Hey everyone!
I am sorry it has been a few weeks since my last blog but I promise I will do my best to keep you all up to date about a life trying to reach your dreams of the Major Leagues. I have just completed my first year of Spring Training. All in all it was a great experience. We arrived to the field everyday around 6:45 am. I walked into the clubhouse changed and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. After I ate I would either head into the weight room or into the trainers room to be stretched out. Usually around 8:30 am we would begin meetings, whether it was about making the right decisions off the field to understanding the mental aspect of baseball. Baseball out of all the major sports causes the most amount of mental strength. If you succeed just 3 out of 10 times (30%!) as a hitter in the Major Leagues you are in the hall of fame. In which no other games failing 7 out of 10 times is considered great. As a pitcher the mental side to baseball is a little different. The pitcher has to maintain focus within each and every pitch. This includes being able to forget "clear" your last pitch or at-bat if it were a negative outcome.
After our meetings we would head out to stretch in our groups. We are split up into different levels in which they believed to be our teams for the upcoming season.
( I was put in the Low-A group. A lot of times players are put into higher classes and once the big league roster is completed something called the trickle down effect occurs. This is when guys who were in big league Spring Training go back to Triple A causing a guy from Triple A to be moved to Double A etc. )
After stretching and doing warm-up exercises such as arm band work and agilities, we would begin playing catch. After catch our pitching staff would do "PFPs" pitchers fielding practice then we would work on our bunt plays and pick offs. After a long batting practice session and of course us pitchers fielding for them, we would begin our running. Each and everyday until we began playing games against opponents near by, such as the Orioles, Red Sox and Twins.
The Rays were grooming me to be a starter for whatever team I was going to play for this season. I started out throwing 1 inning and by the end of spring training I was throwing 5 innings or 75 pitches. After a long grueling Spring of living in a Days Inn and spending 10 hours a day at the field, we found out where we were going to play on the second to last day of Spring Training. While some people were released by the Rays and others had to report to extended Spring Training, I was blessed enough to make a full season team. I was going to Bowling Green, Kentucky to play for the Hotrods, and be the opening day starter.
After our meetings we would head out to stretch in our groups. We are split up into different levels in which they believed to be our teams for the upcoming season.
( I was put in the Low-A group. A lot of times players are put into higher classes and once the big league roster is completed something called the trickle down effect occurs. This is when guys who were in big league Spring Training go back to Triple A causing a guy from Triple A to be moved to Double A etc. )
After stretching and doing warm-up exercises such as arm band work and agilities, we would begin playing catch. After catch our pitching staff would do "PFPs" pitchers fielding practice then we would work on our bunt plays and pick offs. After a long batting practice session and of course us pitchers fielding for them, we would begin our running. Each and everyday until we began playing games against opponents near by, such as the Orioles, Red Sox and Twins.
The Rays were grooming me to be a starter for whatever team I was going to play for this season. I started out throwing 1 inning and by the end of spring training I was throwing 5 innings or 75 pitches. After a long grueling Spring of living in a Days Inn and spending 10 hours a day at the field, we found out where we were going to play on the second to last day of Spring Training. While some people were released by the Rays and others had to report to extended Spring Training, I was blessed enough to make a full season team. I was going to Bowling Green, Kentucky to play for the Hotrods, and be the opening day starter.
This is what we have worked for all off season and Spring Training. We are opening tonight's game up against the Arizona Diamondbacks Low A team, South Bend Silverhawks. You all have a great day and I look forward to blogging again soon!
