Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
MLB news roundup
After a long winter, the first game of spring is now only two days away. And that means the team is practicing and ramping up more and more each day. Yesterday saw three of the infielders getting in some work.
Jace Peterson (3B), Aledmys Díaz (SS) and @tonykemp (2B) taking groundballs today in Mesa pic.twitter.com/KIo1bM0p0S
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) February 23, 2023
A’s Coverage:
Willis: Soderstrom headlines group of Oakland A’s on Fangraphs’ Top 100 prospects
Gallegos: With new slider grip, Oller finds his command
Wirth: Muller drawing Bumgarner, Rodin comps
Wirth: Kotsay: A’s using low expectations at motivation for this season
Kawahara: Can Pache make the cut? Former prospect faces ‘important Spring’ ($)
RickeyBlog: Cristian Pache’s path gets tougher with JJ Bleday, Esteury Ruiz in camp
MLB News & Interest:
Hoch: Montas undergoes surgery, could still return this season
McTaggert: Astros’ McCullers won’t be ready for Opening Day
Rosenthal: Twins sign veteran utility man Donovan Solano
Guardado: Giants’ Pederson could get reps at first base
Today in Baseball History
Best of Twitter:
Hopefully in favor of Oakland:
Strap in, A’s fans
2023 should be the defining year of the Oakland/Las Vegas new stadium saga
FULL POD ️ https://t.co/igeC0PeZQd pic.twitter.com/d41xDXwW24
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) February 22, 2023
The talk of camp:
Shea Langeliers on Shintaro Fujinami’s stuff:
“It’s really good. He’s got some different variations of pitches that he’s gonna throw when he wants to throw ’em. It’s gonna be exciting.”
(via @athleticscast24)
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) February 22, 2023
The second overseas pitcher got in some work too:
First live BP for starter Drew Rucinski pic.twitter.com/x2G4mbgIeO
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) February 22, 2023
The starting shortstop speaks on last year’s struggles:
Nick Allen on his 2022 season:
“It was a learning experience. I didn’t do how I wanted to do. It lit a fire underneath me. … I wanna be a guy that can help the team in every facet – hitting, getting on base, stealing some bags and scoring.”
(via @athleticscast24)
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) February 22, 2023
And Angels’ superstar Shohei getting a quick start against the A’s before heading off for the WBC…
The #Angels have changed Shohei Ohtani’s schedule. He’s now pitching on Tuesday against the A’s at Mesa. He will DH on Sunday and Monday. Then he will go to the WBC.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) February 22, 2023