Pitchers and catchers reported a few days ago and "best shape of his life" stories are in full swing. I am happy to see that Justin Verlander, Wilmer Flores, Jordan Hicks and Tom Murphy are all, in fact, in the best shape of their lives, or at least some variation of the theme.
Hello! I bet you, like me, forgot Joel Peguero RHP was signed to a minor league deal in the Hot Stove League. Bob Melvin just casually mentioned that he hit 101 MPH in throwing sessions. OK, I'm not sure hitting 101 in the first throwing session of the spring is a good idea but wow! I decided I better find out a bit more about Joel Peguero. Fangraphs rates his FB as a 70(yes, I would say so) and his slider as a 55/60. He put up this line in AA in the Tigers organization last season: 3-0, 3.14, 51.2 IP, 9.75 K/9, 2.96 BB/9, 1.70 GB/FB. A name to keep an eye on. My guy is still Enny Romero LHP. You heard it here first!
For those of us anxious about the backup catcher role, Tom Murphy C is reportedly.....in the best shape of his life and the favorite for the role although Max Stassi and Sam Huff are also options.
For those of us worried about whether Jordan Hicks RHP can handle a SP load for longer than 2 months, he is reportedly "bulked up" from last season. Hopefully that's good bulk and not Pablo Sandoval bulk.
Lastly Bob Melvin his musing out loud about having LMWJ bat leadoff to take advantage of his elite OBP and move Jung Hoo Lee to third in the order as Melvin thinks there's more power in his tank.
For Hicks, Pavlovic says they are targeting about 150 innings this year.
ReplyDeleteThe limiting factor for Peguero was walks. If they can harness his control, it would be awesome. I believe the plan is to send him to Sacramento to start the season.
ReplyDelete