Going to take tomorrow off. Trying to choose between going to see the albino raccoon, the venomous snake, or the Thomas Edison Museum. Whatever it is it won’t involve Edison Ave. or the Red Sox minor league training facility.
Wanted to reflect on impressions out of the first 1 1/2 weeks of camp:
- Jonathan Papelbon is passionate about become a “Gajillionaire” via his stock tip, Ispottedyou.com. He also has exhibited unbelievable amount of patience answering the closer question day after day after day. He is going to be throwing his curveball again, which he shelved last year. Again, I guarantee that he will not be the closer in April. After that, well, it’s a long season.
- Joel Pineiero is my favorite to win the closer’s job. It was fascinating listening to David Ortiz and Julio Lugo talk about what a different pitcher Pineiro is now that he dropped his arm slot. I’m tempted to say Julian Tavarez might be a strong candidate, because I know that he would soak up the atmosphere. But in terms of stuff and boasting a go-to, out-pitch, Pineiro has the big edge.
- Mike Lowell has become a leader on this team.
- Both Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima seem to be having more fun with this spring training than anybody. Okajima’s former teammate Bryan Corey said that Okajima has talked and smiled more than the entire four months they were together in Japan. Read C.J. Nitkowski’s journal for the Associated Press about his current stay in the Japanese spring training and you can get an idea just how different the two countries approach the preseason.
- Daniel Bard and Bryce Cox seem so far away from the bigs, dragging their youthful images onto the fields after the major leaguers leave. But they both have the size befitting power pitchers, which is always a good place to start.
- Super Joe McEwing could really help a team, although it doesn’t look like there will be a spot here. He said that this camp is probably the best organized camp he has attended.
- To answer a question, spring training has been amped up down here for the last few years. They have also marketed much better, with the workouts being surrounded by souvenir stands and the like. Having it during school vacation doesn’t hurt either. But there has been nothing like this (although it has thinned out a bit), as is evidenced by the record 2,225 fans that came through the gate last Thursday. I will say this: John Blake and his staff should be commended for making the media’s job as functional as possible. Despite the crowds there has been no problem getting the job done. Sure, I miss the laid-back attitude of Fort Myers in the 1990′s, but we have to all accept those days are history.
- Another question revolved around Dustin Pedroia’s success on the reaction time test. He didn’t know the results, but I can tell you that his eye-sight is 20-15. Kevin Youkilis, who obviously has perhaps the best discerning eye in baseball, was at 20-12 last year.
- David Murphy hasn’t been working out at first base at all, and probably won’t. It’s not a bad idea, but Eric Hinske is in that role right now and is a pretty good option. As I posted a few days ago, Hinske is a very good match-up guy (see 10 for 16 off Chien Ming Wang). You won’t find a nicer guy that Murphy, though. He’s someone to pull for, even if it might have to be with another organization eventually.
- I know it’s been said a lot, but so far pitching coach John Farrell is the star of the camp.
- All signs are pointing to Josh Beckett having a pretty good year. It was only batting practice, but Saturday’s 40-pitch session showed his A-stuff with good command. He also seems much more comfortable this year, having gone through being the center of attention last spring.
Like I said, I’m taking a break tomorrow but hope that you pepper the comments with questions and I will answer them Tuesday. If you have queries regarding the younger folk in the organization I would encourage to get them out now because come Wednesday trips down to the minor league complex will be few and far between.
And as my esteemed colleague, Newburyport Daily News sports editor Bob Albright, constantly reminds me, I will refrain from using the oldest lead in Fort Myers journalism … “The minor league complex is just two miles down Edison Ave. from City of Palms Park, but it seems like a world away.”
