Tom Brennan - MICKEY'S FIRST MISTAKE?
If you ask me, and who does, a manager's first job is to get a healthy team ready for opening day.
Two things concern me - maybe you will think I make too much of it, maybe I'm just a worry wart. But maybe not:
1) In his first spring game, Dominic Smith strains his quad sprinting on the basepaths.
2) Thor goes 2 innings and hits 100 MPH not once, not twice, but eleven times in his first spring outing.
Let's throw in Juan Lagares' early hamstring tightness for good measure.
Why not, if you are the erudite Mickey Callaway, go to Messrs. Smith and Lagares...and everyone...and say to them, "you are not impressing me, nor are you doing yourself any favors, by running all out early in the spring. The tortoise often beats the hare, fellas."
"Go 90% for the first week, let's not pull anything trying to please the boss by over-exerting, to try to show how much you can hustle right out of the gate."
"You, Mr. Smith, made a mistake arriving late the first day...so don't try to over-impress on the field to compensate."
Whoops, too late.
On Thor, I think if I am Callaway and see 100 on the gun, I take a leisurely stroll out to the mound and say, nicely, "Noah, my man, you are the guy who missed nearly 5 months last year from a muscle tear related to throwing 100, so why would you come out in game 1 of your spring and do 100? Ramp it down...spring stats don't count."
Perhaps if I am Mickey, I even tell Thor before the game, "Thor, sir, if you start hitting 100 on the gun, I may pull you out for 7 reasons: we need you 100% healthy in 1) April, 2) May, 3) June, 4) July, 5) August, 6) September, and 7) October."
I recall Tom Seaver getting whacked in some spring games because he was not trying to impress anyone by wearing himself out in spring games...he throttled back and worked on things in games, not concerned with spring training dominance, and came out roaring once the games counted.
He was always ready in the real season. In fact, he started 32 to 37 games per season in each of his first 13 years in the majors. Excellent...and super durable.
If Thor wants to be truly great, he wants to emulate THAT.
I did an article this morning on how a bunch of old timers never seemed to get hurt. Maybe they were just smarter back then. Took it easy in the off season - rounded into baseball shape during spring training.
Mickey, help your guys be that smart now. 100% healthy on opening day should be goal #1. Break it into sub-goals: no pulled leg muscles this spring (whoops, too late). No sore arms this spring (not too late).
You don't have to try to over-impress us in February either, Mickey - we believe you are going to be excellent.
I hear you, Tom........as far as Noah is concerned, it seems like he is a "100 percent" type of dude. He was quoted as saying it wasn't much effort to throw that hard, which is scary if true, or perhaps "bravado" if not so true.
ReplyDeleteDominic has certainly gotten off to a rough start with his new boss.
Most of the injuries to date don't sound too crazy.....early ST aches and pains?
Mike, arm injuries and leg injuries became long term problems in 2017 - they need to be extra careful this spring to avoid chances of a repeat. Nimmo's injury in the WBC messed up half of his 2017. Cespedes' first leg injury turned into a repeat malady. Avoid the first injury and the other ones won't happen either.
ReplyDeleteI agree that I'm not going to sweat some minor aches and pains early in Spring Training. The Tom Seaver analogy you made earlier is a good one. No one cares if Jacob deGrom has a spring ERA north of 5.00 so long as he pitches like an All Star come April 1st.
ReplyDeleteReese, very true. Seaver did not care about anything other than being a winning pitcher, available to go every 4th (or later 5th) day - he made it happen. For him, the weight room was largely irrelevant - he just got ready to pitch 9 innings. 179 times in those first 13 years, he threw complete games, including 21 in 1971.
ReplyDeleteThere are no mistakes in spring training.
ReplyDeleteAnd so far what has happened is not earth shattering.
Tom, this time I’m going to disagree with you. Just taking things at face value, after his outing, Syndergaard went onto a back field and ran another ten minutes worth to break a sweat and feel like he worked that day. He tells us that he really threw comfortably and the optics do indicate that.
ReplyDeleteI’m a big believer in play like you practice. The best players in any sport practice hard, so the games are easy. I like those players. We can’t play scared due to injuries, because you could be jogging in the outfield and trip over a sprinkler. Now I’m not saying to put stress in yourself, but certainly these are world class athletes with a talent to do things with ease that we can’t do in our dreams.
Many people feel spring training doesn’t count, but in fact, it means alot. Hitters at this time of year are well ahead of the pitchers and so a real competitive player that strives for excellence will prepare himself to hit the ground running at the start of April. However, the mindset is put in place now to work well and not waste opportunity to get your mistakes corrected and timing down perfectly. These guys don’t play everyday anyway; they don’t go on road trips, they don’t play more than five innings; I want them playing hard. Let the ones that take it lightly go play somewhere else.
Tom, this time I’m going to disagree with you. Just taking things at face value, after his outing, Syndergaard went onto a back field and ran another ten minutes worth to break a sweat and feel like he worked that day. He tells us that he really threw comfortably and the optics do indicate that.
ReplyDeleteI’m a big believer in play like you practice. The best players in any sport practice hard, so the games are easy. I like those players. We can’t play scared due to injuries, because you could be jogging in the outfield and trip over a sprinkler. Now I’m not saying to put stress in yourself, but certainly these are world class athletes with a talent to do things with ease that we can’t do in our dreams.
Many people feel spring training doesn’t count, but in fact, it means alot. Hitters at this time of year are well ahead of the pitchers and so a real competitive player that strives for excellence will prepare himself to hit the ground running at the start of April. However, the mindset is put in place now to work well and not waste opportunity to get your mistakes corrected and timing down perfectly. These guys don’t play everyday anyway; they don’t go on road trips, they don’t play more than five innings; I want them playing hard. Let the ones that take it lightly go play somewhere else.
TexasGus, good points. I do want them playing hard...but 90% effort in the first week of games is to me preferable....whether running or pitching. 2nd week? Start cranking. Hopefully a week from now, all of these boo boos will be in the rear view mirror.
ReplyDeleteIt's all Terry's fault! Fire him NOW! 😱
ReplyDelete