This article gives some insight to the past week in Spring Training in Dunedin, Florida with the Toronto Blue Jays. Enjoy the read!
Hey Columbus Sports Fans!
Here are some updates from the past week in Spring Training. We are about a month in without any days off, and things are becoming pretty monotonous. However, we have less than two weeks left, and the final decisions for roster spots are coming down to the wire.
Sizing up the Competition
The past couple weeks we have been playing series with the Phillies, Pirates, and Yankees. In the mornings we will stretch, throw, go through drills, break in to our respective groups for a team defense routine, and conclude with batting practice. Everyday at 1PM the AA and AAA groups will either stay at our facility or travel to another team’s facility. The other A-level groups will do the opposite of the higher levels. In essence, there are two games going on at the same time at each facility. A lot of pitchers have certain mechanics, pitches, or situations that they are working on in these games, but for the most part it is our chance to get back into the swing of things and play in a competitive atmosphere. A few things are emphasized for each pitcher during the games; throw strikes, work fast, and have a purpose to each pitch.
Action with the Big Leaguers
One cool thing about Spring Training is the big league players don’t necessarily always play in the big league games. For example, there may be a few starting pitchers that need to throw on the same day, but there aren’t enough innings to fit each player into the big league game. Therefore, the major league pitchers will come down to the minor league games and throw. Last week, Shaun Marcum, who is battling for the opening day starter job for the Blue Jays, threw a few innings for our squad. On Monday, Kevin Gregg, Scott Downs, Shawn Camp, Jason Frasor, and David Purcey threw an inning each for our team, bumping some of the minor league pitchers to the following day. On Tuesday, Ricky Romero, another pitcher fighting for the opening day spot for the Jays, threw six innings for our squad.
This is a great experience for all minor league players because we not only get to play with some of the best players in the world, but we get to see and talk to them about the physical and mental parts of the game, and hear about their experiences at the major league level. After watching these big leaguers, many of us notice that there are not a lot of huge differences in the amount of talent between levels. A large part of why the big leaguers are at the highest level is because of their consistency and mental capacity of the game. After all, each minor league player has something they can contribute at the major league level. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be in an affiliated organization. It is each player’s responsibility to fine tune their unique qualities and establish the confidence to know they can play at the big league level.
Thanks for reading!