2/26 Intra-Squad Game Notes

So there are a lot of details that we could get into and a lot of ways to take today’s game. We could talk about how the pitching sucked or we could talk about how the hitters are finally getting zoned in and finding their swing. Then again I think you could probably find more than just those two different takes on this game. I’m not worried about Felix giving up home runs, not worried about Noesi giving up hits. Things like this are going to happen. Not just in spring training, but on any occassion where there is  80 degree heat and thin air for the ball to just go crazy nuts. So, I’m not giving much credence to someone like Vinnie Catricala having a couple of big hits. He’s an advanced bat in the system and while it’s positive to see it doesn’t improve any thoughts I already had on him, at best it just solidifies what I already thought. Does that make sense?

There are a few things that garnered my interest from this game. Such as the fact that Franklin Gutierrez hit a home run. Why? The guy had NO power and NO strength by the end of the season and we are starting to see his recover in legitmate ways. Because he hit a ball over the fence? No. But because of the distance that he A) hit the ball and B) continued to hit the ball through out the day. It’s not about who he hit it off of but that he simply did it. I also continue to be intrigued by Phillippe Valiquette. His velocity and ability to miss bats is exciting. But the fact that he has no idea of where it’s going is rather disconcerting. 

There are reasons to be excited about this season and there are reasons to be a little worried about this season. But none of those things can be reasonable deduced during these games. Enjoy the photos and enjoy the stories that will come from the various press sources over the next couple of games but don’t take anything too seriously. We have to realize that there are a lot of factors to take into account at this time of year.