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, yr in, yr out. Waking up and spending my morning hours on the minor league aspect of camp, nearly all to myself and away from the autograph sellers, earlier than strolling over to the big-league stadium for a day sport is essentially the most enjoyable, up-close, intimate setting I can get for baseball at this degree.
Lately additionally assist me get a powerful grasp on the Rangers farm system, significantly on the A-ball and Advanced degree prospects unlikely to make it up my method to the Double-A Texas League in the course of the season. Trying again on the primary article of this ilk I penned a yr in the past, my spring viewings helped me establish Cole Ragans, TK Roby, Joseph Montalvo, and Cam Cauley as potential breakout candidates, and Cole Winn as one prone to battle once more. If I can do half as effectively this time round, possibly I’ll have the ability to persuade myself it wasn’t simply by dumb luck.
I’ll present the identical caveat I did final time round: spring coaching isn’t at all times the perfect 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 appears to be like, particularly after getting year-over-year observations to match them to.
