First things first. For those of you who drink beer and are going to Spring Training this year, there is a new "Irish Pub" down the RF line. Guiness and Harp on tap!! The "pub" is in view of the field so you can still watch the game if there is a long line. I hope those mirrors aren't real glass. Where that thing is located I guarantee it will be hit more than once during the spring season.Lots happening today. I arrived just before 10am today....thinking I would miss the running and stretching. I forgot they always hold a big meeting on the first day and the practice gets a late start. The actual drills didn't get started until almost 11:00.
After running/stretching the Giants infielders took groundballs, while the outfielders had one station fielding flies from a pitching machine and a second station fielding groundballs off a coaches fungo. After that, the pitchers joined the infielders and they did situational fielding including throwing to the bases.The first error of the year was committed by Ray Durham when Bengie Molina fielded a "bunt" and threw a perfect strike to Durham covering 1B. The ball hit Durham square in the pocket of his glove and popped right out. Later Durham did the same thing again on a ball fielded by Ortmeier. I am hoping Ray was just breaking in a new glove. The coaches were not hitting weak grounders right at the players and for the most part the players fielded very well. Frandsen made a couple of nice stops on balls hit up the middle and put both throws right on target to 1B with some hair on them. Ortmeier made at least 1 nice scoop of a ball in the dirt. I actually got a photo of it.....but it was out of focus so I didn't post it.
After that was the live batting practice against the pitchers. The first group of batters on the main field was Rodriguez, Roberts, Rowand and Winn; followed by Durham, Vizquel, Aurilia, Davis and Ochoa; followed by Lewis, Schierholtz, Ortmeier, Frandsen and Alfonzo. I thought the batters swung the bats pretty well for this being the first day. The only HR of the day off of live pitching was Eliezer Alfonzo off of Threets. It was a drive that I thought was going to hook foul down the LF line but that just stayed fair and hit the foul pole.
After the live batting practice, the same groups took a second round of batting practice, this time off of the coaches. From what I saw, I'm not sure the players didn't do better hitting off the pitchers than they did off the coaches. Maybe it was the long day that slowed the bats down.
By 1PM, the second round of batting practice was only on the 2nd group of batters and I left. I hate to leave during BP.....but my car was parked in a 3 hr zone (from 10-5) and I was hungry since I hadn't eaten anything yet today.
Hopefully, the practice will get going a little earlier tomorrow and I will be able to stay for the entire thing. The weather is supposed to start turning bad again tomorrow, with chance of rain in the afternoon. I hope the weather man is wrong.
After running/stretching the Giants infielders took groundballs, while the outfielders had one station fielding flies from a pitching machine and a second station fielding groundballs off a coaches fungo. After that, the pitchers joined the infielders and they did situational fielding including throwing to the bases.The first error of the year was committed by Ray Durham when Bengie Molina fielded a "bunt" and threw a perfect strike to Durham covering 1B. The ball hit Durham square in the pocket of his glove and popped right out. Later Durham did the same thing again on a ball fielded by Ortmeier. I am hoping Ray was just breaking in a new glove. The coaches were not hitting weak grounders right at the players and for the most part the players fielded very well. Frandsen made a couple of nice stops on balls hit up the middle and put both throws right on target to 1B with some hair on them. Ortmeier made at least 1 nice scoop of a ball in the dirt. I actually got a photo of it.....but it was out of focus so I didn't post it.
After that was the live batting practice against the pitchers. The first group of batters on the main field was Rodriguez, Roberts, Rowand and Winn; followed by Durham, Vizquel, Aurilia, Davis and Ochoa; followed by Lewis, Schierholtz, Ortmeier, Frandsen and Alfonzo. I thought the batters swung the bats pretty well for this being the first day. The only HR of the day off of live pitching was Eliezer Alfonzo off of Threets. It was a drive that I thought was going to hook foul down the LF line but that just stayed fair and hit the foul pole.
After the live batting practice, the same groups took a second round of batting practice, this time off of the coaches. From what I saw, I'm not sure the players didn't do better hitting off the pitchers than they did off the coaches. Maybe it was the long day that slowed the bats down.
By 1PM, the second round of batting practice was only on the 2nd group of batters and I left. I hate to leave during BP.....but my car was parked in a 3 hr zone (from 10-5) and I was hungry since I hadn't eaten anything yet today.
Hopefully, the practice will get going a little earlier tomorrow and I will be able to stay for the entire thing. The weather is supposed to start turning bad again tomorrow, with chance of rain in the afternoon. I hope the weather man is wrong.
1 comment:
Ray making the first error??
Kev is smiling inside!
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