What’s your image of batting practice? One guy hitting while a lot of guys stand around talking in the outfield — right? Not if it’s done correctly. The Royals have their outfielders play the ball just as they would in a game and keep the pitchers on the warning track, out of the way. (Apparently, the Royals are one of the few teams that do it this way.) Doug Sisson told me no matter what you do with a fungo, it just can’t duplicate a ball off a hitter’s bat.
Each Royals outfielder is required to play the ball live off the bat for at least one hitting group — three to four players — and that adds up to about 15 minutes. (Try sprinting around full-speed, chasing baseballs, for 15 minutes and you’ll find out how tiring it can be.)
Alex Gordon does three hitting groups for 45 minutes. I guess you win Gold Gloves the same way you get to Carnegie Hall — practice, practice, practice. So next time you get to see the Royals take batting practice, watch the outfielders. You might figure out how Alex Gordon won a Gold Glove.
And he’s not the only one
Mitch Maier also does three hitting groups, but does 15 minutes in each field. When people say Mitch can play all three fields, now you know what they mean. Mitch has actually practiced in all three fields. Sisson called Maier “the most prepared extra outfielder in baseball.”
More on spring training stats
Baseball is like an onion — it’ll make you cry. (Wait, wrong onion simile…let’s start over.) Baseball is like an onion — there are a lot of layers. And here’s another layer to the “what do spring training stats really mean?” onion: those stats mean more if you’re trying to make the club, less if you’re an established veteran. In other words, Bruce Chen has more statistical leeway than Blake Wood.
And here’s another layer: spring training stats matter less early on, more in the last week. Even the established veterans need to start pulling it together now — real competition is just around the corner. Earlier, Chris Getz said the pitchers were working on their pitches, not pitching to a hitter’s weakness — but as the days dwindle, that changes. Yesterday, Bruce Chen added his over-the-top-arm-angle fastball to his mix of pitches because he said he was tired of pitching the way he had been and it was time to show he’s ready to lead his teammates into battle. Add that fastball and suddenly Chen looks like a different pitcher.
Now make it even more complicated: stats mean more early in a game, less in later innings. When all the starters are playing, it’s a major-leaguer against major-leaguer. Later in the game, after starters begin to come out, it might be major-leaguer against minor-leaguer. So spring stats change meaning as spring training progresses. The major-leaguers might play two or three innings early on, seven innings toward the end.
None of this is simple — there is more to this game than the numbers. Understanding what’s behind the numbers can be complicated. Ask one question and it leads to three others. And I was right the first time — baseball will make you cry.
Chen and Holland
I asked Bruce about his process for getting ready and he said the first time he pitched, it was only for two innings. Chen just worked on keeping the ball down and building arm strength. With each outing, Bruce did a little more. Chen said he was preparing to pitch 200+ innings this summer, and that requires a slow buildup. He wants to reach top form on opening day, not before. Bruce also said if he wasn’t secure in his standing, if he was trying to make the team, he’d start the process sooner. Guys trying to make the team have to be ready right away. They can’t afford too many bad spring training outings.
I slid a couple lockers to my right and asked Greg Holland the same thing; what was his process for getting ready? And is it different for a reliever?
Holland said last year he mainly worked on fastball command and was mostly a two-pitch pitcher (fastball/slider). This season, more secure in his status, he worked more on his off-speed pitches. Greg wants to be able to throw them for strikes early in the count. This spring, if Holland got two quick outs, he sometimes went to his off-speed stuff, just to make sure he got a chance to throw it in a game. Last season, Greg might not have done that.
They might get ready in slightly different ways, but both Holland and Chen agreed: if you’re trying to make the club, you start earlier and come in with your best stuff on the first day. If you’re pretty sure you’ve made the club, you can start later and try to peak around opening day.
So when you look at those spring training stats, keep some of this in mind. It’ll keep you from freaking out over a Bruce Chen 15.00 ERA. If Bruce still has an ERA of 15.00 come May, be my guest, go ahead and freak out.
A very cool experience
Tuesday night the Royals had four games going at once on their backfields. Seen from above, the fields form a cloverleaf; all the backstops are in the middle. It was quite a scene: Triple A, Double A, High and Low A all playing at the same time. The bullpen between the fields allowed eight pitchers to warm up at the same time. Hundreds of fans, ballplayers and team officials wandered between the four fields.
A sprinkling of big-leaguers — there to get some work in — added to the atmosphere. Texas Rangers reliever Joe Nathan walked by. Neftali Feliz was also scheduled to pitch. Danny Duffy was taking on Colby Lewis in the Triple A game. I stood behind the backstop and watched Duffy take his final warm-up throws and a golf cart pulled up next to me; Greg Maddux was behind the wheel.
We watched Jarrod Dyson take an at-bat in the Triple A game. Someone yelled that Wil Myers was coming to the plate in the Double A game, so we walked a few feet and saw that. We walked a few more feet back to the Triple A game and Johnny Giavotella was at the plate. Look over here and you see Christian Colon, look the other direction and there’s Clint Robinson.
If you ever get the chance to do this…do this. Visit a spring training complex when all the minor-league teams are playing. It was like being at a high school baseball tournament — with the best high school players in the world. Being that close to pitches delivered by a professional will give you a new appreciation of how difficult hitting is.
We’d already been to Maryvale to watch the Royals beat the Brewers that day. I was hungry, cold and not that keen on swinging by the Royals complex to see the Duffy outing, but I’ve got to say it was one of the coolest baseball experiences I’ve ever had.
Chuck Smith
1 year, 1 month agoGreg Maddux…If I wasn’t jealous before.
Lee Judge
1 year, 1 month agoChuck: Yeah, it was pretty incredible. His brother Mike showed up not long after. It was a bit unusual because so many major leaguers were there to get playing time, but that kind of scene goes on all the time on those back fields and fans just don’t know about it.
There’s no ticket to buy; you just walk up, stand behind the backstop and find yourself watching the game with John Wathan.
Everywhere you looked there was some former big leaguer in street clothes. That’s why I wrote about it. I thought, “If fans knew this was going on, they’d freak.”
Dave Beal
1 year, 1 month agoThat sounds like the ultimate baseball experience! During tonight game they said the HR Butler hit was the first ever to completely leave the stadium, looks like it cleared THREE fences on the video. This might be counter-intuitive, but I’m worried about Cain. If he starts thinking he’s a HR hitter he’s just going to hit a lot of fly balls at the K. He already has a long awing, so I hope they can reign him in a little.
Larry Tindle
1 year, 1 month agoDave: Heard last night on one of the programs that they are aware of that situation with Cain and already are schooling him. After his first home run in spring training they notice him swinging for the fence all the time and reeled him back in and told him they wanted him to focus on hard up the middle. Well last night was about as hard up the middle as you can hit it.
Lee: what you are telling people about spring training was a real eye opener for me the first time I went. I was watching a minor league game throught the backstop and someone started to talk with me. I turned around and it was John Mayberry. We then walked to another field together talking baseball. It was great. Have had a couple of conversations with Willie Wilson while setting on the bleachers watching practice.
To everyone out there who has not been to Spring Training, I highly suggest you figure out a way to do it at least once. Put it on your bucket list.
Lee Judge
1 year, 1 month agoDave: Larry’s right, before last night’s game I watched Kevin Seitzer work with Cain (and others). “Don’t try to do to much” and “up the middle” was the message.
Hitters have to “let” things happen (like home runs). If they try to “make” things happen it usually goes wrong.
I’ve learned to leave new players alone for a while when they first arrive. They’ve just moved and have a whole bunch of new faces thrown at them in a short amount of time.
I’ve just started talking to Cain. We walked into the complex at the same time yesterday and I said, “I’d ask how you’re doing, but I know. What’s the plan; don’t change a thing?”
He grinned and replied “Just ride it out.”
Seitzer doesn’t miss much. If Lorenzo changes his swing, Kevin will notice.
Lee Judge
1 year, 1 month agoLarry: You’re right—spring training is something every fan should try to do. I got a little lucky the other night; there were a lot of big leaguers getting in time and that meant there were a lot of ex-big leaguers there to watch.
But neat stuff still happens out there every day.
Brian Robinson
1 year, 1 month agoI watched the replay of yesterday’s game and was amazed at the home run by Billy Butler. He absolutely crushed that ball. I was watching a Texas Rangers broadcast and the announcers were mentioning how Butler joined a very exclusive club with his 50+ doubles and 20+ homers before the age of 24 (2009 season). The other members are: Hank Greenberg, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera. Not bad company. The funny part was before they listed the names one of them offered subtle criticism on how Butler hasn’t turned the deep doubles into home runs. What do you think happened next … Butler crushed the Derek Holland deep into the left field night.
On a different note it was jekyll&hydeish to watch Luke Hochevar throw darts the first inning to throwing a whiffle ball the rest of the way. It looked like he totally lost his control.
Did you catch anything on why the stark contrast between one inning to the next?
Thanks again for the daily updates.
Brian Courington
1 year, 1 month agoWhat is the best time to go to spring training? I was there for the first time this year in the middle of March and would definitely like to go back next year. Would be great to be there the whole time but not economically possible.
Ed Johnson
1 year, 1 month agoLet me guess an answer to Brian’s question. It sounds like he got the first 5 batters out before he walked one….He started pitching from the stretch and things went south. Am I right?
Ed Johnson
1 year, 1 month agoHow do you go to previous posts? Thanks. Great stuff as usual.
Antonio Cutolo-Ring
1 year, 1 month agoEd,
Right above the comments section is a link to the previous day’s post. You can keep working your way back to each previous day that way.
Lee Judge
1 year, 1 month agoCouple things about Billy’s home run: I’m writing later today about how the Royals’ base running helped make that happen, and in Kauffman Stadium, keeping the ball low and hitting doubles isn’t the worst plan in the world.
As for Hochevar: he came out wanting to establish his fastball and threw lights out. Then he stuck with it too long and got lit up. Then, at some point in the process, pitching coach, Dave Eiland went to the mound.
After that, Hochevar started mixing in his off-speed and was back on track.
I’ve asked if Hoch has problems from the stretch and been told it’s more a case of him getting too amped up in the face of a challenge. I’ve also been told he’s doing a better job of recognizing when that’s happening and getting himself back under control.
But that’s just one point of view. Other secnarios are possible.
If you’re planning a visit to spring training, I’d say later if you want to see games, earlier if you want access to the big league players. Before games start, they’ll be working on the back field and you can walk right up to them—but be aware they’re on a schedule and have places to be.