Picture credit score: © Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports activities
With my annual household journey to Shock, Arizona within the books, it’s time for me to wax poetic concerning the joys of being a fan at spring coaching once more. The journey is with out fail my favourite baseball expertise of the season, 12 months in, 12 months out. Waking up and spending my morning hours on the minor league facet of camp, virtually all to myself and away from the autograph sellers, earlier than strolling over to the big-league stadium for a day recreation is essentially the most stress-free, up-close, intimate setting I can get for baseball at this stage.
Today additionally assist me get a robust grasp on the Rangers farm system, significantly on the A-ball and Complicated stage prospects unlikely to make it up my method to the Double-A Texas League through the season. Wanting again on the primary article of this ilk I penned a 12 months in the past, my spring viewings helped me determine Cole Ragans, TK Roby, Joseph Montalvo, and Cam Cauley as potential breakout candidates, and Cole Winn as one prone to wrestle once more. If I can do half as nicely this time round, possibly I’ll be capable of persuade myself it wasn’t simply by dumb luck.
I’ll present the identical caveat I did final time round: spring coaching isn’t all the time one of the best scouting look, particularly in early March as gamers are simply getting again into the rhythm of baseball and pitchers are considerably additional alongside than hitters. Nonetheless, there’s nonetheless loads of worth from these seems, particularly after getting year-over-year observations to check them to.
