Spring training thread

[Lefty]

Baseball has arrived so I thought we start a spring traing thread. Here is a story from today's Republic.

Left fielder Luis Gonzalez is scheduled to join the Diamondbacks pitchers and catchers when they report today for the start of spring training. One of the main reasons for his early arrival is the slugger's optimism about what the 2004 season may bring.

He's convinced Arizona be successful even with the loss of starting pitcher Curt Schilling, who was dealt to the Boston Red Sox in the offseason.

''Was there disappointment? No, there was no disappointment," Gonzalez said of Schilling's trade. ''And the reason for that is simple. Curt was going to test the waters as a free agent anyway, and I think our front office had to get something for him in return or risk losing him for virtually nothing.

''We want to win right now. There's a big commitment here from everybody - our GM and our front office - they've shown they want to win."




• Gonzo's arm ready: Gonzalez, who underwent surgery to repair a slight ligament tear in his left elbow, said his off-season conditioning program has allowed him to rebuild strength in the joint and he is ready for full-fledged workouts.




• Second time around: Right-hander Brandon Webb knows National League teams will be gunning for him after his surprise rookie season, but he doesn't buy into the notion that clubs have already figured him out after his 28-start campaign.

''Every team has scouting reports and it probably all equals out," he said, ''but I don't necessarily believe in all that hype that once they've seen you come around the first time, they're dialed into you. You have to contend on a daily basis and it's same way for everyone."


• In the pen: Aside from closer Matt Mantei and set-up men Jose Valverde and Oscar Villarreal, who might even get a shot as a starter, the four to five spots left in the Diamondbacks bullpen are up for grabs among a host of candidates.

''After those three guys, it's going to get very interesting," General Manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said. ''You've got (Casey) Fossum and (Brandon) Lyon, (Stephen) Randolph, (Mike) Koplove, (Shane) Nance. You name it. We've got a lot of options there."

 

[AZSportsGirl17]

i like the idea of a spring training thread. spring training anything sounds good to me right now. its so cool to finally have baseball back. ive been going crazy having to watch the suns lose 8 games in a rowe lol...but yea spring training will be fun and i am going to alot of games this year!

 

[Lefty]

Last year I started a season thread in June and we would talk about each game in the thread. This year I will start it from opening day and will name it "Season thread-the road to the playoffs."

 

[AZZenny]

I thought the whole point was Gonzo did NOT have surgery and just rehabbed extensively - that surgery would have kept him out well into the regular season, and if the rehab doesn't work well enough he'll still consider surgery - we would in that case lose him for the whole season.

 

[Indrid Cold]

Well some teams have already seen Webb twice, and in the case of the Giants he made 4 starts gainst them last season. He pitched against the Phillies twice in the same week, and did the same thing against the Astros. Cincy, LA, and the Giants also saw him pitch against them in back to back starts 5-6 days apart. Looking a the game logs, I don't think Webb will have a problem in his sophomore season. In most cases, his 2nd start of the week against the same team was as good or better than the first one.

There's not many pitchers in MLB who have a 3:1 or better ground ball to flyball ratio like Webb does. It was Derek Lowe at #1, Webb, and then Kevin Brown. With a sinker like he has, there's no reason he can't keep putting up gaudy numbers. And unlike Lowe, Webb also has a healthy strike out ratio. The only thing more that you could want out of him would be to cut down on his walks.

 

[thirty-two]

I am so excited baseball season is almost here!

 

[Lefty]

Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 22, 2004 12:00 AM

TUCSON - It started with just a twinge, then a little soreness, and eventually, full-fledged pain.

Robby Hammock didn't really think it was serious, though. The Diamondbacks catcher has felt strange sensations in his knees before.

He is a catcher, after all.

"I was just training, doing some my usual, off-season workout stuff," Hammock said. "I just remember my left knee started irritating me. I didn't think it was a big deal."

But then he woke up one morning and the knee was swollen two times its normal size. After making the dreaded phone call to management, it was determined that surgery would be required to repair surface fraying and cartilage damage in the bed of his kneecap, just a week before the start of spring workouts.

Doctors say Hammock, slated to be the Diamondbacks' starting catcher, will miss at least the first three weeks of camp. He did some light throwing upon reporting to Tucson Electric Park on Saturday, but it will be two more weeks before he even starts to think about picking up a bat.

"They're saying four weeks when it's all said and done, but it might be even longer than that," said Hammock, 26, who was to consult with head team physician Dr. Michael Lee on Saturday night.

As frustrated as Hammock is about the delay in taking over his newly designated role as everyday catcher, the surgery and rehab might not be such a bad thing, according to manager Bob Brenly.

The 5-foot-10, 187-pound Hammock doesn't need the pounding and daily grind of six weeks of spring training. By all accounts, he is expected to be ready in time for Opening Day.

"In a roundabout way, this could really work to our advantage," Brenly said, "because we were a little concerned with his slight build and what the wear and tear of catching every day was going to do to him. If you took a poll of Cactus League catchers, they'd tell you they don't need six weeks of spring training.

"He worked so hard in the off-season, he's a sharp kid, and he's kept himself in great shape. I think this may add four weeks on to the end of the season by not having him squat down there in the bullpen for the first three weeks of camp."

Until Hammock returns, the primary catching duties will fall to off-season acquisitions Brent Mayne and Bobby Estalella.

 

[schillingfan]

Originally posted by AZZenny
I thought the whole point was Gonzo did NOT have surgery and just rehabbed extensively - that surgery would have kept him out well into the regular season, and if the rehab doesn't work well enough he'll still consider surgery - we would in that case lose him for the whole season.

I'm happy that he apparently had the surgery. Thought it was dumb not to do it, rehabbing and rest seldom seems to work.

 

[Chaz]

Originally posted by Zona90
Last year I started a season thread in June and we would talk about each game in the thread. This year I will start it from opening day and will name it "Season thread-the road to the playoffs."

How about a thread for each series.

One thread for the season, that covered everything, I found a little hard to follow last season.

Hey Mod. How about a stickey for the season and the playoff/pennant chase etc. We could also have series threads to talk about the games/stratagy (second guesses) etc.


Anyway just a suggestion.

Not quite excited about baseball yet but I'll warm up to it by the time the regular season starts.

 

[AZCB34]

Originally posted by schillingfan
I'm happy that he apparently had the surgery. Thought it was dumb not to do it, rehabbing and rest seldom seems to work.

Actually, he didn't have the surgery and instead basically did nothing with the arm for 2 months following the season and then starting rehabbing it. He will play with the Grade 2 tear in his elbow and hope it doesn't blow out. He was never what I would call a defensive power out there but now the Dbacks will actually have to devise ways to ensure he is not having to make long hard throws.

If he had the surgery done, he would have missed this entire season so he decided to try to go without the operation.

I would imagine hitters will be testing that arm out at every opportunity on those long singles. This may end up hurting the Dbacks as much as his hitting may help. I certainly hope when it comes to interleague play that Brenly does the smart thing and DH's Gonzo...assuming he has blown the thing out by then.

 

[Lefty]

By Ed Price
EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE

While manager Bob Brenly has yet to commit to Shane Reynolds in the Diamondbacks starting rotation, he let the right-hander know Tuesday he should prepare for the season as usual.

"He knows what he has to do to get ready for opening day," Brenly said. "We don't expect him to come in here and light up the radar gun and throw snapdragon breaking balls the first time he's out there on the mound. We expect him to get ready for opening day."

It came as good news to Reynolds, 36, that he will not be judged solely on his spring statistics.

"I've always been notorious for not having good springs," Reynolds said.

Reynolds, who was 11-9 with a 5.43 ERA last year with Atlanta, his first season after back surgery, signed a one-year, $1 million contract with Arizona in December.

Brenly has left the last two spots in the rotation (after Randy Johnson, Brandon Webb and Elmer Dessens) open. And Reynolds said he does not mind competing for a spot.

"I'm by no means just coming in here and walking into spring training thinking I have a spot on this team," he said. "No way. I've got something to prove to myself and to baseball, coming back from back surgery and showing people that I'm healthy and can go out there every fifth day and make my starts."

Setting the rotation

Johnson's tentative spring schedule includes two Cactus League appearances in the Phoenix area, March 12 against a Kansas City split squad in Surprise, and April 1 against the Chicago Cubs in Mesa.

Webb will have three outings away from Tucson Electric Park: March 14 against Oakland in Phoenix, March 28 against Seattle in Peoria and April 2 against the Cubs at Bank One Ballpark.

That schedule lines up Johnson and Webb, as expected, to pitch the first two games of the regular season, April 6-7, against Colorado.

Johnson is slated to pitch the spring opener March 4 against the Chicago White Sox, with Reynolds in relief that day.

On March 5, John Patterson is scheduled to start against Seattle in Peoria, with Steve Sparks and Stephen Randolph facing the White Sox in the other split-squad game.

Webb's first spring outing is set for March 6 against the White Sox, with Dessens pitching the next day, also against the White Sox.

Johnson and Reynolds are scheduled for March 8 against Colorado, and Sparks for March 9 against Anaheim.

Learning curve

Webb hopes to add a cut fastball to his repertoire.

His sinker, his primary pitch, tends to come back over the plate when he throws it inside to a left-handed hitter. The cutter would break in on a lefty, which would back the batter off the plate.

Webb worked on the cutter on flat ground Tuesday after his mound session.

"The last four or five, he was very good," pitching coach Chuck Kniffin said.

"I started getting the feel for it," Webb said.

Inside pitch

° Brenly turns 50 today.

° Pitchers worked on situational hitting Tuesday - bunting, moving runners over and getting runners home from third. "Some guys did very well; some guys need a little work, which is what we wanted to find out," Brenly said.

 

[Cland]

Originally posted by schillingfan
I'm happy that he apparently had the surgery. Thought it was dumb not to do it, rehabbing and rest seldom seems to work.

Sounds familiar...Stottlemyer. I know they're different injuries but same theory.

He should've cut the losses and had the surgery. I don't know how strong it is now but I'm going to be holding my breath every time he has to make a serious throw.