Day two of minor league spring training had some ups and it had some downs. The ups: Luis Castillo embarrassed the Los Angeles Dodgers Double-A team. I got my first in-person look at Alfredo Rodriguez. Had a chance to see a few other players in person for the first time. The downs: Shed Long had to leave the game early with an injury (more on that below). I will not get to see Vladimir Gutierrez pitch on this trip – he pitched on the road today and I found out too late to make the journey.
Luis Castillo dominates
The pitch that shatters the bat in the video was on a 98 MPH fastball. It wasn’t the fastest pitch of the day for Luis Castillo. He hit 99 MPH several times. He was sitting 96-97 most of the day. It wasn’t just the velocity that stood out. The right hander was locating the breaking ball and the change up at the bottom of the strikezone all afternoon. Both pitches were working in the low 80’s.
Shed Long exits the game early
Shedric Long left the game early on Wednesday afternoon. He singled in the previous inning, but came out the following inning. He was having some lower back pain. It wasn’t major and he was removed more as a precaution than anything else.
Other observations and notes
In the early workouts at 10am Gavin LaValley hit a baseball that I’m not sure has landed yet. Sure, it was batting practice, but that ball was obliterated and you knew it the second he hit it. Several of the players on the infield were hollering before the ball was close to clearing the fence. It was THAT kind of home run.
As I noted above, I was able to get my first look at Alfredo Rodriguez. I want to get a few more looks before giving a more in depth report, but I will share some quick thoughts on him defensively. He’s got real soft hands. His footwork is quite good. He showed some range in limited chances.
Vladimir Gutierrez pitched on the road against the Dodgers. Bill Mitchell, a photographer and contributor to Baseball America was at the game. Here’s what he had to say about the outing:
Vladimir Gutierrez done after 5 inn – 1R, 1H (HR to Gomez), 1BB, 7K. FB 96, nasty curveball.
— Bill Mitchell (@billazbbphotog) March 22, 2017
In the Triple-A game Gabby Guerrero and Alex Blandino each hit a home run. I didn’t spend much time watching this game. The Double-A game was simply loaded and had multiple guys that I had never seen in person before on the field.
Jeremy Kivel had Tommy John surgery this week.