OFFICIAL: 2015 Spring Training Thread

Santoki · Post #61 » by **Santoki** » Tue Mar 3, 2015 7:03 pm

Any time Reyes runs or dives I fear the worst. I'd feel a lot better if he wasn't trying to dive headfirst on tag-up attempts in meaningless ST games, but I guess you'll never take that out of him.

BramptonYute · Post #62 » by **BramptonYute** » Tue Mar 3, 2015 7:09 pm

Santoki wrote:Looking out my window I wish I was in Dunedin right now. They all look so comfortable

edit - It's 27C there. That would feel about 100C right now.

I know man

And considering I slipped on some ice today and my hip is all bruised up and my hand is cut up too, I cant wait until winter ends.

Fairview4Life · Post #63 » by **Fairview4Life** » Tue Mar 3, 2015 7:10 pm

Great at bat by EE. Followed by a strike out. Moral victory!

Michael Bradley · Post #64 » by **Michael Bradley** » Tue Mar 3, 2015 7:17 pm

Lateral Quicks wrote:Sanchez no!!!!! Really don't want him to go the bullpen

I think they have already made up their minds about his role. Nothing he does in the Spring, unless he pitches like 2002-11 Halladay, is going to change it.

KillaSham23 · Post #65 » by **KillaSham23** » Tue Mar 3, 2015 7:39 pm

Pompey single then a steal? Siiiick

Fairview4Life · Post #66 » by **Fairview4Life** » Tue Mar 3, 2015 7:52 pm

Martin and Bautista out after back to back singles.

Lateral Quicks · Post #67 » by **Lateral Quicks** » Tue Mar 3, 2015 9:29 pm

Uninspiring debut from Travis.

Randle McMurphy · Post #68 » by **Randle McMurphy** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 12:35 am

Lateral Quicks wrote:Uninspiring debut from Travis.

Should have kept Gose while we had the chance.

Post #69 » by **Rhettmatic** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 6:27 pm

Dickey no longer tipping his pitches

Pitching coach Pete Walker and bullpen coach Pat Hentgen noticed during a bullpen session that there was a difference in Dickey’s delivery. On a knuckleball ,the inside of his right arm would tap against his belt as he began his motion. On a fastball, he was “real quiet” with his hands as he went towards the plate.

Now, he taps his belt as often as Brett Lawrie taps his foot. On every pitch.

The National League scout said when Dickey held his glove higher than normal, it meant a fastball or a throw to first.

“A guy like me throws knuckleballs 85% of the time, hitters know, I know now whether it would allow them to tee off on a fastball...” said Dickey, his voice trailing off. “It wasn’t like I had back-to-back outings against, giving up eight runs.

“Most of my homers did came off fastballs, though.”

Lateral Quicks · Post #70 » by **Lateral Quicks** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 6:29 pm

Pompey batting third today and doubles off Cole in his first AB. Now 2-3 with a SB in the spring to go along with his nice catch yesterday.

Lateral Quicks · Post #71 » by **Lateral Quicks** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 6:33 pm

Pillar throws out Harrison at 2B for the unorthodox double play. Still extremely early, but this competition between Pompey and Pillar is great.

Nights King · Post #72 » by **Nights King** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 6:57 pm

Lateral Quicks wrote:Uninspiring debut from Travis.

common lets not do this, there is literally nothing a baseball player can do(or not do) in one game that should change your opinion of him.

Lateral Quicks · Post #73 » by **Lateral Quicks** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 7:11 pm

Nights King wrote:
Lateral Quicks wrote:Uninspiring debut from Travis.

common lets not do this, there is literally nothing a baseball player can do(or not do) in one game that should change your opinion of him.

It didn't change my opinion of him. It just wasn't a good game for him, that's all.

Lateral Quicks · Post #74 » by **Lateral Quicks** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 9:39 pm

Jays win 4-1.

Notable performances:
Pompey: 2-3, BB, double
Pillar: 1-4, double, reportedly excellent defensive game
West: 1IP, 2K
Tepera: 1IP, 1K, 1BB

duppyy · Post #75 » by **duppyy** » Thu Mar 5, 2015 12:10 am

Is there anywhere to watch the highlights or we have to wait till the jays site/sportsnet has it up?

dballislife · Post #76 » by **dballislife** » Thu Mar 5, 2015 12:12 am

pillars defensive stats in minors were actually very good, and hasn't committed an error in majors yet

Post #77 » by **Schad** » Thu Mar 5, 2015 2:07 am

Rhettmatic wrote:Dickey no longer tipping his pitches

Pitching coach Pete Walker and bullpen coach Pat Hentgen noticed during a bullpen session that there was a difference in Dickey’s delivery. On a knuckleball ,the inside of his right arm would tap against his belt as he began his motion. On a fastball, he was “real quiet” with his hands as he went towards the plate.

Now, he taps his belt as often as Brett Lawrie taps his foot. On every pitch.

The National League scout said when Dickey held his glove higher than normal, it meant a fastball or a throw to first.

“A guy like me throws knuckleballs 85% of the time, hitters know, I know now whether it would allow them to tee off on a fastball...” said Dickey, his voice trailing off. “It wasn’t like I had back-to-back outings against, giving up eight runs.

“Most of my homers did came off fastballs, though.”

'Most' is perhaps a bit of an overstatement. There is something to the fact that players hit his not-knucklers harder though...with the usual caveats about the difficulty Pitch F/X has with certain things, and Dickey's arsenal is definitely one, it suggests that hitters carried a slugging percentage of .370 against his knuckleball, and over .600 against his fastballish things.

satyr9 · Post #78 » by **satyr9** » Thu Mar 5, 2015 12:24 pm

Schadenfreude wrote:'Most' is perhaps a bit of an overstatement. There is something to the fact that players hit his not-knucklers harder though...with the usual caveats about the difficulty Pitch F/X has with certain things, and Dickey's arsenal is definitely one, it suggests that hitters carried a slugging percentage of .370 against his knuckleball, and over .600 against his fastballish things.

Talk about pitch-tipping is a little funny, 'cause it's for sure at least partially brinksmanship, they don't tell they've identified problems until they, in Princess Bride fashion, know that the league knows that they know they were tipping. But perhaps you try to get people looking for something 'cause you know there's something else you do. I don't trust this kind of talk in the least. /tinfoilhatthoughts

I think it's foolish to imagine that Dickey's HR problem was all pitch tipping, but if even some of his downs were contributed to by above average pitch-recognition due to tipping, then there's some hope, not a huge amount but some. I still think his biggest problem is that the knuckler has live days and flat days and on the flat days it's much easier to sit on the fastball 'cause you can fight off a weak knuckler, but who knows, maybe it'll make a huge difference. I also think pitchF/X's ability to judge when he through a flat knuckle vs. a FB is effectively zero, it's not like it's looking at the pitcher's fingers. When the article points out the good games he and Jack Morris had, where the opponents thought they had the pitches, it goes to show it's a minor component of the struggle. I will say, for a knuckler, tipping when your weaksauce FB is coming is about as bad as it gets though. It's still a task getting a Stroman FB lined up even if you know it's coming, less so when you get to take a throw off from watching the dancing bear and get to tee off when he's limping home instead.

Fairview4Life · Post #79 » by **Fairview4Life** » Thu Mar 5, 2015 1:24 pm

Well they can't say he's in the best shape of his life, he's like 55 years old.

Santoki · Post #80 » by **Santoki** » Thu Mar 5, 2015 2:36 pm

A bit early for schedule talk but we open up at two places we haven't played very well at in the last few years: Yankee Stadium and Camden. Then we get the Rays at home for a four-game set. First 10 of the year against the AL East.