Padres Spring Training Report – Feb. 26, 2014

Wieland starts off the bunt contest.

One of the most perilous challenges of spring training for a team is not necessarily avoiding arm issues with pitchers getting into shape, nor hamstring pulls for position players, it’s not sunburn for the guys coming in from snow states, nor jock itch.  Nope, it’s none of those things.  The most feared affliction that runs rampant in many spring training camps is boredom!

It’s the silent killer.  It sneaks in undetected even though everyone is anticipating it’s arrival.  One day it’s nowhere to be found, and the next it’s bringing down guys left and right.  Appathy, surliness, and an inability to focus are just some of the symptoms that start to attack even the strongest of athletes.  In severe cases it can cause divisiveness, and even insurrections.  It’s curable, but often by the time it’s been rooted out damage has been done, and quality training time has been lost.  The best cure for this insidious scourge is prevention!

Fortunately the Padres have a reputation throughout the league for keeping boredom far at bay from the Friars side of the Peoria Sports Complex.  Dr. Buddy Black and his team of experts have developed a series of preventative measures that have a proven track record of keeping the troops mentally happy, healthy, and productive.  What is the secret element that Buddy and his staff have used that has time and time again shown itself to be boredom’s Kryptonite?

The answer is…Laughter!  That’s right, it’s been scientifically proven to add years onto your life, and it can also be the tonic for keeping the minds of type A personality, top performing athletes fresh, focused, and supple to learning new things.  At a time in spring training when guys are most susceptible to catching the boredom bug, the doctors in charge administered a great booster shot today to immunize everyone, by holding a bunting contest to start the day.

It was held firs thing in the morning instead of the routine team meeting, to get the day started with on a high.  It was the starting pitchers separated into 2 teams – the Dave Roberts’ vs. the Jose Valentines.  A grid was chalked on the grass in front of home plate with various numbers 1-5 denoting points to be awarded depending on where in the grid the ball stopped.  Each guy got 5 balls to bunt, and his total score was recorded and added to his team.  The team score became lopsided early on with the Roberts’ blowing out the Valentines, but then it got good with the individual high scorers who turned out to be Andrew Cashner ( a pre tournament odds on favorite), and Keyvius Sampson.  The two of them tied in regulation play, and had to go to overtime with Cashner getting the victory by keeping his final bunt fair despite the crowd jeering him like the Show on an opposing player at the foul line in an Aztecs hoops game.  It was really fun watching the energy build as the event went on…truly some great medicine!!

Thank you Mighty 1090’s Marty Caswell (@martycaswell) for doing a great job recording the contest!

It’s not always a big event though that is needed.  More important sometimes can be the small, daily preventative measures, such as the fun drills Glenn Hoffman creates for the guys on the back fields, or presentations that are made during the morning team meetings.  Case in point is the chart I found in the clubhouse today that is the featured picture used for today’s report.  Each rookie at some point during spring is called up in front of the team during one of the morning meetings, and needs to introduce himself to his teammates.  It usually starts out fairly harmlessly but soon the questions start, and Buddy will have some fun poking and prodding until some funny things about the participant are eventually revealed.  When Dennis O’Graddy had his turn a few days ago, he shared that he was from Floral Park NY.  Buddy asked him what other baseball players have come from NY, and he could only come up with 3 names, including himself.  Not satisfying Buddy with his response he was given a homework assignment to put together a report on MLB players who hailed from NY.   A few days later Dennis presented his report to the team which included the string chart shown as the feature image of this article, and a video chronicling the history of all 453 players from NY, the years, and their boroughs.  It elicited the needed panacea of laughter for the day, and a sense of camaraderie amongst the troops.  Fun little things that can make a big difference in team morale and cohesiveness.

Some actual baseball news out of camp today was the arrival of new left hander Alex Torres.  He had been delayed in Venezuela when his Visa had to be renewed following his trade to the Padres.   He had apparently submitted his paperwork on time as a member of the Rays earlier in the winter, but once he was traded the change in employer threw the consulate and emigration department off, and the process had to be done over again, thus creating the delay.  Certainly not his fault, and it was good to finally get him into camp.  Plenty of time for him to get ready, and he looked fairly sharp already in his first bullpen today that featured his entire repertoire that he had been throwing to stay sharp during his paperwork delay.

In my view, however, Torres wasn’t the most impressive lefty on the mound in camp today.  Towards the end of the mornings workouts another left handed pitcher made his way to the mound to help out during the drill. I had seen him throw before, but it had been a while so wasn’t quite sure what he would have to offer.  Turns out he had plenty, showing off a 4 seam FB with good late life up or down in the zone, and an off the table curveball.  He didn’t show his change up today, but I’m sure this veteran has a nasty one.  If the Padres need another lefty in the ‘pen at some point this year, they could do a lot worse than giving the ball to this #20 (or Blacky as his teammates call him) pictured here during his throwing workout today.  Just another light moment of the day, the helped bridge the gap to tomorrow when games start.

It was a fun day in camp, and just what the doctor ordered on the last day of workouts before Cactus League competition starts tomorrow with annual charity game between the Padre and the Mariners.  Game starts at 12:05 PST, and you can listen to Jesse Agler and me bringing you the action on the Padres webcast, which you can listen to by becoming a registered member at www.Padres.com. Hope you’ll join us!

Play ball!!!

Scan