Well, it’s about bloody time!
After wading through all the steroid crap, I finally got a chance to see Major League pitchers throw Major League bullpen sessions to Major League catchers.
This is one of the highlights of spring training. Because – let’s face it – from here it can only get worse until Opening Day. Nobody will ever be healthier than they are now. Four things I saw:
1. B.J. Ryan: How to describe the sense of relief that swept through the Blue Jays braintrust Saturday afternoon after Ryan breezed through a bullpen session? Not really palpable, because everybody here seems to think he’s ahead of schedule. But one thing was readily apparent: Ryan looked healthy. He was throwing more over the top than early last spring, when all those red flags went up that resulted in surgery. That might improve the effectiveness of his cutter, but Ryan didn’t want to read too much into it, suggesting that “I was back to my natural arm slot, and that I didn’t have to work to keep it there.” Ryan has thrown to pitching coach Brad Arnsberg twice during the off-season and this was his second Florida bullpen session – but his first with Sal Fasano catching him. That’s important, because Fasano was a teammate of Ryan’s with the Orioles and Ryan says “he knows me better than anybody. He’s got a great feel for what I can and can’t do and he knows me when I’m going good and going bad.” Bullpen sessions are a cool thing, because you can hear the interplay between the catcher and pitcher and Fasano is especially detailed. When the session is over, the pitcher traditionally walks in toward the catcher, listening to the catcher’s analysis, shaking hands, exchanging pats on the backs or hugs and – most importantly – thanks the catcher.
Fasano also caught Dustin McGowan and, well, I'm just going to download Sal's comments and let you hear them in his own voice.
Interesting thing: the bullpen has about a half-dozen pitching rubbers side-by-side and just before he took to the rubber, Ryan caught Fasano’s attention and motioned him over to make sure he’d catch him.
2. Brandon League left his surfboard at home. Handed the setup role two years ago, League showed up at spring training last year with over-developed shoulder muscles which, according to urban myth, came from swimming out to catch waves. Manager John Gibbons said he thought that League “looked very good.” Gibbons was impressed with Ryan’s location. “It was unbelievable for a guy who’d been out all that time.”
3. Russ Adams, an early arrival among position players and apparently in terrific shape, will be packing an outfield glove with him when he takes to the field. Gibbons confirmed that Adams will be worked into a super-utility role, and even though Marco Scutaro will be the main utility player – he, too, will be seeing a great deal of outfield flys – Adams’ left-handed bat makes him an intriguing bench candidate for a club shy on batters from the left side.
4. Alex Rios was rocking a quasi-Mohawk ‘do. Gustavo Chacin, Jean Machi and Robinzon Diaz did not report in time for Saturday’s workout but the Blue Jays say all three have contacted the team and are late because of visa issues.
Off to this place for dinner. Ciao ... or, is that chow?
