Looks like he's in the best shape of his life.
They've certainly added some bulk. Remains to be seen how it will affect performance.
I feel the same way. I think getting the Devers situation sorted and locking him up after what went down with X and Mookie has gone a long way in impacting how I look at the team for this year and moving forward. 2023 can be a competitive year if a few things break right and it’s easy to see a bright future with all of the young talent in the pipeline and our cornerstone guy locked up for the next decade.
Keep 'em coming! I love all the frivolity and jocularity (or is it jockularity?)
Seems like a possible advertising opportunity for Papa John's, the official pizza of MLB.
Yup. I've made quite a dent in the cushion on my favorite armchair. Should be a cinch to just ease my way into baseball viewing.
You'll be there after the games start, so things work a bit differently than it does when camp first opens. There's not usually outdoor activity before 9/9:30-ish; they may have indoor meetings etc. for players earlier than that. Best to use the West Gate. If there's a home game that day they'll be charging for parking ($10?). You can go to the practice fields; usually the MLB squad will be using one ball field (closest to the park, furthest from the gate), the agility field, and inside the park (which you won't be able to see)--minor leaguers are likely to be working out on the first group of fields you come to. Not sure how they will handle Puerto Rico training there too that week. Access to the practice fields is sometimes restricted unexpectedly--they may rope off everything or they may allow access to the closest fields but not the far ones. Note that after the games start there are no concessions out back though there are restrooms and a water fountain.
I want Verdugo batting leadoff on opening day.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/15/sports/chris-sale-appears-thinner-than-usual-doesnt-sound-concerned-about-holding-up/
I haven't read the article, but I did see video on NESN of Sale throwing the other day, and he is really skinny. I was yelling at the screen, "Eat some cheeseburgers, please!" I really don't know how putting on weight could help him stay healthy, but he just doesn't LOOK healthy being that thin.
I'm not qualified to speak on body types, metabolism or the physics of all of this, but I do wonder how a man of his height and weight holds up during the every day grind of being an MLB pitcher. While he might not play everyday, one might argue that the stress being put on his body every five days along with individual off day routines is at the very least equal to teammates who are everyday players. The biggest concern I might have about his weight is the idea that over the course of six month, 162 game season is the idea one might lose weight. I mean it seems logical with that sort of grueling schedule, especially when you consider that a good many of those games will be played outside during the hottest time of the year. That said Sale says that he tends to gain weight during the season, so what do I know.
I don't think it's caught up to him at all. I don't think his weight has had anything to do with the last four years for him. Shoulder inflammation happens to pitchers of all shapes and sizes every year. UCL tears happen to pitchers of all shapes and sizes every year. Broken bones as a result of trauma are hard to blame on his frame/body type unless we think more bulk would have protected his finger or his wrist. (maybe more "padding" might have protected his ribs better? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) I think if his frame starts to become a problem, it's probably going to be more ligament and tendon strains. But it's arguable that that sort of thing becomes an issue for most pitchers as they age into their mid/late 30s, and adding bulk might just exacerbate things.
I will eat 2 dunkin chocolate donuts a day to help. Just want Chris Sale not to be injured again and pitch like Chris Sale. Lol
I followed your logic right up until you mentioned that it might affect stamina. If that were the case, fat marathoners would win the Boston Marathon every year.
I just said this exact phrase out loud when I saw the report on The Athletic. LOL.
Like the old adage: “minor surgery is surgery happening to someone you don’t know.”
Worth 5 minutes of your time to read, I promise.
Great read. Pedroia is someone who I immediately get bummed out when reflecting. With time people have forgotten just how good he was. He was unquestionably on a hall of fame path. To have that path not only ruined by injury, but by a injury inflicted from another player, it’s just a challenging pill to swallow.
Was questioning the statement that "with time" people have forgotten how good he was. Has the man been gone so long that we don't remember him for being the impact player that he was?
Seriously, who are these folks who don't remember? Gone, but definitely not forgotten...even at my advanced age.
