Official Spring Training Thread

[Darkstone42]

Position players reported today.

It's here!

 

[Etrius24]

Well,

There have been a few bumps in the road this offseason around here... but we all made it in one piece, and every new season is like turning a new page.... So here is to a great season guys!

 

[Darkstone42]

I wore my generic Pirates jersey all day today, including while teaching, and tomorrow I'm throwing on my Andrew McCutchen T-Shirt and my Pirates spring training cap in honor of the first full day of workouts.

I'm amped!

 

[Etrius24]

I still wear shorts and T shirt the first day of spring training... It was not that big of a deal when I lived in Carolina... But growing up in Canada when there was 6 feet of snow on the ground it was a bit extreme... The first day of spring training in Vermont is pretty surreal also!

 

[WVUinVegas]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBsvuoQMmuo

Burnett, Barajas, Jones, Alvarez, McCutchen

 

[Darkstone42]

 

[magnumo]

Pretty good article on the Pirates' page at MLB.com, focused on competition during Spring Training:

With few set position players, the Pirates are expecting at competitive camp. | pirates.com: News

 

[Darkstone42]

Unfounded prediction time!

I think Tabata breaks out this year.

.310/.390/.430

Still not a superstar line, but the more guys we have OPS over .800, the better we'll be.

 

[Illinest]

Okay heres a news item. Pedro's strategy for fixing his timing is to add a hitch to the swing. Source was either brink or beertemple. Forget which.
I know he took some flak for refusing to go to the fall and winter leagues but i think he did the right thing. He went to boras - a guy who is not about to let one of his clients fail to make money - and took advice from boras's contacts. Came back in better shape and with a revised swing.

I like the approach. He clearly had problems timing pitches last year and if im not mistaken alvarez has enough power that it shouldnt be a problem when it comes to clearing the wall.
Remember that bautista basically only started his swing a little bit earlier. I choose to trust boras. Whatever doubts i have about the rest of the people involved - boras at least is a man who gets shit done.

 

[Darkstone42]

Okay heres a news item. Pedro's strategy for fixing his timing is to add a hitch to the swing. Source was either brink or beertemple. Forget which.
I know he took some flak for refusing to go to the fall and winter leagues but i think he did the right thing. He went to boras - a guy who is not about to let one of his clients fail to make money - and took advice from boras's contacts. Came back in better shape and with a revised swing.

I like the approach. He clearly had problems timing pitches last year and if im not mistaken alvarez has enough power that it shouldnt be a problem when it comes to clearing the wall.
Remember that bautista basically only started his swing a little bit earlier. I choose to trust boras. Whatever doubts i have about the rest of the people involved - boras at least is a man who gets shit done.

The fact that he's trying something, (i.e. is willing to make an adjustment) is telling in a positive way for Alvarez, in my opinion. I think he'll recover from his disastrous 2011 campaign. In fact, I think he'll be our second best hitter behind McCutchen, and I've already posted my lofty expectations for Tabata as a point of reference.

Either way, our offense will go as Alvarez goes.

 

[sychmd]

i love tabata. if healthy, is our most consistent hitter regarding quality atbats and hitting the ball where it is pitched and hard.
he will be a great 2 hole hitter especially if presley is getting on and being held at first. lots of fastballs and big hole on right side with firstbaseman holding the runner and 2B covering on the steal or hit/run.
i think he really breaks out this year and goes for
312/390/440 with 105 R, 37 2B, 8 3B, 10 HR and 58 RBI, 34 SB.
he will be a plus in RF and will keep runners honest and save runs.
pray his hamstrings hold up.
if alvarez even has an 18 HR season with doubles and walks and can get 75+ RBI, i will be happy that he is coming back and it is making sense to him. just put the ball in play right up the middle.

 

[magnumo]

I'm with you guys on Tabata. In fact, if he's healthy, I think he could be the Pirates' best hitter. I know that's saying a lot, given McCutchen's performance and Alvarez's potential.

- But Tabata seems to control the strike zone, will take a walk, and hits the ball hard where it's pitched.

- Other than ongoing injuires, his biggest potential hazard may be taking too seriously the never-ending stream of comments and expectations about him developing more power. That could destroy his strengths and performance. Hopefully, that WON'T happen.

 

[magnumo]

Good grief!

Burnett has a broken orbital bone and will have surgery tomorrow. No word yet on how long he'll be out.

Pirates pitcher Burnett has broken orbital bone

Talk about "snake-bit."

 

[element1286]

<Insert "only the Pirates" joke here>

I saw a couple of tweets saying he will be out six weeks.

 

[magnumo]

Looks like will have to wait for the results from Burnett's surgery.

In a current article on the Pirates' page at MLB.com, Tom Singer quotes an ophthalmologist who has performed such surgeries on athletes and others. Apparently, there's a very broad range of recovery times..... as little as 7-10 days if it's merely a fracture of the orbital rim..... up to a full season if there's nerve damage.

Orbital fracture for Burnett, surgery Friday | pirates.com: News

 

[magnumo]

Lineups for first intrasquad game

In another article on the Pirates' page today at MLB.com, Singer gives the lineups for the Pirates' first intrasquad game, scheduled for tomorrow (Friday, March 2).

Hurdle satisfied as Bucs move to McKechnie | pirates.com: News

 

[TheBurgh88]

Looks like Burnett is expected to be out 2-3 months. Hope Morton is back or it looks like Lincoln.

This team is snakebitten.

 

[Darkstone42]

Looks like Burnett is expected to be out 2-3 months. Hope Morton is back or it looks like Lincoln.

This team is snakebitten.

And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[WVUinVegas]

A.J. Burnett Has Orbital Fracture - ESPN Video - ESPN

There's a nice video of Burnett fouling the ball directly into his face.

 

[pixburgher66]

I need baseball...so very much.