Spring Training AZ style

March 17, 2005

I saw my first baseball of the season last Friday; it wasn’t Orioles baseball but baseball nonetheless.  I started the morning at Tempe Diablo where the Angels train.  This year the Angels were not charging to park, which I thought was a nice touch.  Also, the stadium was open to the public so fans could watch the players on the Major League roster work out.  There was only one ex-Oriole there in Steve Finley. 

Vladimir Guerrero was there; he is an "almost Oriole."  I know it is early in the season, but Vladimir walks like a man who has lower back problems.  I know, mine hurts as well.  When he was warming up, he jumped to catch a high throw and grabbed his hamstring.  Looked like it was bothering him through out the workout.  I watched his batting practice and it was a sight.  He drove one ball over the LF wall, about 10 yards in from the pole.  It hit the road behind the OF hedge.  I am estimating it went at least 400 feet. Most likely more.  The rest of his BP was a series of long fly balls and line drives.  Very impressive.

In the afternoon, I caught the Athletics and Brewers.  There were so many guys who have played in Richmond; I think I could have put together an All Star team of ex-Braves.  Dan Meyer started the game for the A’s and got lit up badly.  The big shot was an opposite field homer from Prince Fielder. His day consisted of driving baseballs a long way.  Mammoth shots. 

Billy Sylvester is in the A’s camp as a non-roster invitee, the A’s claimed him as a six year free agent.  His outing was alright; he retired the side, with the only excitement coming when he threw a fastball against the backstop.  The Brewers contingent of ex-Braves consisted of Wes Helms, who started at third, Jose Capellan and Andy Pratt. Pratt led the International League in strikeouts a few years ago.  Andy was traded to the Cubs in 2004 and the wheels promptly fell off his game.  He started the season in the Cubbies bullpen and got shelled mercilessly.  He pitched in A for a while and, gradually, his control returned.  I always liked watching Andy pitch at the Diamond, if you sat close enough, you could hear his fastball sizzle when he let go of it.  A very nice young man and I hope his season works out for him.

Saturday, I started the day in Surprise at the Rangers camp.  Of all the spring training sites in the Phoenix area, this one is my favorite.  The players are very accessible to the fans and people attending can watch players work in batting cages and take live BP. 

The ex-Orioles contingent was here in force.  Roberto Machado, a guy I have seen several times over the years in Ottawa and Baltimore, always seems happy to in the majors. Also on the field were Gary Matthews Jr., Manny Alexander (the man who replaced Cal Ripken at SS), Dave Delucci (who took the time to meet a man who was wheelchair bound and had come from Texas to see him play), John Wasdin, ("Way Back Wasdin" to Red Sox and Oriole fans in honor of the mammoth homeruns he gave up), Paul Carey, Steve Luebber and Dom Chiti.  Kansas City had Calvin Pickering and Denny Bautista. 

In the game, Pickering got ahold of a nice pitch and lined it hard into CF for a base hit. 

Bautista came into the game in the second inning in relief of Kevin Appier and promptly had a horrible inning.  I wasn’t counting pitches, but I think he threw about 30.  The Rangers were sitting on his fastball and were hitting it.  He got two strikes on Laynce Nix and couldn’t put him away.  Nix made him throw at least 10 pitches before he finally struck out on a curve ball.  Bautista gave up an unearned run in the inning; Richard Hidalgo led off the inning with a nice hit, took third on a ground out and scored on a Mark Teahan zoomie. Next inning, Bautista struck out the side.  His stuff is electric, but he doesn’t look at ease on the mound.  He showed a nice changeup which he used to strike out Mark Textiera.  All told, I would call Denny Bautista still a project; he is very raw.

The Royals have a lot of good young players this year.  They dealt well over the last year to obtain some guys with lots of upside. Among the good young Royals players are Mark Teahan, John Buck, Denny Bautista, Eli Marrero (another ex-Brave), Angel Berroa and David DeJesus.  Mix them in with Ken Harvey ( a #1 draft pick), Calvin Pickering and Matt Stairs, and this team will be exciting to watch this year.

--- John Kazlo
(Kazlo is a diehard Orioles fan and Richmond Braves supporter from Virginia)