Splash Hits: Rolling the innings
Let's get weird.
Teams rolling innings, seven inning games, post-game intrasquads… early spring training is bizarre, man.
I’m fine with teams rolling innings the first couple weeks of spring training. These are exhibition games, the purpose of which is getting players ready for the season. Let a manager decide if he wants to pull a pitcher after a certain number of pitches or if he wants to let him try to escape a jam. Why not give teams the option? It likely doesn’t serve teams well if they have to dip into their bullpen in the first inning to rescue a starter who has thrown his allotment of pitches on the day. Like other rule adjustments in place thanks to the pandemic, the rolling of innings in early spring training is one they should continue to use going forward.
Dayton Moore is on record in The New York Times against shortening the number of innings played in a contest; this is another rule that seems to make some sense given the roster peculiarities of camp this year. Unlike the rolling of innings, the shortened games don’t have traction for future years.
Maybe it’s good for MLB to get all the crazy out of their system in early March.
The buzz on Twitter from Thursday night’s game was Bobby Witt Jr. flying around the bases to score on an error by the Reds’ left fielder. It’s difficult to tell from the highlight the Royals provided, but it looks like Witt Jr wasn’t particularly fast out of the box, perhaps a little frustrated he didn’t make better contact. Although he turned on the afterburners as he circled the bases.
My unofficial stopwatch has him making the trip around the bases in 15.2 seconds. Mercy.
Then there was this blast from prospect Nick Pratto.
It doesn’t come through on the GIF, but the sound of Pratto’s bat hitting the ball was pleasing.
We have yet to see Adalberto Mondesi in Cactus League action after fouling a pitch off his left foot during a live session of batting practice before camp opened. The Royals’ approach to the injury is being reported as “cautious.” Spring training is already too long so Mondesi should have plenty of time to get ready for the regular season, provided he returns to action soon. He is taking part in drills, so it’s not like he’s completely sidelined, but still…the pressure continues to be on the shortstop to provide a productive season at the plate.
Last year, Mondesi was the guy I pegged as key to getting off to a hot start for the Royals. Exactly the opposite happened. Although he was able to rebound with a spectacular final month of the season, the expectations are on once again. With a full slate of games scheduled a strong start isn’t as crucial as in a 60 game season, it’s time for Mondesi to realize as much of his offensive potential as possible. Injuries, even in the first week of exhibition games and no matter how minor, are suboptimal for anyone. Given Mondesi’s track record the last couple of years, he needs to be on the field as much as possible in March to prepare for the grind of 162 games.
The news that the Royal will let fans back into The K at around 30 percent capacity is good news for those of us seeking some optimism from this damned pandemic. A lot has been learned about this virus and how it spreads and how it can be contained over the last year, and I’m convinced that the Royals, along with Kansas City health officials and guidance from the CDC, can establish protocols to keep fans safe. It’s a large outdoor stadium. Space should be able to be maintained.
We’ve learned many things from this miserable experience over the last year, one of which is that sports without fans just aren’t the same. I’ll take the noise of 10,000 safely spread through a venue that can hold close to 40,000 over no crowd at all. Personally, I can’t wait to get back to the ballpark. At a safe distance.
It’s been a slow week at Into The Fountains. While I am in the best shape of my life, like a cagy veteran, I continue to find it necessary to pace myself early in spring training. It’s a long season.
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