Finally! Spring training has begun!
Baseball is just around the corner, and that means that players will be preparing and warming up for the regular season.
Most players for the Braves have already reported, and today they fielded balls and had batting practice.
Now spring training is not the most accurate way of seeing if a player is ready or not, but it certainly foreshadows their performance in the regular season. So I will look over how today went for everyone.
Chipper Jones showed many positives today because he hit in batting practice from both sides. He says he hasn't felt any pain or discomfort so far, and he is still on track to start on Opening Day.
Chipper is a key player for the Braves this year, and the team's playoff chances may hinge on his health. I agree with many that he needs to take it slow so he doesn't hurt anything else, but at the same time I want him to practice harder so he will be 100 percent ready. Man am I greedy.
Many players have lost weight over the off-season, including Martin Prado, Brian McCann, and Peter Moylan. Hopefully this will improve their athletic abilities during the season, but I do not believe it will make that much of a difference.
I have never had any problem with McCann's size, and Prado in my eyes does not need to lose weight unless he had too much body fat. Moylan was starting to put on a few pounds, so it was a good thing that he lost weight. I think that the overall effect the weight loss will have on these players will be minor, but it still is a positive.
Although Jason Heyward has yet to arrive for training, the Braves are still ready. They have put covers over the parking spaces outside of the outfield fence due to his car-shattering home runs last he hit last year. Expectations are still high for the NL ROY runner-up.
Another note about Prado is that he is still working amazingly diligently and hard. He berated himself in batting practice if he didn't hit a ball solidly and he continues to work out with vigor. He also does not complains but embraces his shift from second base to left field.
He cares more about his team than his preferences. These little details continue to show how much of a quality baseball player and person Martin Prado is.
If the rest of the players in the league had the same attitude that Prado has, then the quality of baseball would drastically increase. Media drama would decline and performance would increase. Baseball needs to take a page out of Prado's book.
Fredi Gonzalez has not implemented many new changes into spring training, and that is a good thing. Was there anything wrong with Bobby Cox's approach? Not that I can think of.
The first big day has gone and past, without controversy and surprises. The Braves are confident about their team and their players showed why today. They went out and had a good practice, which is what you ask for. Spring training is about training, not winning, and the Braves did exactly that.
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