Most baseball fans spend the long offseason anxiously counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report for spring training in Florida and Arizona. That countdown will end this week, and by the beginning of next week, teams will be busy preparing to knock off the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.
Spring training means different things to different players. For some, it is nothing more than six weeks to get ready for the upcoming season. For others, it is a valuable opportunity to make a strong impression on coaches and management or to earn a spot on a Major League roster.
"Spring training is a way for us to show our offseason work ethic," Ralston Cash, a Los Angeles Dodgers pitching prospect who will be attending the team's camp for the first time, told the Daily. "We have a goal we set and it all starts in spring training. We can go up a level or down a level, depending on the time we put in during the offseason."
Cash — who was selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2010 draft — is one of hundreds of players hoping to make the leap from Rookie ball to Class−A or above in his first full professional season. Spring training is a particularly crucial period for these players because, in many cases, it is the first and only time during the year when they will be seen by their team's Major League coaching staff.
Not surprisingly, Cash recognizes that he has to pitch his best and not worry about anyone else.
"I know that you better come out with your guns loaded and ready to fire," Cash said. "The mentality is everyone is coming out for war to make those spots on teams, and so am I."
While prospects look at spring training as a chance to climb up the minor league ladder, more established players see it as a way to graduate out of the farm system for good. Diamondbacks pitcher Barry Enright posted a solid 3.91 ERA in 17 starts during his first trip to "The Show" last year, and he will spend the next month and a half auditioning to keep his spot in the team's starting rotation. Newly acquired starters Zach Duke and Armando Galarraga are his main competition.
"As I have moved up and been given a taste of the big leagues and throwing in Chase Field, it has really given me extra motivation," Enright told the Daily. "I have always been a guy that has worked hard and given all I've got, but given that taste and being this close has added even more desire to [stay at that level]."
Many other position battles will be waged at spring training facilities all across the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues.
At the Oakland Athletics' camp in Phoenix, Ariz., six outfielders — including young slugger Chris Carter and GM Billy Beane's marquee pickup Josh Willingham — will look to squeeze into four spots on the roster.
At the Philadelphia Phillies' facility in Clearwater, Fla., one of the league's top prospects, Domonic Brown, will be asked to prove that he can handle the team's starting right field job.
And at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay, Fla., Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre will hope to fend off the New York Yankees' veteran minor league signees — former Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon and two−time All−Star Freddy Garcia — to retain their jobs in the team's rotation.
"First and foremost, spring training is a time for guys to continue to get in shape and get ready for the year ahead," Enright said. "But there's definitely some pressure because it's an opportunity for certain players to come in and win a job."
Since most baseball players spend nearly five months away from game action during the offseason, they return anxious to see how long it will take them to get back into the groove.
"Coming in, you definitely feel the rush of a new season starting up," Cash said. "I am nervous to see how my offseason workouts are going to play out on the diamond and I know that other players are as well."
If the players are anxious after half a year away from professional baseball, then the fans certainly are as well. Spring training is, fittingly, a reminder that most of the cold winter has passed and spring is fast approaching.
And for those fans still counting, opening day for the 2011 season — Thursday, March 31 — is just 44 days away.
