8:47 AM EDT, Thu March 28, 2024
Purple Row

Thursday Rockpile: In memory of a disheartening Spring Training

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports Colorado Rockies news and links for Thursday, March 28, 2024 It’s been a long March. The month is typically reserved for hope and optimism for baseball fans as the air fills the sound of cleats on dirt and the crack of wooden bats as winter thaws into spring in MLB camps around Arizona and Florida. However, this year has been much less satisfying for not just Colorado Rockies fans, but fans of the game of baseball. Colorado’s performance and outlook is not the reason for this pessimism. Expectations are low after an abysmal 2023...

DRaysBay

Tampa Bay Rays 2024 Spring Training Leaders

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via It was a Spring to remember for some; for others a Spring to forget After six grueling agonizingly long weeks, Spring Training is mercifully over. The highly anticipated yet quickly yawn inducing schedule of about 30 exhibition games has reached its conclusion with the Rays and Tigers playing to a 3-3 tie on Tuesday afternoon. All of the meaningless statistics that will forever grace analytical websites will be the only thing to actually show that any games were played. Random minor league free agents, the occasional top...

DodgerBlue.com

Dodgers Spring Training: Camelback Ranch Average Attendance In 2024 Sets New Record

The Los Angeles Dodgers played a truncated Spring Training schedule because of starting the 2024 season early...

The Seattle Times

Analysis: 4 thoughts about the Mariners as spring training ends

With an off-day to endure before the 2024 season officially opens Thursday night at T-Mobile Park, here are four thoughts about the Mariners as spring training ends.

Bleed Cubbie Blue

Today in 1984 Cubs history: The Gary Matthews/Bob Dernier trade changed everything

The Cubs struggled through a painful spring training, and then Dallas Green made a deal that defined the 1984 team. The Cubs lost 91 games in 1983, two more than they had in 1982, the first year of “Building A New Tradition” under Tribune Co. and general manager Dallas Green. In fact, they had hovered around .500 as late as June 19, when they were 30-32, but went 41-59 the rest of the way, the worst record in the National League. That got manager Lee Elia fired. When spring training began in 1984, the Cubs had made just two significant player moves since the end of...

Brew Crew Ball

Brewers finish spring slate with 6-1 loss to Rockies

Photo by Chris Coduto/ Aaron Ashby allowed five runs in the loss. Box Score The spring training schedule came to an end for the Brewers on Tuesday afternoon. With a lineup filled with minor league players, they finished up the spring with a 6-1 loss to the Rockies. Aaron Ashby got the start for the Brewers in a final tune up before the regular season. It was a rough day for him, as he allowed five runs and ten hits in 5 1⁄3 innings of work. He also struck out four and walked one. The Brewers bullpen was solid from there, covering the remaining 3 2⁄3 innings with...

Amazin Avenue

We’re all rooting for Zack Short

Photo by Rich Storry/ The feel good story of late spring has arrived. On Sunday morning, Zack Short got a phone call that many of us have experienced: his grandmother had passed away. Short, in his first spring training with the Mets, could not join his family in the Kingston area to be with his grandmother as she died. As much fun as it seems like being a pro ballplayer is, this is the downside: you’re a thousand miles away for moments that don’t get a do-over. You miss a lot. But just a few hours later, Short was told that he made the Opening Day roster for the...

Pinstripe Alley

Yankees 2024 Season Preview: Jahmai Jones

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports A former top prospect who wasn’t in camp to start the spring looks to open the season on the bench. Every year, a player that nobody had on the Yankees’ radar finds themselves on the roster. Having made the team out of spring training, acquired via a trade for cash considerations or through the waiver wire, or signed off the couch, these players often find themselves playing a much larger role that anyone could have dreamed. Sometimes, like Matt Carpenter in 2022 or Mike Tauchman in 2019, they are pleasant surprises who provide a...

Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Twins spring is clouded by lack of pitching depth, Jhoan Duran's injury

Closer Jhoan Duran's injury is just the poster for a horrible spring training for a Twins pitching staff that already suffered from a lack of depth.

DodgerBlue.com

Jared Karros Had ‘Good Experience’ Pitching For Dodgers While Father Eric Karros Called Game

The Los Angeles Dodgers concluded their 2024 Spring Training slate with a final exhibition Freeway...

NESN.com

Red Sox Aren’t Running From Last-Place Finishes, 2024 Expectations

The Boston Red Sox are looking to avoid their third consecutive last-place finish, and though the front-office chose not to make any overtures to the roster, the on-field contributors plan on finding success in 2024. It’s what Red Sox manager Alex Cora expects, anyway. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic spent spring training speaking with members […]

NESN.com

What Latest Jordan Montgomery Update Says About Red Sox Pitching Belief

The Boston Red Sox are entering the season without an external addition to the starting rotation, which seemed to be the biggest need of the offseason. Lucas Giolito had been the lone addition before he suffered a season-ending elbow injury during spring training. Tuesday night seemingly signaled the end of any more additions for the […]

AZ Snake Pit

Arizona Diamondbacks: April confidence poll

Photo by Steve Boyle/MLB Photos via On the eve of the season, how are we feeling? March results Last time we checked in, spring training was kinda sorta beginning to get under way, with the early stages of the position battles just warming up. But there was still not very much actual data to go on, with barely a week’s worth of games, and as usual, anyone you know was typically gone by the end of the fifth inning. Unsurprisingly therefore, we did not have a great deal of change in the numbers between the beginning of February and the start of March. Here’s what we...

MASN: School of Roch

Orioles eager to play games that count

The Orioles won 23 exhibition games, the most in club history. Their .793 winning percentage also ranked first. And it meant roughly the same as crap.The real stuff begins Thursday or Friday, depending on the weather.Winning is always better than losing unless your goal is to tank. However, spring training games don’t feature the best players for nine innings. Bullpen moves aren’t usually strategic except to provide innings and work. And the results include split-squads with some of the opponents in Sarasota bringing unrecognizable names on the travel roster.At least the Orioles’ minor...

Purple Row

Wednesday Rockpile: Breaking down the Rockies Opening Day roster

Colorado Rockies news and links for Wednesday, March 27, 2024 After roughly six weeks of rigorous spring training action and evaluation, the Opening Day roster has finally become clear after lots of speculation and theorizing, Now, as we wait for the regular season to begin tomorrow in Arizona, how will the Colorado Rockies initially set up for the 162 game marathon? Catcher (2): Elias Díaz, Jacob Stalling Entering the final year of the three-year extension he signed after the 2021 season, Elias Díaz will once again be tasked with catching the bulk of the 2024 season....

Brew Crew Ball

Spring Training Game Thread #34: Milwaukee Brewers (16-14) @ Colorado Rockies (16-12)

Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via The spring training schedule finishes with a game against the Rockies. The Brewers finish up their spring training game schedule this afternoon. Here are the lineups: Last one in AZ : https://t.co/0aVCkWeSJz#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/t7sKXmcOJu— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 26, 2024 Spring Training Finale https://t.co/Zuk9iHFWsn⏰ 1:10 PM MDT pic.twitter.com/6YtmNydw6K— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) March 26, 2024

Purple Row

Colorado Rockies Spring Training game no. 30 thread: Aaron Ashby vs. Ryan Feltner

Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports It’s the final game of spring training before Opening Day on Thursday It’s the final day of spring training for the Colorado Rockies as they will face off against the Milwaukee Brewers one last time at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The Rockies have been busy at work combing the roster, announcing that Sean Bouchard has been optioned to Triple-A, paving the way for Michael Toglia to crack the Opening Day roster. Additionally, Alan Trejo has been selected for the team, but a corresponding move to open up space on 40-man has yet to...

Bleed Cubbie Blue

Cubs vs. Cardinals at Mesa preview, Tuesday 3/26, 2:05 CT

Photo by Chris Coduto/ The Cubs wrap their 2024 Sloan Park season. This is it for the Cubs in Arizona this Spring Training. They are 16-14-3 in all games played in Arizona this spring, so they have clinched a winning record, for whatever that’s worth. So it goes. Thursday for real. Here are today’s particulars. The Cubs lineup: Here is today's #Cubs starting lineup at @SloanParkMesa!Tune in: https://t.co/Gs2hZXyTjH pic.twitter.com/zlUp5PoP15— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 26, 2024 Cardinals lineup: Last Spring Training game for 2024! #ForTheLou...

DodgerBlue.com

Dodgers News: Dino Ebel Mic’d Up For Freeway Series Finale

The exhibition Freeway Series shifts to Anaheim on Tuesday night for the final Spring Training game...

New York Post

Francisco Alvarez’s completed Mets spring training goals were bigger than him

And as Thursday’s scheduled season opener against the Brewers at Citi Field approaches, he is confident the improvements in his game will be most noticeable in the manner the Mets perform.

DodgerBlue.com

Dodgers News: Gavin Stone Happy With Spring Training Performance

Gavin Stone earned the nod as the Los Angeles Dodgers' fifth starter heading into the regular season...

The Crawfish Boxes

Pre-Season Exhibition Game. March 26, 2024, 7:10 CT. Space Cowboys @ Astros

Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports It’s the last warmup before Opening Day Thursday against the Yankees J.P France gets a much-needed opportunity to stretch out after a late start to Spring Training. With Jose Urquidy and Justin Verlander out, France is definitely an important part of the rotation for the second straight year. Here are the lineups. This one is televised.

Lookout Landing

Mariners end the 2024 off-season with a win; next stop: Seattle

Seattle is thataway | Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports Mariners prospects refuse to go gentle into that Everett night, rally in ninth To let you in on a little secret, recapping the final game of spring training/the off-season inspires just as much impatience for the writers as it does for the players, so let’s get right to recapping this 7-6 Mariners win over the Padres with an eye towards the off-season tomorrow and then Opening Day on Thursday. As is typical of a final preseason game, the starters got one or two at-bats and were removed, making the job of...

Amazin Avenue

Mets release Phil Bickford

Phil Bickford | Photo by Dustin Satloff/ Picked up during the 2023 season, Bickford’s time with the Mets has ended. The Mets have released 28-year-old right-handed reliever Phil Bickford, having designated him for assignment a few days ago to make room for designated hitter J.D. Martinez on their 40-man roster. Coming into spring training, Bickford was one of several pitchers who had a shot at making the team’s Opening Day bullpen. But he and many of the other relievers in that competition were out of options. Having joined the Mets last year in a trade with the...

The Crawfish Boxes

Reviewing The Astros’ Positional Rankings

Yordan Alvarez rounds the bases during a spring training game against the Marlins. | Photo by Rich Storry/ Thoughts on Fangraphs’ rankings for position players.... Why do so many experts expect the Astros to be among the American League’s best clubs again? To a significant extent, their favorable opinions are guided by the quality of the lineup. The everyday consistency on both offense and defense provides a high floor for the Astros’ win-loss projections. So, let’s spend a few minutes dissecting the Astros’ non-pitcher positional rankings produced by...

AZ Snake Pit

Spring Training Gameday Thread, #33: 3/26 vs. Guardians

Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Next time, it will count... Today's Lineups GUARDIANS DIAMONDBACKS Steven Kwan - LF Corbin Carroll - RF Andres Gimenez - 2B Ketel Marte - 2B Josh Naylor - 1B Lourdes Gurriel - LF Ramon Laureano - RF Christian Walker - 1B Will Brennan - DH Joc Pederson - DH David Fry - C Eugenio Suarez - 3B Estevan Florial - CF Alek Thomas - CF Gabriel Arias - 3B Tucker Barnhart - C Brayan Rocchio - SS Geraldo Perdomo - SS Triston McKenzie - RHP Brandon Pfaadt - RHP Plus possibly pitching: RHP Bryce Jarvis, LHP...

AZ Snake Pit

Snake Bytes 3/26: Rain Rain Go Away

Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK TWO DAYS until the games matter! Diamondbacks News [MLB] Sewald expected to miss ‘weeks’ with oblique strain by Steve Gilbert The D-backs did a good job staying healthy for most of Spring Training, but the last week hasn’t been kind to them. First, No. 3 starter Eduardo Rodriguez was diagnosed with a left lat strain, and then, on Monday, closer Paul Sewald had a Grade 2 strain of his left oblique muscle. The team has declined to provide timetables for either pitcher’s return, but manager Torey Lovullo said that...

MASN: School of Roch

Orioles sign Kemp to major league deal

The Orioles left their spring training complex but aren’t done conducting business.They announced today that they’ve signed Tony Kemp to a 2024 major league contract and designated infielder Nick Maton for assignment.The 40-man roster remains full.Kemp, 32, signed with the Reds in February and was released less than a month later after exercising the opt-out clause in his contract. He appeared in eight exhibition games and went 7-for-21 with a double, triple, home run and five RBIs.The Reds’ deal reportedly would have paid Kemp $1.75 million if he made the Opening Day roster, with...

Alex Cora ahead of Red Sox spring training game vs. Yankees

Boston Red Sox Manager Alex Cora addresses the media before the Red Sox-Yankees spring training matchup. First pitch is at 1 p.m. ET.

Alex Rodriguez "Meets the Mets" at spring training in Port St. Lucie

Baseball legend Alex Rodriguez stops by New York Mets spring training in Port St. Lucie and catches up with players and coaches, and becomes the biggest star in camp.

Dustin Pedroia Focused On Getting Better Every Day, No Target Date

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia chats 1-on-1 with NESN's Kacie McDonnell about his rehab, spring training and his ultimate return to the Sox lineup. For more: https://nesn.com/boston-red-sox/