OnlyBucs

I am fairly new to this board so if another member usually starts a spring training thread just let me know and I will delete this one. Pitchers and Catchers report Feb 10 with position players coming on Feb 16. I will be posting my impressions here as Spring Training progresses. The good thing is they are starting to televise a fair number of the games so you can see how the team is progressing. This is an experience that if you enjoy baseball you should do at least once.

I used to fly down every year and spend a week there just after the minor league guys report for spring training, but have not been able to do so now in almost 20 years. It was always a great experience. I hope to be able to start doing that again, but life happens lol.

1A3335393B560 wrote: I am fairly new to this board so if another member usually starts a spring training thread just let me know and I will delete this one. Pitchers and Catchers report Feb 10 with position players coming on Feb 16. I will be posting my impressions here as Spring Training progresses. The good thing is they are starting to televise a fair number of the games so you can see how the team is progressing. This is an experience that if you enjoy baseball you should do at least once.


You are quite right. I've been to spring training once. I plan to take my kids in the future. It was an incredible experience. It was a thrill just to sit and watch those guys living the dream.

393C3B3D353F263B3221272A530 wrote: I used to fly down every year and spend a week there just after the minor league guys report for spring training, but have not been able to do so now in almost 20 years.  It was always a great experience.  I hope to be able to start doing that again, but life happens lol.


I actually enjoy those games as much or more than the regular spring training games because they give you eyes on for many of the prospects coming up through the organization. Hopefully, you can come down again .

I got to go to Pirates City one time. Matt Capps was pitching an inning in a scrimmage against a few Twins minor leaguers. I was able to get right up to the backstop. His ball hissed as it came to the plate. Just then, whatever thoughts I ever had that I could stand in a major league batters box and get my bat on the ball quickly faded. :'(

613721353A20303B362113343E323A3F7D30530 wrote: I got to go to Pirates City one time.  Matt Capps was pitching an inning in a scrimmage against a few Twins minor leaguers.  I was able to get right up to the backstop.  His ball hissed as it came to the plate.  Just then, whatever thoughts I ever had that I could stand in a major league batters box and get my bat on the ball quickly faded.   :'(


One of my favorite things to do there is getting behind the catches when the pitchers are throwing their session. It is hard to understand how hard they throw as well as the movement they can put on the ball until you get that close. When Glasnow was there and he threw a curveball it was amazing the amount of break the ball had. At that point, he could not throw a lot of strikes with it but it was impressive none the less.

10393F33315C0 wrote: I got to go to Pirates City one time.  Matt Capps was pitching an inning in a scrimmage against a few Twins minor leaguers.  I was able to get right up to the backstop.  His ball hissed as it came to the plate.  Just then, whatever thoughts I ever had that I could stand in a major league batters box and get my bat on the ball quickly faded.   :'(


One of my favorite things to do there is getting behind the catches when the pitchers are throwing their session. It is hard to understand how hard they throw as well as the movement they can put on the ball until you get that close. When Glasnow was there and he threw a curveball it was amazing the amount of break the ball had. At that point, he could not throw a lot of strikes with it but it was impressive none the less.




That's why I'm always impressed anytime a player gets a hit. To hit balls moving at various speeds, with movement in any one of several directions, never ceases to amaze me.

123B3D31335E0 wrote: I got to go to Pirates City one time.  Matt Capps was pitching an inning in a scrimmage against a few Twins minor leaguers.  I was able to get right up to the backstop.  His ball hissed as it came to the plate.  Just then, whatever thoughts I ever had that I could stand in a major league batters box and get my bat on the ball quickly faded.   :'(


One of my favorite things to do there is getting behind the catches when the pitchers are throwing their session. It is hard to understand how hard they throw as well as the movement they can put on the ball until you get that close. When Glasnow was there and he threw a curveball it was amazing the amount of break the ball had. At that point, he could not throw a lot of strikes with it but it was impressive none the less.




One year when I was down there there was a outfielder or infielder who been converted to a pitcher and was throwing over a hundred almost every pitch - with no control, but even the other minor league players were lining up behind watching him throw.

363334323A3029343D2E28255C0 wrote: I got to go to Pirates City one time.  Matt Capps was pitching an inning in a scrimmage against a few Twins minor leaguers.  I was able to get right up to the backstop.  His ball hissed as it came to the plate.  Just then, whatever thoughts I ever had that I could stand in a major league batters box and get my bat on the ball quickly faded.   :'(


One of my favorite things to do there is getting behind the catches when the pitchers are throwing their session. It is hard to understand how hard they throw as well as the movement they can put on the ball until you get that close. When Glasnow was there and he threw a curveball it was amazing the amount of break the ball had. At that point, he could not throw a lot of strikes with it but it was impressive none the less.




One year when I was down there there was a outfielder or infielder who been converted to a pitcher and was throwing over a hundred almost every pitch - with no control, but even the other minor league players were lining up behind watching him throw.




100 MPH. It's insane to think a batter can hit something like that. And yet they do.

194F594D425848434E596B4C464A424705482B0 wrote: I got to go to Pirates City one time.  Matt Capps was pitching an inning in a scrimmage against a few Twins minor leaguers.  I was able to get right up to the backstop.  His ball hissed as it came to the plate.  Just then, whatever thoughts I ever had that I could stand in a major league batters box and get my bat on the ball quickly faded.   :'(


One of my favorite things to do there is getting behind the catches when the pitchers are throwing their session. It is hard to understand how hard they throw as well as the movement they can put on the ball until you get that close. When Glasnow was there and he threw a curveball it was amazing the amount of break the ball had. At that point, he could not throw a lot of strikes with it but it was impressive none the less.




One year when I was down there there was a outfielder or infielder who been converted to a pitcher and was throwing over a hundred almost every pitch - with no control, but even the other minor league players were lining up behind watching him throw.




100 MPH. It's insane to think a batter can hit something like that. And yet they do.


A friend of mine stood in against a Bob Walk fastball a couple of years after he retired, and said it was the scariest experience of his life. He said he didn't even have time to think anything before the ball was in the catcher's mitt.