most pitchers do is look to see when they are pitching, then try to plan the rest of the month based on their first game against another club.  My first game was Wednesday, and then another game on Friday.  It looks like I am on the every other day schedule up to this point.  It could change, but right now it is going well and I enjoy being on the mound rather than watching the games from the stands. There still isn’t much communication the days leading up to an appearance, and now are the games where they can play out each inning compared to a season when it is all hands on deck each game for a call to the bullpen.

The part of spring training that is winding down is the meetings.  The current schedule for a day is usually arrive at the field at 7:00. When I walk in I check the board for the daily schedule, see what is expected of me for the day, and then go change.  After breakfast, there is a meeting of some sort.  These meetings can be about anything.  Tomorrow morning we have a group mental skills meeting, and we have also covered finances, securities, drug free information, supplement info, psychology etc.  The meetings are slowing down and now it is baseball all day everyday.

One of the main things of spring is to be where you are supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there.  A simple task, but the attention to detail in each part of the day is what the coaches are looking for.  I thought this picture was funny because for some reason, whenever I am focusing or competing it seems my tongue is always out.  Even as a twelve year old I have my tongue out fielding the ball or during an at bat.  Now I have photo evidence as a 25 year old who still pokes his tongue out during competition.  It is similar to watching a big league hitter who can blow a bubble with his gum while hitting a home run. Also, it looks nice and aligned on mobile but for some reason on the computer it is big and out of the paragraphs.  I’ll work on that.

Tongue Out

With four games in the book, I have pitched in two of them, and watched two of them.  The games have been going well for the Red Sox, and most of the games we have come out ahead.  The worst part of me is knowing I am going to pitch, then having to wait around all day knowing that my inning is coming up.  I don’t think it is reasonable to stay locked in the entire game from pitch 1 of the game until the time that I am supposed to pitch.  I have noticed it with other relievers too when I am watching the home games from the stands.  They are like me, pacing around, not wanting to sit around, staying ready for the game and wanting to make sure they are 100% ready to go.  Each pitcher here is competing for a job come April.  When it is about the fourth or fifth inning I will start stretching out and paying more attention to what the hitters are doing for my mental checklist on the mound.  When I was with Atlanta and Colorado we played a wide variety of teams in spring.  Usually four to five different teams over two weeks which meant you might see the same team twice if you are a reliever but perhaps three times depending on how much you pitch.  Here with Boston we play the Rays, Orioles, and Twins.  The same three teams each time, and as a relief guy looking at our schedule it wouldn’t be weird for me to pitch against one team the entire week.  It takes me back to my USPBL days.

I have been doing my best to be a good teammate and represent myself well to the coaches.  Being my third spring training and third team adds some added expectation in my eyes, but I have been doing what the coaches have asked of me. This morning two of the big league pitchers came down to talk to us about how the journey through the minor leagues.  One was a first round pick while the other was a free agent sign like myself.  They talked about their different paths to the big leagues and about how at this time last year they were in our shoes listening to other big league guys talk about their journey.  The usual comments were made about working hard, being a good teammate, and generally sticking to the plan if their is a setback.  They had their own expectations, different based on their draft position, but the ultimate goal for each player is always the same. To help the major league team win a World Series.  There are no shortcuts to reaching the league, and the only thing harder than making it to the major leagues is staying there. One part I liked is that they mentioned how the coaches that we have now were once their coaches.  They care bout each guy, and while it is easy to say that, in my time here so far I feel welcomed.  one of the meetings we had was about building healthy relationships.  Having the people in your corner who are going to support you when the rest of the world is bringing you down. For me coming into a new organization it is extra important for me to form good relationships with the coaches, staff, and fellow players here if I want to succeed.  One thing I will never be known as is a bad teammate or someone who thinks they are better than the game.

There are two weeks left in spring.  That means there are 12 games to be played.  Orioles, Rays, Twins.  With my current schedule of pitching it seems I will be appearing in a large amount of them.  It can change though as starters will be extending their outings, and those days where two starters are throwing on the same day there will be fewer relief outings. I can control my attitude and my effort each day at the ballpark, and whenever the decisions come to placing guys, moving guys, pitching guys, all of that is decided by someone else. It is important to stay healthy in spring, as a small injury can make you miss out on your opportunity.  Especially now as there are a few different sickness spreading throughout the locker room including pink eye and a stomach virus.  Those things tend to happen when you are jam packed in a minor league clubhouse, but that is where the importance of shower shoes come in.

I’ll end on saying that I had a nice conversation with a draft pick from last year.  I was asking him how his spring has been going and what does he think about it now they he is on the inside.  One of his comments was about how he thought it would be nice if the coaches told us where we were going at the beginning of the spring so we wouldn’t worry about it and could go out and pitch.  Well, ideally yes that would be awesome, but that would also defeat much of the purpose of spring training.  Also, as we know through our spring training, that is not how baseball guys operate.  The planing and organizing is all behind the scenes, which is good for me because it is out of each players control anyways.

Here is to another week of spring training, and more updates to come about what is transpiring on the backfields of Red Sox camp 2017.

Spring Forward

The first week of spring is in the books.

This week was the first official week of 2017 spring training.  All the players are now in camp, the position players that were last to report are here, and the full swing of spring training is upon us.  One day we had 32 bullpens.  All hands on deck, catchers are working their butts off for the pitchers and when you have 12 bullpens all firing at once it can get interesting.

The schedule for spring training is the same as the mini camp, but now we are broken down into fields with bigger groups.  The days will start to get longer when the afternoon games start at 1:00.  I have not been told yet when the games will start, but from what I have heard it appears Wednesday might be the first game against other competition.  The first scrimmage game was yesterday, only a three inning affair, but it was my first inning of the spring.

Hallway History Lesson

I was nervous and happy that I was tabbed to throw the first scrimmage of the year.  I’m sure it was all part of a rotation with the staff and that I was not directly chosen, but nonetheless I was looking forward to facing hitters again. The goal was to make a good initial game impression, and build off that as I go forward. When the dust settled at the end of the inning I had my first three outs, and nobody scored.  That is the positive for me, and that I was mainly in the strike zone with my fastball.  As far as I know the first step in spring is to establish fastball command and then work on the feel of breaking pitches.  I am not a guy like Cole Hamels who can go out and say they are working on pitches while having a tough outing. The sense of urgency is higher for me with a new club and new season to look forward to. Velocity and effort wise I felt good, but I can always improve going forward.  I have to remind myself it was March 10th, and that most guys are just now reaching 100% effort on the mound.

Spring training comes with a lot of meetings and this year is no different.  For instance, tonight the clock will spring forward, and tomorrow morning at 7:00 am there is a meeting.   As well as a meeting tomorrow afternoon at 12:45 that will last for who knows how long.  One meeting that has stood out to me so far is a quick mental skills group session that we had yesterday afternoon.  There were a few key points talked about within the meeting, and I do my best to latch onto the mental side of the game.  We talked about knowing your why, what makes a good teammate, and controlling the controllable. In baseball, and life in general, so much is out of our direct control and sphere of influence.  The coaching staff reminds us everyday how little control we have, and to go out and play with that in mind.  We can’t change the weather, the umpires, the fans, anything of that nature, but we can control how we approach the field.  Another example knowing the why that we talked about in the meeting was when Mike Tyson was knocked out by Buster Douglas. The story goes that Douglas’s mother was sick and passed away before his fight with Tyson.  Before the fight she was adamant that her son was going to win and knock out Tyson, and was not afraid to let everyone know how she felt.  After the fight and Douglas won, he said that he knew the why of the fight, and that his mom would not be known as a liar.  There are many whys and reasons guys continue to play the game today, and everyone has a different why.

Official Business

The last point we talked about in the meeting was learning from failure.  The topic was brought up because most of the guys in the room at some point have been the best player on their team.  In high school, college, summer ball, they were the top dog.  Now when you reach the minors everyone was the top dog on their team, and not all of them have faced adversity in their career.  Lucky me I have experienced a decent amount of failure the past few years that has helped me in my approach to spring training this year.

I’m not sure what the plan going forward or when my next appearance is scheduled.  I look to build on what I did and work in more sliders as per the coaching staffs request.  I’m doing my best to keep an open mind to suggestions from the coaching staff and my throwing partners who can give me feedback daily.  The coaches have your best interest in mind, but it is also my career.  I can get caught up in trying to do too much of what every coach is saying rather than doing what is natural for my delivery and mechanics. It is crazy to think it is already the middle of March and baseball season is in full swing.  I will check in at the end of next week again with a full update, if not sooner depending on what transpires this week.  The schedule stays the same until games start at 1:00 pm at some point next week against other teams.

 

 

Spring Day 1

I have navigated my way through my first appearances in Fort Myers.  I am glad that I came to camp early and got to know some guys rather than show up today which is the normal reporting day for spring training. The early testing, the extra bullpens, the extra running, the extra defense work, all of it.

Mini camp, winter camp, whatever the correct term is now officially over and the remaining members of camp have descended onto Fort Myers. My first impression period, as well as being able to stand out of the crowd may be over.  The number of guys in camp as nearly doubled, and now that I was in camp I like to think I am in the forefront of the coaches minds. The training room, weight room, locker rooms, and cafeteria have been swarmed with the arrival of new pitchers.  The locker rooms have gone from the hangout spot to being a little crowded with guys to your left and right. I made the correct guess today and brought my headphones for the after breakfast and before stretch time begins.  I usually do not even have music running in my headphones, but they act as a barrier to most sound, as well as telling people that I am listening to something, which means I am not open for a lengthy discussion.

Today was the first day of camp for all the pitchers and catchers.  Everyone here is now vying for a spot on a team, with training running everyday until April. The schedule for these days will be similar to the mini camp.  Today was stretch, throw, defense, run, shag.  The pitcher life.  The only extra training today was my 300 yd shuttles that I failed my second day in camp.  The 300 yd shuttles are 50 yd increments, and required time is :55 seconds.  Run the first, three minute break, run the second, three minute break, run the third.  My first attempt about two weeks ago I came in at :55, :55, :57.  For someone who did not know there was a test I thought it went well, but was ashamed I couldn’t shave off two seconds on my final lap.  This time around I went :55 all three times, and was the pace car of my group.  Those last 50 yards creep up on you and the final stretch was intense.  There was some kind of banquet or gathering  near the big league clubhouse where we were running.  The spectators were trying to enjoy their lunch and instead witnessed me planting myself into the ground after running, giving the people what they want.  I was not the only one running today, all the new pitchers in some capacity ran them today or will run them in the next few days.

What I felt like

After taking down the 300s I can focus on doing normal conditioning, and getting my body right for the games that will start at some point.  From what I have heard in the rumor mill the exhibitions will start this weekend, and then next week we will beginning playing games against other clubs.  The entirety of position players have not arrived yet – and therefore we are mainly a group of pitchers, catchers, and about 20 position guys.  When the whole organization arrives then the days will start to get longer, and now is the time to take advantage of the days when you are done by lunch.

I have had a few different run ins with various people throughout the mini camp and now spring.  To walk to the back fields the players have to go through a gate and a longer walkway, and when the big league club is at home there are usually people lurking around watching the minor league guys practice.  Today there was a large crowd and when I walked through I said hey you guys looking for me?  I was met with a resounding no.  It was a funny moment, and now those people are probably wondering why a no name even said whats up.  When I first arrived here on February 19, I went to go through off a mound that is at a public park.  I felt like I needed some work that I did not get done at the field that day, but when I rolled in I saw that the field was occupied with a high school game.  I had my bucket of balls, had my glove, and thought well here goes nothing maybe someone wants to have a catch.  I asked the dads in the stands if any of them would like to have a toss, and when the dust settled my man Vincent, a 7th grader, was volunteered to play.  We went to a neighboring football field, and worked through some of the difficulty I was having.

I later on emailed the coach saying thanks and I appreciated one of their fans stepping up.  Fast forward to today, I am walking out through the aforementioned gate and saw a familiar logo on a hat. The head coach was there to watch the big league club, but had come early to say whats up.  The head coach and his friends wished me luck and told me that they had a game on Friday if I was around and wanted to say hello to my guy Vincent again.

 

Now that it is March and spring training is officially underway the hotel life has claimed me.  The next month of living in the hotel is what most of the guys are doing.  The club covers the expense, and then meal money for dinner.  The good parts of the hotel life are a stable place to live as well being an overall decent accomodation.  The cons are now most of us will never be able to relax alone.  I know I am more of a sit and do nothing person, but it is always different when you’re sitting and doing nothing in the same room as someone else.  The amount of downtime that was have after each day of training will go down when games start, but for now it is lurker city in our room.  Lights off, air condition pumping, and either Netflix, flipping channels, or any activity that doesn’t require any movement. I like to consider myself a professional lurker, but this is where my abilities get put to the test.

I have been enjoying my time in Fort Myers so far, it is hot and humid some days, or a day like today where there are 25 mph winds. The combined staff of trainers, coaches, and clubbies has been welcoming in the few weeks I have been here.  The only variable left is me pitching well enough to make a club.  Based on my one live batting practice, and my bullpens so far, there is a plan for me in the organization.  I know what they want to see, and where they want me to be.  I’m feeling strong and in a good spot on the mound right now, and looking forward to navigating my third spring training.  I’m sure when the position guys get here I will be placed into one of four groups, as is tradition in spring.  The good news for me is that it does not matter where you start, or who you are pitching against as long as you are getting people out more times than you aren’t.  When games start that is when guys start to separate themselves, and that is the plan for me. Make them put you on a team.

One of the resounding messages I hear each day is to have some fun. I have yet to allow myself to have fun over the last few years. I’ve been looking too far ahead, too far into the past, and generally distracting myself from good old fashion fun. Going in whole heart and leaving it all on the field.